TAZ!!

2010 Three Bridge Fiasco

by George Lythcott

Single-Handed DivisionJanuary 30, 2010

I think the key to this year’s 3BF was managing the current, then the wind and then the boat, in that order. The Express 27’s were starting at max flood and the wind was predicted to be light and out of the SW.

The plan: With predicted light winds, medium flood strength and a strong ebb, the ebb was by far the most important race factor. I expected the ebb to be even stronger than predicted due to a large run off from the Sierra. I predicted that the ebb would start at RR around 1:30 PM and be STRONG. My goal was to round RR or be close to rounding it by then. After that time, rounding RR was going to be difficult. With the predicted light winds I conservatively estimated that my over-the-ground speed would be 3.5 knots. I figured that I could round Blackaller then TI and get to RR on time. I also considered going to RR first but felt I’d get there too early and would be bucking the flood as I left for to fetch the other two marks.

With the wind predicted to be under 7 knots, I decided to carry my #1. Being single-handed this usually is a bad choice but the wind had been light for the previous 2.5 days. Except for the 17-knot wind in Raccoon Straits, it turned out to be a good choice.

Plan change and start: 20 minutes before my start I noticed the following: 1) There was no wind and 100’s of boats at the start (bumper cars), especially at the pin. 2) There was no wind and a large “parking lot” on the way to Blackaller. In fact, none of the early starters had reached it yet. 3) I noticed about an 8-knot wind blowing out of the South at TI. I decided to abandon going to Blackaller first, and use the flood to carry me across the starting line and reach down to the wind & TI.

I was trying to dodge a very large catamaran (Serenity?) that literally pushed me into Terry Cobb (Mirage) and he into other boats just before the start. The catamaran seemed to be everywhere…just in the way and seemingly making no attempt to do anything else. I cleared her stern, drifted around the pin and ghosted north into the current and clean air.

To TI & RR: I reached down to TI and rounded it easily. My boat speed went from 3 knots to about 5 knots. After I rounded TI, I hoisted my chute. There was a little flood on my nose but there was enough wind to clear the island. I followed Dave Hodges (Timber Wolf) toward RR. He sailed off to the port into the deep water and I decided to sail more conservatively passing about ½ nm west of the Berkeley Pier. I didn’t want to be in the channel if the ebb started earlier than I expected. In retrospect, I should have followed him. The wind was blowing at about 6 knots and coming from my stern so I jibed the chute about 4 times going down to RR keeping the wind on my rear quarter (polars). I started to get hungry and looked my lunch…nothing! Shit, I had left my lunch in my car. I had plenty of water so I drank away the hunger. About half way to RR, I plugged my iPhone into a little speaker system and played air guitar to George Thorogood’s Bad to the Bone.

As I approached the red #2 buoy I knew I had to sail into the channel and keep it to starboard. As I did, I noticed a number of boats coming up from the Richmond breakwater way inside the restricted area. It bothered me that they were in there but I had to stay focused on my race and leave them alone. Besides, they were double-handed and I was single-handed AND they were behind me. I wanted to yell at them.

Rounding RR: It was about 1:30 and I was starting to get about 1 knot of ebb on my nose. I still had 5 knots of wind but it was lightening up. I noticed a small “parking lot” near the island. I usually don’t join “parking lots” because…they are parking lots. I rounded RR wide and never lost much speed. As I rounded the wind (and the spinny pole) moved forward. I doused the chute on the northern side of RR. The wind was now on my nose @ 6 knots.

To/through Raccoon Straits: I stayed in the channel (it was ebbing) until I had a good tacking angle into RS. The wind was picking up and was now blowing at 12 knots as I entered. I was sailing on my ear. I put in the flattener, as much back stay I could apply, dropped the traveler and moved the jib fair lead back. That worked. TAZ!! settled down. She was sailing flatter and my speed was up. Half way through RS, the wind built to 17 knots and I was on my ear again. There was nothing I could do. I twisted the main to keep it from flogging and pushed on. Boats I had passed going from TI to RR started passing me. They were mostly heavy displacement boats and a couple of Moore’s. My spirits started to suffer. I fought my way out of RS and into the Bay in 14 knots of wind.

To Blackaller and the Finish: Once clear of RS, I started looking for Blackaller. I had no clue where it was. The boats in front of me were everywhere. I noticed that the boats on the SF shore were hoisting there chutes but in no particular place. It didn’t dawn on me (tired?) that they were being swept out under the Gate by the strong ebb tide and were hoisting when they realized it themselves. I realized it myself when I was about 1/3 nm from being flushed out of the Gate. I still couldn’t see B but I knew enough to know I should follow the boats ahead of me. I was now on the SF shore (a fishing pier) and in convergence of the ebb tide and the shore counter current flood. I wasn’t moving anywhere…just being pushed around. I wanted to hoist my spinny but it was on the wrong side so I jibed back into the ebb, hoisted it and jibed again. Almost immediately I saw B which looked like a little speck. I jibed about three more times past B and just fetched the pin-end of the line. I got a horn and the gun.

I “knew” the gun wasn’t mine. I had plenty of boats ahead of me and my RR to B leg was miserable. There was a Santana 20 crossing the line at the same time and I assumed the gun was hers.

I flew the spinny all the way to and down the Oakland Estuary. It was a pleasant sail. As I passed TI I saw boats still rounding it. I thought: maybe the gun was mine.

After putting TAZ!! away I went to the Island Yacht Club for their crab Feed. It’s a good thing it was an all-you-can –eat affair. I ate till I was sick. It was there that Ben Mewes informed me that he thought I had won the Single-Handed Division. I grinned at the possibility.

Lessons learned: 1) I need to install outboard jib tracks to deal with being caught with too much sail A head sail change (with hanks) is not an option. 2) The time spent planning a race strategy is well spent but be willing to modify that plan as conditions dictate. 3) Have faith and don’t give up. 4) Bring a damn lunch.