No Western Night

With a sick skipper, Full Moon sat out the Duck Dodge Western Night but we should be back next week for Hippies and Hipsters Night. Congratulations to third start winners Tailwind, Chola/Geoff, and Wandering Angus.

Duck Bronzesty

Chad takes a selfie!

Full Moon crew Dave “Tangled” Pulsifer, Judy “Helper” Tiffany, Chad “Sunscreen” Harnish, Daniel “Haircut” Mengedoht and skipper John “Big Move” Mengedoht enjoyed an excellent start in beautiful weather near the “pin” end of the line for the Duck Dodgesty Duck Dodge. Slippery When Wet (Santana 20) held position ahead to and to windward to slow Full Moon’s progress to the Freeway buoy but Full Moon was able to hold off Summer Sled (Harbor 20) and a J22 before rounding.

 

It was gorgeous out there, unusual for early June!

A tack soon after the buoy took Full Moon out of a lot boat traffic (sailing and drifting power boats) and into better breeze crossing the north end of Lake Union. This provided a huge gain, Full Moon slipping into the lead in third start and passing a number of second starts boats as well before rounding the Aurora buoy.

 

Full Moon takes the bronze!

Once launched, the Mighty Isis (aka “Equalizer” spinnaker) helped Full Moon speed south on a romping beam reach to the AGC buoy. Unfortunately, the take-down had some issues and Full Moon spent agonizing minutes on the final upwind leg with the jib flapping uselessly. This allowed a couple of second start boats to slide past as well as eventual winner Jinx and second place Summer Sled. Once Full Moon got going, though, nobody else threatened to pass and Full Moon secured a still-excellent third place finish.

Another duck to add to the mast.

Not Quite Royalty

Full Moon just after the start.

The weather forecasters were a bit off for the Game of Thrones Duck Dodge, a large cloud dumping rain about 6:00 and soaking the boat, not to mention some distant rumblings of thunder. Full Moon crew Randy “Bluetooth” Olsen, Chuck “No Brakes” Weldy, Kristin “Electrocuted” Gasper, Kevin “Amazonia” Gasper, and skipper John “Slow Starter” Mengedoht were a bit late to the starting line, thereby missing a tight cluster of boats trying to clear the Committee Boat. A quick tack toward the Westlake shore soon provided clear and better breeze, allowing Full Moon to pass a number of boats before rounding the AGC buoy.

Chuck, Kristin, John, Randy, and Kevin enjoying the lack of rain.

The wind for the northbound leg was initially very light and from dead astern but soon filled in more from the west, filling the mighty Equalizer for a reasonably zippy reach. This got Full Moon past a few more boats while gaining on a Capri 25 and Duck Dodge veteran Tuesday (Columbia 26). Full Moon finally caught up to the Capri at the Freeway buoy but the Capri had the inside line to round ahead.

Tuesday, Capri 25 and Full Moon doing a mobile phone ad.

A tack to get out of the Capri’s wind shadow paid off well for most of the leg to the Aurora buoy but then the wind faded approaching the buoy, allowing the Capri to just retain their lead. Full Moon then took a hitch to leeward on the final leg in hopes of getting a little separation but the Capri didn’t falter, pulling ahead about 50 feet.

Full Moon approaches the Committee Boat.

Assuming we were well out of contention with the late start, Full Moon didn’t aggressively defend position when a J22 came up from behind. Much to our surprise, the Capri got the horn for second place followed by the J22 in third. Full Moon was all of two boat-lengths out of the top three!

Do or Do Not

Full Moon, comin' through!

The Star Wars Duck Dodge featured ample wind and mostly cloudy skies. At the start, the wind was out of the northwest, setting things up for all boats to easily cross on starboard tack. Full Moon crew Michael “Nibbler” Medina, Marcelle “Buns” van Houten, Katie “Lightsaber” Freels, Matt “Blaster” Allert, Daniel “R2” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Zig Zag” Mengedoht appeared to have a well-timed start but got caught in a boat sandwich squeezing through the line, a few boats to windward being unwilling to alter course per the rules. Once the boats spread out enough for a little clear air, Full Moon was mid-fleet but soon began to reel in a few competitors.

A gravel barge made things interesting for second start boats.

Traffic began to thin out a bit more after rounding the Freeway buoy and a fast romp to the Aurora buoy. The long beam reach in strong breeze to the AGC buoy made a spinnaker an iffy proposition and few boats made the attempt. After a short leg to the Chandler’s Cove buoy, it was back to upwind mode.

Katie, John, and Matt enjoy post-race beverages.

Since the sign boards on the Committee Boat indicated two laps for all starts, Full Moon took the best course for the Freeway buoy instead of crossing the finish line. Approaching the buoy, Full Moon needed a surgical series two quick tacks to just stay ahead of a well-sailed Harbor 20 and stay inside the J30 Slingshot, which was presumably in second start. Unfortunately, on the long southbound leg, both boats got by. Slingshot, though, completely skipped the Chandler’s Cove buoy or we might have returned the favor!

Michael agrees, it wasn't warm out there.

In the end, Full Moon finished somewhere in the top ten boats, though there was a Facebook post suggesting the Race Committee scored third start boats after just one lap! Regardless, it was a blast racing around the lake, Full Moon recording a speed of 7 knots at one point with extended periods going over 6.

Bronze in the Rain

Full Moon through the spyglass.

Full Moon crew Randy “No Spinnaker” Olsen, Adam “Cheap Cider” Michalak, Jackie “Luck Charm” Hensey, and skipper John “New Folds” Mengedoht nailed the third start for the Ugly Sweaters Night Duck Dodge, enjoying first place all the way to the Chandler’s Cove buoy. Unfortunately, the Ranger 33 Chula just managed to get an inside overlap to round the buoy inside and take the lead.

Post-race treats.

Heading back north on a close reach, Full Moon encountered a patch of light wind, allowing Chula to consolidate their lead, Tuesday (Columbia 26) to slip by, and a J22 to catch up. Even old rival Shogun threatened briefly until the wind kicked back in, Full Moon threading past some slower second start boats to maintain third place rounding the Aurora buoy.

Jackie and Adam

With a relatively short leg to the Freeway buoy and variable wind angles, Full Moon elected not to hoist the spinnaker. Tuesday deployed theirs for only a slight gain to hold onto second place. After rounding the buoy, Full Moon slowly gained on Tuesday upwind to the finish but could not make up the distance, still very happy to secure third place.

Getting ready to apply the new duck!

Meanwhile, having presumably spotted an opportunity to score an easy “duck,” 40-foot Thundorca (a third start regular despite her size), switched to first start so at least there were three boats in that start. Full Moon had briefly considered making the same move but opted to stuck to third start to avoid a second lap in the drizzle. As long as the Race Committee does nothing to regulate it, boats are able to freely choose which start they want and first start will remain sparsely populated. This seems nuts to me but it is what it is!

Minimum Tacks

We should have gone in first start. Only two boats, Tipsy Gypsy and Distance, made that choice, leaving behind an unclaimed third place duck for the first Duck Dodge race of 2017. Instead, Full Moon crew Randy “It’s a Job” Olsen, Michael “Temporary Bachelor” Medina, Dave “Spacer” Pulsifer, Judy “Barefoot” Tiffany, Daniel “USC” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Buoy Hugger” Mengedoht requested third start, figuring we may as well join the trend of boats migrating to “slower” starts.

The buoy end of the starting line appeared favored, though it was placed very close to the east shore, and Full Moon opted to approach on starboard tack before tacking to cross the line. Unfortunately, we were a bit late to the line. Worse, we got rolled by a big Catalina 36 to windward and ended up just skirting the docks and houseboats in bad air before tacking for the Freeway buoy. Light air near the buoy then made for a closer rounding than desirable.

Full Moon zipping along under the Equalizer.

Heading west followed back a tack to the north and another to the west brought Full Moon right onto the rhumb line for the Aurora buoy and another close rounding in a bit of traffic. Once around, the mighty Equalizer was hoisted to good effect and Full Moon began reeling in some competitors, especially those who apparently forgot that the course did not include the AGC buoy! The drop went smoothly, followed quickly by a jibe around the Chandler’s Cove buoy.

Full Moon took a “clearing” tack to get to windward of a couple of boats and then another tack for a straight shot to the finish line. At that point, it was hard to tell if a top three finish was in the offing but it was not to be, the top three boats being Jinx, Offline, and Tailwind. Nevertheless, apart from the start, Full Moon sailed well and managed to pass a few boats from second start. More importantly, we all enjoyed a gorgeous early May evening on the lake.

Goosebump Series Results

The series results are in and the Goosebump Race Committee apparently didn't penalize did-not-start (DNS) boats or did-not-finish (DNF) boats quite so much as in past years. Surt still took first place overall, which they certainly earned, while Typsy Gypsy is second despite one DNF and one DNS, and Anarchy is third despite skipping half the races (ouch!). Full Moon placed fourth, followed by Selchie, Distance, and Scat.

This begs the question of how Full Moon might have done in second start, given that we had that choice and that all but one of the first start boats rate considerably faster under PHRF-NW handicapping. Second start was much larger, making for more competition, but first place went to the San Juan 24 Cake or Death - a boat which is well-sailed but typically slower than Full Moon. Similarly, Full Moon frequently beats second-place Necessary Evil and third-place Ignitor in the summer Duck Dodge races.

It is the usual conundrum - sail with faster boats and get beat or sail with slower boats and win. In the end, it doesn't really matter so long as we're having fun!

Wild Ride!

Full Moon crew Randy “Bowrider” Olsen, Adam “Full Sail” Michalak, and skipper John “Spinnaker?” Mengedoht prepared for the final Goosebump race based on the forecast winds of around 10 knots. However, during the 10 minutes prior to the start, the wind quickly increased, requiring an unplanned change to the small “blade” jib. This took a bit of time, resulting in Full Moon being about two minutes late crossing the line, but was well worth it as the wind built into the low 20s, way too much wind for the genoa. Full Moon was still slightly overpowered upwind in the gusts but much more comfortable (and safe) to sail while managing good speed as well.

Full Moon zips along the leg from the Freeway buoy to the Aurora buoy.

Rounding the AGC buoy, Full Moon wasn’t too far behind speedy Scat, which had sailed the first leg under mainsail alone. Scat did hoist what looked like a #2 jib for the downwind leg, helping them to maintain a lead, though Full Moon was topping six knots in the puffs. Full Moon briefly considered hoisting the “small” ancient stock spinnaker as the wind eased a bit but the wind quickly came roaring back and the speed gain would not have been worth the effort of taking the thing back down shorthanded.

Even with a full crew, taking down a spinnaker can be a challenge! This is a Santana 20, Full Moon's little cousin.

The leg from the Freeway buoy to the Aurora buoy was a perfect beam reach with Full Moon hitting a sustained 7+ knots several times. Yee hah! Bashing back upwind, Scat dropped their jib again and the chase was on. Full Moon gained but couldn’t quite catch up, Scat apparently sailing pretty well with just a main.

Randy says "This is fun, right?"

The second downwind leg was similar to the first until Scat inexplicably headed off course to the northeast instead of rounding the Freeway buoy. In the end, Full Moon was happy to place fourth (out of seven boats) behind much larger Typsy Gypsy (33’), Surt (40’) and Distance (37’).

 

Cap'n John likes this stuff!

The series results aren’t officially posted quite yet but, with Typsy Gypsy and Selchie both having a DNF and a DNS each, Full Moon should be second overall with one second, two fourths, and an average finish of about fifth. Congratulations to Surt for taking first overall!

Never Seen That Before!

Scat and Surt before Surt came to an unexpected halt.

Full Moon crew Randy “Tunes” Olsen, Marcelle “Kraken” Van Houten, Adam “Newport” Michalak, Ashley “Muscles” Robinson, and skipper John “Baptiste” Mengedoht enjoyed a gorgeous sunny day with a decent breeze for Goosebump Race No. 5. Opting for a conservative starboard tack start, given the fairly short start line, Full Moon ended up about 30 seconds late, though still in fifth across the line. With wind out of the northwest, it was a straight shot to the Freeway buoy, which was positioned just east of the fixed Gasworks buoy. Three boats ahead then opted to harden their line, heading for Gasworks. Unfortunately, 40’ Surt went a bit too close to shore, coming to a quick halt as they ran aground! Since the crew appeared to be in no danger, Full Moon kept going, moving up to fourth place.

Crusin' on a fast beam reach.

After a couple of tacks, Full Moon rounded the Aurora buoy and soon launched the Equalizer for a thrilling beam reach. Typsy Gypsy had been in the lead but chose a course somewhat close to the Westlake shore. Scat and Selchie found more wind toward the middle of the lake to get by Typsy Gypsy before the AGC buoy while Full Moon was able to gain on all three.

Gaining on Typsy Gypsy...

The leg to the finish line was a straight romp on a tight reach but the Race Committee added a lap so Full Moon continued the chase to the Freeway buoy and on to the Aurora buoy. Under the Equalizer once again, Full Moon gained on Scat and Selchie, who were battling each other, but couldn’t catch up. In the end, Full Moon was fourth, our second-best finish of the series.

Adam and Randy enjoying the sun.

After a very pleasant post-race cruise in the glorious sunshine, Full Moon headed back to the dock. During the usual tidying up, skipper John ventured to the bow to secure a halyard when the boat rocked unexpectedly. With the forward lifelines down in “race” position, there was nothing to grab onto, with the result being in a very wet skipper! Thankfully, the sun was warm and marina manager Steve quickly rustled up a towel and change of clothes. Thanks, Steve!

Pregame Show

The Goosebump Race Committee provided a relatively short, one-lap course for Race No. 4, which was thoughtful given the Superbowl and the fairly light wind out of the southeast. Prior to the start, the wind clocked even more into the east and Full Moon crew Randy “Double Winch” Olsen, Marcelle “Poncho” Van Houten, Michael “HBR” Medina, and skipper John “Low Pole” Mengedoht set up for a port tack start near the starboard end of the line. Unfortunately, Full Moon was a bit late to the line but still third after 40’ Surt and 33’ Typsy Gypsy.

The Bumblebee Boys working hard.

Also unfortunately, the wind proved a bit stronger to the left, allowing the big boats to pull further ahead and for 37’ Distance to catch up and pass. Full Moon did hold off speedy Selchie (26’ Thunderbird) to remain in fourth to the AGC buoy.

Marcelle keeps nice and warm under the poncho.

After rounding, Full Moon held off launching the Equalizer for a while in light of the tight wind angle but then elected to give it a try with a very low pole to stretch the leading edge. This paid off in the puffs with nice bursts of speed but Full Moon could not hold a course to the Freeway buoy and eventually had to give up in favor of the jib. During the takedown, however, the spinnaker was briefly hung up at the top of the mast, creating a very functional air brake. By the time everything was down and cleared up, Selchie had pulled ahead to a comfortable lead.

Foul weather gear is good to have!

Naturally, the short leg from the Freeway buoy to the Aurora buoy would have been perfect for the spinnaker but there was no time to get it set up. In the end, Full Moon was fifth out of five in first start but still a contender for the series since only Surt has also finished each race – at least if the Committee is still counting the crazy first race…

Shaken AND Stirred

Most boats looked like this upwind.

Conditions at the dock prior to Goosebump Race No. 3 seemed pretty normal and Full Moon was set up with the new genoa and with the Equalizer ready to go. However, crew Randy “Not Letting Go” Olsen, Michael “Cabin Boy” Medina, Katie “Low Rider” Freels, Stephen “360” Doyle, and skipper John “Round-up” Mengedoht soon found that the wind on the lake was quite a bit stronger than the forecast 10 knots.

Full Moon probably looked a bit like this with too much jib and a flogging main.

Despite somewhat irregular horn signals from the Race Committee, Full Moon was positioned fairly well for the start, though quickly rolled by 40’ Surt. With too much sail up in some 20 knots of breeze, it was a wild ride to the AGC buoy and having to double-tack at the end of the leg resulted in Full Moon being next to last in the 10-boat first start.

Yeah, kind of like this.

Turning downwind, launching the Equalizer would have been suicidal and with the knot-meter frequently hovering in the upper six knot range, it is doubtful a smaller spinnaker would have been all that helpful, though Selchie seemed to do well with theirs. A larger boat didn’t do quite so well, exploding their chute and having a challenge getting the shredded remains back down on the deck.

Gust and round-up...

After rounding the Freeway buoy, it was a fast and still over-amped close reach to the Aurora buoy before heading back upwind. Not long after that, it appeared that Scat decided to retire rather than take further bashing. Full Moon kept going, though, with the mainsail mostly back-winded and the new genoa undergoing stress testing. Approaching the southern end of the lake, a big gust brought a scoop of lake water into the cockpit followed by a big round-up and an unplanned tack, resulting in a second scoop of water as the genoa briefly pinned the boat down.

And briefly pinned by the jib...

The rest of the second lap was similar to the first, though Full Moon got passed by a couple of larger second start boats before the finish, which came a little sooner than expected since the Committee boat had apparently dragged anchor! Apart from Scat’s DNF, Full Moon was dead last and then some but the crew was happy just to make it around in one piece!

Twice Around

Full Moon crew Randy “Apple Watch” Olsen, Chad “Bleu Chip” Harnish, Adam “Halyards” Michalak, and skipper John “Warm Beer” Mengedoht enjoyed a good start in light breeze near the Committee Boat end of the line for Goosebump Race #2. As expected, the 30’ all-out racer Nefarious and 33’ Anarchy quickly pulled out into a lead while Full Moon was somewhat more evenly matched with 40’ Surt and the Thunderbird Selchie. Rounding the AGC buoy, Selchie was third, Surt fourth, and Full Moon bringing up the rear as only five boats went in first start!

Randy enjoys the weather.

The Equalizer was quickly launched for the long run to the Freeway buoy and, for a while, it looked like Full Moon might overtake Surt and maybe even Selchie but it was not to be. Meanwhile, Anarchy either got their buoys mixed up or had difficulties with their asymmetrical spinnaker but they eventually came roaring back to the Freeway buoy to hold onto second place.

Chad, too!

The third leg to the Aurora buoy was a close reach and Full Moon elected to be conservative and use the genoa rather than gybe the nylon monster and struggle to take it down at that wind angle. The boats ahead gained a bit with spinnakers up, though Surt then lost more than it had gained when their spinnaker flew behind them as they brought it down. 

Surt in the distance.

The rest of the race showed occasional gains and losses but no changes in the order of boats except that speedy Scat from second start got past Full Moon, overcoming a 5 minute head start. It was surprising to see both Scat and a J30 in second start but that just means less competition for Full Moon!

Regarding the race last week, it was actually Surt that was recorded for third place. Meanwhile, there was a lot of Facebook commentary suggesting the race should not count toward the series scores given all the issues. I would certainly agree with tossing the race results if the Race Committee wants to do that.

Speaking of which, the SSYC web site is a bit sparse on the rules, saying only that there are no handicaps or protests. There is no time limit and no reference to the Racing Rules of Sailing, which leaves only the basic navigation rules from the Colregs. This gets me thinking. We racers actually behave as though at least some of the Racing Rules apply because those rules were created in order to have fair competition (as well as to prevent collisions in situations such as mark-roundings where the Colregs are pretty useless). Stuff like not being over the starting line early, not running your engine after the warning signal, not skipping a buoy (“sailing the course”), not using human propulsion (paddling, rowing, sculling, pumping, or rocking), all are part of the Racing Rules. Without those rules in play, all those things are technically legal, not that you won’t be accused of cheating if you don’t follow them. I understand that many sailors, especially beginning racers, are intimidated by the Racing Rules and their supposed complexity – or else offended at the thought of so many rules impinging on the free spirited fun of “beercan” racing. Therefore, I don’t honestly expect the SSYC or the Duck Dodge to adopt the Racing Rules, even an abbreviated version, but I honestly think it would improve the racing if they did. No more confusion about how overlaps apply at mark roundings or whether “overtaking vessels” must keep clear at all times!

Anarchy Rules?

The Goosebump series has been taken over by the Seattle Singles Yacht Club and the first race displayed a few glitches with the new management. The Committee Boat was over half an hour late and, for whatever reason, no course buoys were set apart from the pin end of the start-finish line – which stretched nearly the entire width of Lake Union! The good news was the beautiful sunshine, which offset the cold temperatures and made up a bit for the lack of wind.

Not much wind for the first Goosebumps race.

Following a couple of years of precedent, Full Moon crew Randy “Sippy Cup” Olsen, Michael “Rock n’ Roll” Medina, Marcelle “HBR” Van Houten, and skipper John “Why Not” Mengedoht elected to go in the first start, which raised a few eyebrows on the Race Committee, but with Scat (custom 25’) and Selchie (T-bird) also selecting first start, this is probably appropriate. Positioned comfortably away from the cluster of boats at the Committee Boat but not so far down the line as to make for a longer first leg, Full Moon enjoyed an excellent start, though the Soverel 33 Tipsy Gypsy nailed it, quickly forging out to a lead under spinnaker. Several other boats also deployed spinnakers on the reach south but Full Moon stuck with steady speed with the new genoa, knowing the spinnaker could easily collapse in such light air.

John, Michael, and Randy, working hard on the first leg.

40’ Surt caught up on the outside and Selchie on the inside approaching the AGC buoy when 33’ Anarchy lived up to its name by barging in with no rights whatsoever (under either the racing rules or the Colregs) and then very nearly bashing Full Moon as their stern swung out while turning at the buoy. (Attention skipper: Your boat pivots around the keel, not the rudder!) There was not much we could do other than make as much room as possible but it was a totally unnecessary move on their part and could have easily caused damage to several boats.

Full Moon is in the foreground. Note the collapsed spinnakers behind.

Once around the buoy, Full Moon found a bit of wind coming down the east side of the lake and stayed in it while trying to figure out when to tack toward what should have been an Aurora buoy. A Facebook search showed the Committee had changed the course to AGC, Freeway, Aurora, which made much more sense for port roundings, but there were no buoys to be seen. Typsy Gypsy tacked between the buoys defining the Lake Union “test” course but Anarchy and a small dinghy continued north. Full Moon tacked and then tacked back as the word went out via Facebook to round “the farthest buoy,” which could only mean the fixed Gasworks buoy.

Approaching the Gasworks buoy, speedy Scat and Selchie finally caught up to Full Moon. At this point, Full Moon went west, still following Anarchy in case there really was an Aurora buoy, while the other boats took a more southerly course. Much to our surprise, Typsy Gypsy then reappeared, heading for the Gasworks buoy in an effort to sail the “correct” course. Given the light wind, that had to have been a painful decision!

Full Moon on the final leg with 40' Surt parked in front but to leeward.

Anarchy eventually rounded a virtual buoy (about where an Aurora buoy might sometimes be found) but then ran into a dead zone with no wind at all. Full Moon turned toward the south in an effort to round outside of the west “test” course buoys so as to at least round outside every actual buoy in the north half of the lake! At this point, the Anarchy crew began vigorous rocking the boat, pumping the sails to move forward. Given the chaos thus far, the fading wind, and the low angle of the sun, the Full Moon crew decided to do the same, as did the crew of Quandary (505 dinghy). Astoundingly, the Race Committee then awarded first place to Anarchy, second to Full Moon, and third to Quandary as we all crossed the finish line, despite the very obvious human propulsion!

A new red sticker adorns the mast.

Sail Trial

The new genoa jib flies for the first time!

After waiting a few weeks for a combination of no rain and sufficient wind, the sexy new North Sails jib was finally hoisted Wednesday for a trial run. The new sail has a much lower clew than the old one and did not trim all the way in upwind before the sheets ran into the turning blocks. The forestay has now been tightened up about an inch to reduce rake (with corresponding changes to the shrouds) so we'll have to see if that takes care of things by raising the clew height just slightly. Once dialed in, the new sail should be awesome!

String Theory

Full Moon has been getting by with a 16 year old and very worn-out Halsey Lidgard genoa (which was wonderful when new) but the boat got an early Christmas present on Friday in the form of a brand new genoa from North Sails. The new sail is a gorgeous tri-radial made from laminates with black aramid fibers. A 3DL sail was considered, but the tri-radial should be more durable due to the manufacturing process of the laminate. Other sail-makers were also in the running but North came through with the best value.

Hopefully there will be some decent weather over the holidays for a test run or two!

One reason why not to go with a "string" sail: catastrophic failure!