Upwind technique - tacks and tactics

Here is a good article from North Sails describing technique for "how to improve your tacks".  Really clear, actionable advice that can make a big difference in the upwind legs!  Note the emphasis on managing heel of the boat before and after the tack.

If you are interested in tactics, here is another good article describing "tactics as you approach the starboard tack layline".  This is a close encounter that occurs fairly frequently on the race course, and making the right decision allows you to stay ahead or get ahead.  This article is written by Bill Gladstone (who delivered the weather and routing briefing for the Queen's Cup last Friday).   

Lots of other good information in the North Sails website.  Happy browsing!

Rhumbline Regatta - 3rd in division

Mercedes and crew sailed a great race for the Rhumbline Regatta and placed 3rd out of 8 in Spinnaker I division against really tough local and out-of-town competitors!  

The course was a triangle with a long upwind/downwind leg, 3 times around, for a total of about 17 miles.  Winds were southwest at 10-16 knots, seas were 1-2 ft., and rain was threatening.  

Our boatspeed with the North 3Di #2 and the S3 and S2 spinnakers was good, but crew work made the winning difference in this race!  We observed various snafu's all around the course; a long course race like this sometimes turns into a war of attrition.  We had one memorable misadventure when the spinnaker on deck in it's bag tried to escape the boat and float free!  Dragging the spinnaker behind the boat turns out to be an effective sea anchor! 

Steve B. accepted our flag on behalf of the Mercedes crew.  Great job everyone!

Mercedes Tied for First in the Spring Series!!

We're tied for first with Wellenreiter in the Spring Series!!  Great job, we need to keep it going!!

Think sail FAST!!

Here are the results and the photo from last night's race.

Mercedes 2017 Sailing Video

Mercedes 2017 Sailing Video

In the beginning...

Great South Haven Invitational Weekend!!

Great sailing for the South Haven Invitational and Night Nav Race!!

We took first for the Night Nav Race with a 5 minute margin.  People are talking about the troublesome Mercedes crew.:-)

2nd place at the South Haven Invitational and first place in my heart!!  Mercedes' captain and crew ROCK!!

Just want to say thank you to:

• Cristo for spending a fortune to make our boat slick and fast.
• Steve B. for always making sure we have rum and mixers.  SO very appreciated.
• Dave for the best eats ever!!
• Sayer for doing such a great job of shopping.
• And everyone for showing up and working hard!!
• Thanks to Guy for jumping in and working your magic.

Here are some pics.  We missed Todd and Chelsea and Stever on Saturday.

Night Nav Race

1st place Mercedes

John making it look easy

Dave rockin the spinnaker

Chris coaching the team

Mercedes crew accepting our 2nd place flag!

 Great ride back to St. Joe.  15 knots of air from the north, we got to fly our new asymmetrical.  Thanks to Cristo for buying the asymmetrical and to Steve B. for fabricating the bowsprit.

Bullet Continued!!

First place!!! 

Big thank you to Chris for outfitting the boat with new instruments and sails, your dedication to this sport and our sailing program is beyond words.

Big thank you to everyone who worked on the boat, especially Steve B. and Chris who logged at least 100 hours in cold, finger-freezing weather.  Hats off to you both and everyone else who helped work on the boat.

Great sail last night the only thing that would've made it better is if Dave and Sayer were there.

First race a bullet!

Pretty good start to the 2019 racing season for Mercedes - a first place finish!  Congratulations to the Mercedes crew for sailing a great race!  

Sunset photo

Take a look at the colors in this photo that Molly (from Berrien RESA) took of Mercedes sailing last Thursday night, May 16!  Beautiful!  Thanks, Steve B., for sharing it.     

LMSuRF May newsletter

The May issue of the Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation newsletter is available.  There is an article about the St. Joseph River Yacht Club racing program by Gordy Dill and Jim Schrager in this issue.  They discuss how successful PHRF handicap racing is, but there are some holes in their logic!  Other, more scientific rating systems are becoming much more popular because they offer better speed predictive capabilities than PHRF does.   

Congratulations, Sayer!

Congratulations to Sayer for passing the Offshore Safety at Sea Course! It truly reflects a commitment to personal and crew safety. 

When you, too, finish the course successfully, send me (Chris) your completion certificate so I can similarly embarrass you! (I earned my certificate, too, but I'm too humble to post it here :)

Personal flotation devices

Here's an important safety challenge for you!...  Wearing your inflatable personal flotation device (lifejacket), imagine you have accidentally gone over the side of the boat, and both the automatic water-sensing mechanism (if one is fitted) and the manual pull-cord fail to discharge the CO2 cartridge to inflate the lifejacket's bladder.  (This is what happened to the crew overboard victim in last year's Chicago-Mac race.)  

Now, open the cover of the lifejacket, locate the blow tube (hint - it's on the left side), and blow up the bladder.  It will take only about 4 or 5 breaths, and a valve automatically holds the air inside.  For extra credit, locate the strobe light and the whistle attached to the lifejacket.  For even more extra credit, do the whole operation with your eyes closed!

Not so awfully difficult on dry land or in the bathtub or even on a calm, warm day on the lake, but be prepared to do this while treading water in a cold, dark, angry sea!     

 

SJRYC pre-season meeting on May 8

Here is a note from last week from Jim Schrager, the SJRYC fleet captain, announcing the pre-season skippers' meeting at the yacht club on Wednesday, May 8, 7:00pm.  

Everyone is invited to attend to learn about the plans for racing this year.

- - - - -

"Just a reminder for your calendars, the SJRYC Pre-Season Skippers' Meeting will happen next Wednesday evening, 7:00PM, 08 May, third floor of the Yacht Club.  Yes, I know the weather is horrible today, and looks bad for the rest of this week, but someday soon the Sun will shine again.

We'll have the 2019 Schedule, the latest updates on the Sailing Instructions, notes about the Rhumbline and the Queen's Cup, as well as getting to meet at the folks involved with the Race Program this season.  This is your chance to sign up and get the paperwork done for the race season in one easy motion.  Paperwork includes the usual Fleet Form (which we will have with us), your check for racing, and a copy of your PHRF Certificate.  

Skippers and all crew are invited.  

See you there, 

Jim Schrager

2019 SJRYC Fleet Captain"