Slip #46

After playing musical chairs for a little bit because of quite a few ins and outs at West Basin Marina this fall, Mercedes has committed to moving from slip #83 to slip #46 next season!  This is not near slip #8 on the wall near the entrance to the marina, where we were first assigned.  Rather, it is inside the basin along the west wall, about 2/3 of the way from north to south.  Our access to the dock will be from the port side of the boat instead of starboard side.  

Slip #46 at West Basin Marina

This is a very pretty spot and has some advantages: 

-  excellent protection from winds from all directions and from any river surge, 
-  longer length for the dock and pylons for more secure belaying with stern and spring lines,
-  very easy straight-in approach to and egress from the dock,
-  no dock for the power to route so much less chance of the power being shut off on account of high water, 
-  grassy lawn for folding sails, 
-  good availability of nearby parking, 
-  close to the bathrooms in the northwest corner, 
-  picnic tables and shade trees nearby for socializing,
-  easy walking distance to the yacht club for food and drinks,
-  reasonably close to staging vehicles for loading/unloading gear,
-  safer distance from boats who are maneuvering into the fuel dock with, shall we say, less than perfect control,
-  our friends on the racing boats are nearby, including Captain Blood, who is moving to the south wall near the yacht club.

Fair to say, there are a few potential disadvantages for that slip, or things that we will miss:

-  geese hang out nearby and there are a lot of geese droppings on the dock and the grounds (watch your step!),
-  further from the fuel dock,
-  further from the ice machine,
-  that corner of the marina tends to build up silt, and draft could be a problem if the water level becomes very low,
-  further from transient slips where we used to meet, at least in past seasons, interesting people visiting from all points around the lake,
-  nothing to hang the bow lines on when leaving the dock to grab them when returning; we may need a clever engineering solution for this!

Looking forward to next season.  Let's hope that sailing and racing becomes free of the stress of coronavirus exposure!  

Racing season that wasn't

 

Friends of Mercedes,

The racing season of 2020 is coming to a close with an informal chili regatta on Saturday, September 26.  

Mercedes sailed well this season and with a dedicated short-handed crew.  We had a lot of fun competing and improved our skills.  

Some fall sailing outings are sure to come this year before layup.  And let's look forward to next season and hope for some return to health safety normalcy!  Be well!

Molly's photo art

Our friend Molly Pate is often on the St. Joseph pier with her camera.  After last Wednesday's race, long after the other racing sailboats went back in to the dock, we were still sailing about (and probably enjoying an adult beverage).  Molly took this photo and sent it to Karen with the caption "Oh, Mercedes! Thank you so much for always being out there!!"  

We thank her for always being out there and letting us inspire her creativity :) 

Unofficial racing for 2020 kicks off

First informal race of the 2020 season on June 24 for Mercedes, with a limited crew of 4, and good conditions with light air, smooth water, and warm temperatures.  Nice picture of the boat as we are flying the asymm on a broad reaching leg, from the vantage point of Captain Blood.

Sailing status report

Hello, friends of Mercedes,

Just a quick status report, as we are approaching the time in Michigan when the COVID-19 cases and fatalities are projected to be peaking...

We have not yet been working off maintenance projects on Mercedes this off season to get her ready to launch.  I am thinking of trying to delay for a couple more weeks, and then judge whether such "non-critically essential" trips to the boat could be somewhat more justified.  It won't take too long to get ready to launch, if and when.

Anchor's Way Marina, where the boat is on her cradle, is closed, though they are answering the phone.  The gate that allows access to the yard still operates.  They are not venturing a guess about capabilities and timing of launching boats this spring.

The St. Joseph River YC is closed up, too.  They sent a note that said they are evaluating the situation for the racing program this season, but no decisions have been made yet.  Regarding West Basin Marina, they had an extensive docks and electrical upgrade project planned for the off season.  I'm thinking of riding my bike down there to check out whether it looks like the marina will be functional.   

As far as regattas, Chicago to Mackinac race committee and Hook Race committee send me notices that they are extending registration deadlines and promising refunds of registration fees if the races have to be cancelled.  It's not explicit whether registration fees would be refunded if we elect or are forced not to participate, for health safety or logistics reasons.  I have not registered for either race yet.

Social distancing is tough to do on a sailboat between the pointy end and fantasy land, but who knows what the virus mitigation situation will be next month and thereafter.  It definitely seems that we will have a new "normal" in our work and recreation.  Let's be optimistic that sailing and sailboat racing is still part of it! 

Good winds, friends!  Please stay healthy and safe.
- Chris and Karen

Gotta love maintenance and refit

I composed a new page on the blogspot entitled "Maintenance" to list maintenance and refit project work for Mercedes for the winter and spring of 2020.  The page also contains a brief commissioning checklist to prepare for spring 2020 launch.  

I know, I know - this is great news for everyone wondering what super-fun project work is queued up to make Mercedes seaworthy, safe, and fast!  I expect to get started knocking off the maintenance and refit items on the list when the weather gets warmer in March.  Any desire to help out is appreciated! 

Find the "Maintenance" page in the row of tabs above, at the far right.   

Last season, the mast was down, and we replaced
all the wiring and fittings!  

There is some consolation that the list this season
is much, much shorter than what we accomplished
together last season!

2020 Schedule

Hello sailors, 
I am starting to build the 2020 schedule for sailing and racing Mercedes.  Some of the long-distance races have dates set.  As usual, the Hook Race and the Chicago to Mackinac race compete with the same start date.  The St. Joseph River YC schedule is not released yet.  I will keep the schedule updated as I get more information.  Find it on the Schedule tab here.
Good winds,  Chris

Top tips for leeward mark perfection

Looks like a lot of action at the leeward mark!  Here's an article about top tips for leeward mark perfection, written by UK Sailmakers Ireland, published in "Afloat".  It contains good information about technique for the leeward mark rounding that we can apply at that very busy time -- raising the jib, dousing the spinnaker, turning the boat, trimming for upwind, and managing heel angle.  Thanks to Steve Rustigian and to his father for forwarding it!  

Maiden!

"Maiden" is the adventure documentary of the 1989 Whitbread Race around the world whose entries included an all-women crew skippered by Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old brit who was a cook on charter sailboats - and had a dream.

Tracy's inspirational dream was opposed on all sides: her male competitors thought an all-women crew would not complete even the first leg, the chauvinistic yachting press took bets on their failure, and potential sponsors rejected her, fearing the crew would die at sea and generate bad publicity.     

The crew of Maiden shocked the world with their performance in the 33,000 mile Whitbread and humbled those doubting that women sailors are the equal of men!

The film is opening in limited release and will be coming to the Vickers Theatre in Three Oaks starting on August 16.  The typical film runs at this cool, independent theater usually last for less than a week.  

Who wants to attend a showing?  What days would work?  Post a comment below or contact Chris.

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.