Protest

I wrote last week about the mysterious Isle of Spar.

It comes. It goes.

I see it every day from my window, but Blaskowitz never believed in it and omitted it from his famous chart.

Wikipedia says it's in Massachusetts last time they looked. NOAA disagrees. They definitely saw it in Rhode Island.

Wikipedia "says it's only visible at extreme low tide". Hmmm. My eye doctor says the vision in my left eye can only be corrected to 20/40 vision but I see it at every state of the tide except the the highest of the high. Even with my left eye.

It's there. No it's here. Now I see it. Now you don't. Weird.

But yesterday there was a protest on Spar Island. I wrote a few weeks ago about the proposal to build an offshore terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers in My Bay. The as yet imaginary terminal would be close to the perhaps mythical Spar Island.



So yesterday the opponents of the LNG terminal led by the Coalition for Responsible Siting of LNG Facilities organized a protest on the bay. More than 100 sailors, power boaters, kayakers and other activists made a several-mile cruise up the bay to protest plans to build the LNG unloading terminal. One of the leaders of the protest, Joseph Carvalho, landed on the famed Isle of Spar and actually gave a press conference there.

His reaction on his first visit to the mysterious mid-bay maybe island: "It was a wild and scenic view. It was gorgeous. I soaked it in. It’s truly amazing."

Sure is dude.

Newport Bridge

On Sunday I sailed from the largest island in Narragansett Bay, Aquidneck, to the other two large islands in the bay, Prudence and Conanicut. And back. It's always good to come back.

This song kept going through my head. I don't know where it comes from. But I think some of the poetry of the original is missing.

Got out of town on a Laser
Going to Prudence Island.
Sailing a reach
Before a following sea.
She was making for the waves
On the outside,
And the downhill run
To Conanicut.

Off the wind on this heading
Lies North Kingstown.
I got fourteen feet of the waterline.
Nicely making way.
In a noisy bar in Middletown
I tried to call you.
But on a Timex watch I realized
Why twice you ran away.

Think about how many times
I have capsized
Spirits are using me
larger voices calling.
What LaserPerformance Ltd brought you and me
Cannot be forgotten.

I have been around the bay,
Looking for that woman/girl,
Who knows love can endure.
And you know it will.
And you know it will.

When you see the Newport Bridge
For the first time
You understand now
Why you came this way
'Cause the truth you might be running from
Is so small.
But it's as big as the promise
The promise of a coming day.

So I'm sailing for tomorrow
My quads are a dying.
And my love is a boom vang tied to you
Tied with a spectra chain.
I have my boat
And all her telltales are a flying
She is all that I have left
And 'Laser 157812' is her name.

Think about how many times
I have capsized
Spirits are using me.
What LaserPerformance Ltd brought you and me
Cannot be forgotten.

I have been around the bay,
Looking for that woman/girl,
Who knows love can endure.
And you know it will.
And you know it will.

So I cheated and I lied
And I pushed the limits of Rule 42
And I never failed to fail
It was the easiest thing to do.
You will survive being bested.
Somebody fine
Will come along
Make me forget about tacking on you
At the Newport Bridge.

First for Andrew

Congrats to USA Laser Olympian Andrew Campbell who led the Laser fleet all the way around the course and scored his first win of the Olympic regatta in Race 3 in Qingdao. I can't find any news reports of the race online yet but the official results are here. Andrew started the regatta with a couple of finishes in the teens which he attributed on his blog yesterday to first race jitters and being over-conservative.

Meanwhile some of the early favorites in the Lasers such as Tom Slingsby from Australia are placing well down the fleet.

Can we hope for a medal for Andrew? Can't wait to read about this race on his blog.

Meanwhile Anna Tunnicliffe of USA leads the Laser Radial fleet...

Numero Uno

The Scuttlebutt newsletter today gave Scuttlebutt an incestuous pat on the back today with the following piece of self-congratulatory puff...

If you are to search online for information on Cal 32 boats or for using Windward Gates as the weather mark, the top ranked listing you are likely to find will come from the Scuttlebutt Forum. Internet search engines are hard to trick, and they rank website pages based on the quality of the information, and then factor in the amount of traffic that goes to that website page.

Well ya boo sucks to you Scuttlebutt.

I'd just like to point out that if you were to search for the following terms using The Google, the top-ranked site will be Proper Course.

• laser roll tack
  
  
• mommy boats
  
  
• sailing mistakes
  
  
• naked laser sailing
  

So there.

Any advance on naked laser sailing? What is your blog famous for?

Ross and Me

Ross Bennett is a Laser sailor.
I am a Laser sailor.

Ross is 21, (or thereabouts).
I am 60.

Ross has a blog about Laser sailing.
I have a blog (mainly) about Laser sailing.

I live on the East coast of the United States.
Ross lives on the West coast.

In 2007 I sailed the Laser North Americans and was the last boat that finished every race.

In 2008 Ross sailed the Laser US Nationals and was the last boat that finished every race.


For some reason this gives me a feeling of kinship with Ross. It seems we both have the same stubbornness and persistence in the face of adversity. On the other hand, a disinterested observer might just conclude that Ross and I both suck at Laser sailing.


Among other things, Ross blames his weight for not doing better. At 168 lbs he thinks he is too light to do well in over 15 knots.

Among other things, I blame my weight for some of my recent bad race results. At 196 lbs I think I am too heavy to do well in 5-10 knots.


168? What a coincidence. When I was Ross's age that was what I weighed. Or "12 stone" as we used to say in England. Just wait Ross. Just wait.


Ross has a good laugh at his misadventures while racing and blogs, for example, about capsizing when his lifejacket snagged his mainsheet.

I have a good laugh at my misadventures while racing and blog, for example, about capsizing when my neck snagged another sailor's mainsheet.


Ross thinks he can improve and in the title-bar of his blog says he is writing about his "quest and aspirations for Olympic Gold in 2012, 2016 and beyond in the Laser."

I think I can improve but have more modest ambitions, really aiming only to "cheat the nursing home."


I wish Ross well in his Olympic quest. He is young and ambitious and has plenty of time ahead of him to raise his game up to the lofty levels required for Olympic qualification. If you want to support Ross, check out Ross Bennett Sailing. You are also free to express your support in the comments here.

What Would You Have Done?

Hope you enjoyed reading the story of guest blogger Hal Weidner's encounter with Hurricane Cleo in mid-Atlantic in 1958, in which he narrowly escaped with his life and lost the good sailing vessel So Long to the ocean depths.

Slammed by Hurricane Cleo - Part 1
Slammed by Hurricane Cleo - Part 2
Slammed by Hurricane Cleo - Part 3

Now I know less than nothing about ocean sailing. But I know some of my readers do, such as Edward who has just completed a Serious Ocean Going Race to Hawaii. Hal has suggested the question. "What would you have done differently?"

But as I suspect few of you were crossing oceans in 1958, let me suggest another slightly different question....

What would be different if you attempted the same voyage in 2008? In particular what technologies would you be using that would have headed off the disaster that Hal experienced or would have allowed you to cope with it better?

Narragansett Bay 1777

click for larger image

A Topographical CHART of the
BAY of NARRAGANSET in the Province of NEW ENGLAND.
with the ISLES contained therein, among which
RHODE ISLAND and CONNONICUT
have been particularly SURVEYED.
Shewing the true position & bearings of the Banks, Shoals, Rocks &c, as likewise the Soundings:
To which have been added the several Works & Batteries raised by the Americans.
Taken by Order of the PRINCIPAL FARMERS on Rhode Island.
By CHARLES BLASKOWITZ.
Engraved & Printed for WM. FADEN, Charing Cross, as the Act directs, July 22^d. 1777.

This early chart of Narragansett Bay was apparently commissioned by the principal farmers of Rhode Island in order to provide the British with military intelligence about the navigation of the bay, and also "the several works and batteries raised by the Americans".

Hmmm. Not very patriotic of them, eh?

The chart claims to show "the true position & bearings of the Banks, Shoals, Rocks &c" but there's one thing that worries me about that claim. If I look out of my window over Mount Hope Bay, the most prominent feature in the middle of the bay is Spar Island, a small flat-topped low island, visible at all states of the tide except the highest, and surrounded by shoals. But Spar Island is not marked on the Blaskowitz chart.

However, Spar Island is marked on the 1861 US Coastal Survey chart of Mount Hope Bay, an original of which hangs in my dining room. So what gives? Was the island created by some geological event between 1777 and 1861? Or was Blaskowitz simply guessing when he came to draw that part of his chart?

My Taylor Is RIch

In the early days of the online sailing simulator, Tacticat (now sailx), some bright spark discovered that, by causing the skiff class boat to execute a certain combination of unseamanlike maneuvers, it was possible to fool the program into allowing you to keep flying the spinnaker when heading up to a close-hauled course. For a few days, anyone in the know was able to make huge gains by using this trick to sail upwind with the spinnaker flying, as the rest of the fleet looked on in awe and claimed that it was all totally unfair.

It didn't take long for the Tacticat overlords to identify what was obviously a bug in the program, and it was soon fixed.

Who would have thought that this weird anomaly from the world of sailing software would be replicated in real life? And at the Olympic Games no less?

In the Tornado catamaran class, the Dutch and American Olympic teams have developed so-called code 0 gennakers which are designed to be carried upwind as well as downwind. Although they may be slower downwind than a normal Tornado spinnaker, the code 0 sails are apparently so much faster upwind in the expected light wind conditions in China that these two teams are almost certain to win the gold and silver medals.

So now those energetic and competitive Australians are rushing to copy the Americans and Dutch.

The British, superior and aloof as only true Brits can be, say they already tried that idea and it will only work in a narrow wind range.

And the Austrians, dour and disgruntled, are threatening to boycott the whole regatta.

Ohmigod. The Olympics are just like Tacticat. All it needs now is someone hailing, "The darker the windier" or "My taylor is rich" all the way round the course and they will be identical. (Sorry. Tacticat in-joke. You had to be there.)

Apparently there is nothing in the Tornado class rules that prohibits using a smaller spinnaker or the use of it upwind. Just to be sure the Aussies posed a couple of questions to the Chief Measurer and, according to SailJuice Blog received the following answers...

Question:
Does the non-one design ‘code zero’ upwind spinnaker contravene the class rules?

Decision:
The concept of a smaller gennaker does not contravene the class rules. Class Rule G.5.3 does not specify minimum dimensions.

Question:
Is a “dolphin strike” permitted on the bowsprit?

Decision:

No. The addition of a compression strut and associated rigging below the bowsprit spar would contravene class rules F.5″

I have no idea what "non-one design" means or what a "dolphin strike" is but it's all starting to sound more like the America's Cup than the Olympics. It's only a matter of time before the lawyers jump into the fray.

My immediate reactions....

• I'm glad I sail a strict one-design class where such shenanigans are almost inconceivable.
  
  
• Who would have thunk that even a bug in Tacticat would emulate real life so well?
  
  
• If the Tornado class had aimed to ensure that they will never ever ever be invited to sail in the Olympics ever again, could they have devised a better strategy?

As they say in Tacticat, "Why cats are not olympic any more?"

Slammed by Hurricane Cleo - Part 3

The third and final part of Hal Weidner's story of his encounter with Hurricane Cleo in 1958...

Neither one of us dared talk about our probable fate. Such a conversation seemed impolite. So we pumped on. By now we knew that our little ship had opened up and was filling, at the same rate as we could pump. Ruddy had seen it earlier, but couldn’t stop it.

We kept a line weighted with an empty soup can hanging down the companion way to measure the water’s height inside the hull. We couldn’t make headway. The wind had dropped of to a breeze, but the slop of the high seas continued to bounce us around in attempts to wash us off our tiny platform. One time we saw an unusual wave coming. We both yelled NO! We threw ourselves over the open hatch and tried to find some kind of grip. But, it drove us apart and nearly filled So Long to the gunwhales. We pumped like demons and got it back to the bottom of the soup can. ---On it went.

That night we saw the lights of a cargo ship passing to the south. We had rockets - wet ones, somewhere. This surprised us. Why were cargo ships taking such a northerly course? Then we hit on a happy idea. They had turned back and now were trying to make up for lost time by sailing the shorter course. This filled us with hopes of seeing more ships. The next day was mockingly beautiful. The sea was almost flat and a warm sun allowed us to take off our boots and wiggle our toes in the sunshine.

We managed to keep our little stick of wood afloat and perched on it like ants. If we saw another ship, we decided to fill one of our sea boots with lamp oil, place it on the bow, and set it on fire; also we decided to dive down and rip the mirror from the head to flash an S O S in the ship’s direction. Then we waited for a long shot.

The next morning, we had the good luck of finding a can of tinned beef and another of peaches. Out of nowhere a tiny bird appeared and perched on our bow; it breathed hard. Ruddy threw it a small piece of beef and the little bird grabbed it in his beak, straightened its neck, and choked it down --- all in a flash. We threw him some more and he gobbled them up.

I turned to look behind us and saw a city block of glistening houses heading our way. We both had our share of hallucinations, so I closed my eyes for a minute. Then, I heard Ruddy yell, “It’s a ship, a great big ship!” It loomed on the horizon. She would be passing us as close as two miles. Ruddy got busy with the boot-fire and I dove down and tore the mirrored door off the cabinet. By the time she came abreast of us we were flashing and smoking away. She was moving fast and went right on by; slowly she began to sink on the horizon and we sent our curses after her. I could not stop following her with my eyes. I suddenly recognized a change — she was getting longer. She was turning.

The Pacific Conqueror, a brand new Greek cargo ship, drifted alongside. They pulled us up on deck, wiped off the grease from our faces, and sat us down on the main deck. Then, they put an opened Heineken beer in our hands — all without saying a single word. In that short time, So Long had gone under.

Cleo was blowing herself out.

This is a record of a true story, experienced by the author.
Copyright © 2008 by Hal R. Weidner.

Related Links
So Long
Slammed by Hurricane Cleo - Part 1
Slammed by Hurricane Cleo - Part 2

Catch a Wave

I discovered during the Buzzards Bay Regatta last weekend that I am now able to pass other sailors on runs. No big deal you might say, but it's a new experience for me. For many years my thought at the top of a downwind leg was, "I hope I don't lose too many places on this leg." Whereas now it's, "Let's see how many places I can gain on this leg."

I guess I'm finally beginning to get the hang of catching rides on waves in a Laser downwind. Perhaps it's because, after sailing most of my life on inland lakes (ripples not waves), I have done more sailing in big bumps on the sea in the last year than ever before.

I suppose I first became aware of the possibility that I don't totally suck downwind a couple of weeks ago at the district championships when, after my brilliantly successful first beat strategy in the Blind Squirrel race, I was able to stay ahead of two of the best sailors in the fleet downwind. (OK I got passed by a couple of lightweights but you can't beat physics.)

At BBR on the second day, after rounding the windward mark, I would sail radically to one side of the course, make sure I had clear air and then work the waves. One thing I hadn't realized until recently was that if you are fast on a run you don't just pass boats one by one; you pass them in groups. Magic.

Of course if your first beat is so bad that you round the windward mark with the tailenders it's a bit easier to look like a hero on the run. And there's not much point in passing ten boats in ten minutes on a run if you let someone else gain a late inside overlap at the leeward mark and end up losing the same ten places in ten seconds. But hey, I learned from that mistake in the first race on day 2 and turned in three solid top twenty finishes (which is good for me) in the next three races.

I'm sure there is still huge room for improvement. But it's good to discover that at least there is some improvement as a result of all the sailing I have been doing this year.

On the other hand, maybe I was just faster because of my new rudder? Hmmm.