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2013-14 Hauraki Singlehanded Series


Richmond

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The fourth and fifth race in the 2013-14 Hauraki Singlehanded Series are part of the “weekend away” in BBYC’s “BJ Tyres” singlehanded series. Here’s the plan: grab your boat, race to the bottom end of Waiheke with your mates, have a party catered by BBYC’s sponsors, then race home the next day, perfect. For more information please check out http://richmondyc.org.nz/racing/info/ha ... ed-series/

 

Hope you can all make it. By the look of Oracle's post above it should be an interesting sail!

 

Next race after this is the Route 66 singlehanded division!

 

See you there - RB

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So, is RB back in the water?

 

I'll be there in TBT, last year was awesome and looking forward to it again and I will be a heck of a lot more comfortable than I was in Infiltrator. The latest weather forecasts are looking good again :thumbup:

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see the results are up from last weekend...i must put a few comments in.

a great race down, pity the wind went very fickle at the end, all 18 boats finished within 3 minutes..!!

also have to say im disappointed that he race home was shortened and no official shortening flag was used that i saw.

again the wind went fickle towards the end and the general fleet seemed to know of the shortened course that missed out browns island yellow bouy, where i was in the lead and then ended up with no wind for half an hour, while the boats that missed out on this buoy and went straight to the finish had generally good wind. a good bunch of guys but not very well run.

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Indeed we did have many park-ups. I was hoping that we were going all the way to Motukorea for the finish, as I am sure I could have chased Mr Hell down 8) Navy bouy was only in the course down on Saturday, if that is the one you meant?

 

"Start between the Race Committee Boat (port) and Orapui Wharf (stbd), take Passage Rocks (stbd), take Browns

Island (port), finish between the Race Committee Boat (port) and Motukorea Yellow Buoy (stbd)".

 

Must get me some masthead gear.......

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see the results are up from last weekend...i must put a few comments in.

a great race down, pity the wind went very fickle at the end, all 18 boats finished within 3 minutes..!!

also have to say im disappointed that he race home was shortened and no official shortening flag was used that i saw.

again the wind went fickle towards the end and the general fleet seemed to know of the shortened course that missed out browns island yellow bouy, where i was in the lead and then ended up with no wind for half an hour, while the boats that missed out on this buoy and went straight to the finish had generally good wind. a good bunch of guys but not very well run.

 

Lets set the record straight. Navy Bouy was NOT a rounding mark for the return leg...fire the navigator :lol: The shortened course was announced as a possibility at breakfast and also over CH77 several times during the pre-start. On approach to the Browns Island Beacon there were several sound signals made from the committee boat parked off it and it was also flying the orange on station flag. It was pretty obvious that the race was being shortened. Admittedly I did not see a shortened course flag but there wasn't really enough wind to get the flags flying and I was finishing at the other end of the line with Lightfoot between me and the committee boat.

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I think someone needs to read sailing instructions a bit more carefully.You cant blame the race committee for a couple of bad results.I thought it was a pretty well run weekend and will try to get down again for the Route 66.|I should have put the big one up on Sunday|

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When the Oracle speaks, Heaven 'n' Hell both answer!

 

IMHO - fun races, good turnout, great event with BJ Tyres supplying the food and drink! Any rules infractions could have been handled by protest. For the record, courses were posted well in advance and no, I did not see a S flag or the divisional flag, did hear two hoots and another for good measure as some in front finished.

 

The hole by Motuihe ruined me on the 2nd day - watched That Girl bring the wind down - first time getting rolled by a Davidson 28, though I think that's no ordinary specimen. I look forward to having another go at the Route 66!

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My big apologies.... i have since reread the S.I...... what a dope.

first i forgot to take the printed out courses..... and then a quick call to the wife and she texted them to me.... saying that the return was just the reverse of the race down. so you could i threw away a win in the return race by trying to get down around the navy buoy.

yes i did see the finish boat and hear hooters at the shortened finish line, it was more the fact they started 1/2 hour or there abouts late (cause some people had too many drinks the night before??) and didnt have flags up notifying this or shortening the race either ?

never mind, bring on the Route 66 and lets see if i can get this one right..!!

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My big apologies.... i have since reread the S.I...... what a dope.

first i forgot to take the printed out courses..... and then a quick call to the wife and she texted them to me.... saying that the return was just the reverse of the race down. so you could i threw away a win in the return race by trying to get down around the navy buoy.

Outside assistance! Now you have to make the wife available to us all :)

 

never mind, bring on the Route 66 and lets see if i can get this one right..!!

Sounds about right!

 

Moving on... Who's in for the R66 singlehanded? Get your entries in and I'll list them on the RYC page for the race...

 

http://richmondyc.org.nz/racing/info/ro ... stal-race/

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Again - Refering to the Course sheet (Sailing instructions which can be found here) -

http://bbyc.org.nz/pdf/B%20J%20Tyres%20 ... 013-14.pdf

 

You will see that under the course it says "Start and course details may vary on day due to conditions of weather and heads. To be advised at beach breakfast and/or committee boat"

 

The race officer (And sponsor - how awesome is that of a sponsor - to go and do the actual hard work to run an event as well as pay for it! Thanks B J Tyres!) - mentioned on the beach at breakfast that the wind was light and the race may get shortened at Browns island because it was a mark of the course. And also mentioned the start Delay...

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2013-14 Hauraki Single Handed Series

Race 4 Report

1 February 2014

 

Race 4 and 5 of the Hauraki Single Handed Series concludes the B J Tyres Single Handed Series hosted by Bucklands Beach Yacht Club. Race 4 started at Motukorea, leaving Browns Island Beacon to Starboard, Navy Bouy to Port, Passage Rock to Starboard and finishing at Orapiu wharf. The forecast was for 10-15 knots from the South but swinging to the South West during the afternoon. Looking at the angles it seemed like an easy lay through to Browns Island Beacon with the kite off the start on Starboard. I decided to go with the classic but effective “bare headed reach down the line & pop the kite just before the gun type start”. The sling shot start got H&H out in front and into clear air, Unitec had the same idea a couple of boat lengths behind and to leeward of me but instead unfurling the zero and making good progress. Looking around I was surprised to only see one other kite up – it was the Yellow asymmetric of “That Girl” AKA the Davidson 28 on steroids. Had a bit of a giggle at Bandi-old-coot (restricted) engaging in a pointing contest to leeward of That Girl, jib wins…

Dropped the kite abeam of the Browns Island beacon and began the soldiers course upwind to Navy Bouy and 2 sail reaching across to the bottom end. I think it was That Girl had a go at flying the A-sail, brave but way too tight and had to drop costing a lot of ground. The Bondi Tram and Oracle had a bit of a duel behind me, both were gaining with boat speed that I couldn’t match. Had a brief battle trying to hold off TBT but eventually went well to windward of me, I wasn’t going to get bogged down in those games!

Now for the fun part…dying breeze brought the leaders to a halt, a very light Easterly was trying to fill in (not in the brochure). TBT, Oracle and most of the fleet who had caught up and passed me by now were coasting in a very narrow finger of evaporating pressure in the middle of the Tamaki Straight while Bandicoot and I held our nerve and tried to work the Waiheke shore line. If history repeats we should be ok. At this stage I wasn’t too concerned about TBT, Oracle and the peloton because it looked like a race to the next car park with no visible pressure in front of or in between them and the finish.

I saw the tail enders bringing in the forecast SW pressure and got the kite up first and sailed through to leeward of the fleet who were by now nicely parked up as we approached passage rock with Bandicoot under-powered but staying contact. Still very patchy and shifty. Amongst a flurry of sail changes by the rest of the fleet (possibly too many by some?) I put in one gybe on the lay line to the finish while trying to hold off the approaching fleet as they brought down the strengthening pressure. That Girl put in a good charge towards the end with the gull-winged A-sail but it wasn’t to be. H&H sailing by the lee just layed the finish to win by seconds. That Girl 2nd, Lightfoot 3rd and a victory for location and timing over equipment on Bandicoot in the restricted division: 4th over-all. The entire 14 boat fleet compressed to finish within 4 minutes of each other after 3 hours of racing. Definitely not a chance at handicap for the high-rated boats.

For full results please see http://www.bbyc.org.nz/results/single%202.pdf

 

Thank you to event sponsor and manager B J Tyres. Stay tuned for part 2 return race report and photos out soon….

 

Heaven ‘n’ Hell

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2013-14 Hauraki Single Handed Series

Race 5 Report

2 February 2014

 

Part 2:

Race 5 started at Orapiu wharf, Passage rock to Starboard, Browns Island to Port and finishing at Motukorea. The race committee advised us that it may be necessary to shorten the course at Browns Island if the breeze looked like it was going to die out. The forecast was for a 10 knot South Easterly which should have meant a gentle kite ride all the way home. I rigged up for a kite on port tack off the start line to Passage rock but with minutes to go it was looking too tight – where is a code zero when I need one? Went with the number 1 but with pole on and kite ready to hoist in case the breeze went left. I was about 20s late for the start but still first to cross the line…everyone having a slow morning? Got to Passage rock first and went for the bear-away hoist no problem.

The open division boats amongst the chasing peloton also managed pretty tidy hoists. I tried to sail as low as possible for a while to try and lay Browns Island while keeping an eye on what everyone else was up to behind me. The wind was pretty soft. Who was making gains, where were they and why? The Bondi Tram and Unitec seemed to be going a bit quicker to windward of me but covering a bit more ground, I think that was more to do with the nature of the beasts: both a lot lighter than the H&H and Unitec carrying a bigger kite. Oracle was also going quick 100m back and slightly to leeward of me but sailing a slightly hotter angle – and with a massive blue masthead spinnaker, boat speed definitely a function of horsepower! Between being under-canvassed and carrying a bit more lard it was going to be tough to try and stay ahead of these 3.

Trying to compare apples with apples, the big mover to me looked like That Girl with the gull-winged yellow A-sail sailing along the Waiheke shore line. I was struggling to lay Browns Island and TBT was nosing in front of me to windward with Unitec looking threatening also. Time to take a chance and gybe out – That Girl convinced me there was more pressure out to the right and there was with immediate gains. Unitec and TBT gybed back in phase not long after. Oracle continued to head towards Eastern Beach, gybing about an hour later with one other boat with a big white masthead A-sail that was moving about 1 knot faster, who could this be?…Lightfoot! and it was hooning!

With H&H, TBT, Unitec and Revolution Blues in the mix also, we continued to battle it out heading towards Browns Island and in an unfortunate case of déjà vu the wind dropped and shifted 90 degrees to the left making it un-kite-able. We all dropped within a few minutes of each other but sensing that the breeze could just as easily re-instate itself I immediately prepared the kite for re-deployment. By now I was a sweltering mess. With no cloud relief, no cooling breeze travelling at little more than drifting speed, a 30+ degree sauna downstairs after the re-pack and 3 nice cold energy drinks poured down in rapid succession, something had to give. Staring at the wind instruments and getting twitchy, the apparent slowly moved around to the beam…Now this is sooo on.

Got the kite re-hoisted and set in the minimum amount of wind about a minute before Unitec and slowly sailed away from Unitec, TBT and Revolution Blues – the game changing move right there. Within 5 minutes I had put on a few hundred meters on the bunch but was now over-powered and under laying Browns. I didn’t want to drop and point up into the streaming out-going King tide too soon so held on a bit longer aiming for maximum tidal relief in the middle of Browns Island before changing to number 1 and shooting for Browns Island Beacon.

Meanwhile the horsepower heroes were slowly un-ravelling. Oracle last seen stuck facing the wrong way in the biggest hole of the day towards Navy Bouy (that’s another story) and Lightfoot’s giant asymmetric looking choked up in soft pressure 200m ahead trying to lay Browns Island Beacon which also had our committee boat parked off it with the on station flag up. It was looking calm beyond the beacon, add that to a massive out going tide and the ingredients for a non-finish are there, guess the race will be shortened after all (and in my opinion the right call).

H&H was rapidly closing in on Lightfoot. Looking at the boat speed differential and distance to the finish line it was going to be close but I had a good feeling about it. TBT out to windward was also closing in on both of us but rapidly running out of runway. About 100m out I flowed up the jib and went to leeward of Lightfoot, trying to stay in the least amount of tide and disturbed air and crossed the finish line about a boat length in front to take the gun. TBT came in 3rd, 2 minutes behind.

Well done Lightfoot, Unitec and The Bondi Tram, 1st, 2nd and 3rd on handicap.

For full results please see http://www.bbyc.org.nz/results/single%203.pdf

Photo credits: Kevin Glover

 

Once again a big thank you to the event sponsor Kevin and family from B J Tyres. Great work on keeping us well fed and hydrated on Saturday night and an awesome job as usual on the cooked breakfast on Sunday morning.

See you all out at the next event,

Race 6:

The most rewarding single handed race in the country – the Mighty Route 66!

 

Heaven ‘n’ Hell

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2013-14 Hauraki Single Handed Series

Race 4/5 Report

February 2014

 

Thank you to event sponsor and manager B J Tyres.

 

Heaven ‘n’ Hell

 

Awesome summary Mr Hell :thumbup: , and I echo the huge thank you to the sponsors for what has to be one of the most enjoyable events on the calendar.

 

Looking forward to seeing as many as possible out in the Route 66. 4 boats = a class so a few more Y88s and R930s and we can have a race-within-a-race-within-a-race :crazy:

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