the Wayfarer Ontarios
Lac Deschênes Sailing Club * July 28-29, 2007
Saturday race 1.1
pics (mostly) by Doug Netherton
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The first-race start signal has just been made, and we're off in pretty light airs.   - for full-size pic, click here
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An amazing start for Lori and Jason (3140) who ...   - for full-size pic, click here
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... will port-tack the ...   - for full-size pic, click here
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... entire ...   - for full-size pic, click here
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... fleet, even Uncle Al and Marc (l) who is saying, "Well done, Lori and Jason!!"
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Lori's great start lets her be the first to ...
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... get into a better breeze. Al, meanwhile, tacks to get clear air, hoping he's gone ...
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... far enough to escape Jamie (4594) and his backwind. Sue (4677) is in good shape until that wily veteran, Bill Fyfe (937) ...
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... gets his own little (big??) lift and sails right up underneath.
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Frank (648) - having just arrived at the start area in the nick of time -
decides to follow Lori off to the right side and ducks behind the starboard Tony.
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The #1 priority in this race will be to find better breeze. (l to r) Frank, Sue, Lori, Colin
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Lots of takers for the right side, where ...
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... Lori has found a nice streak and still leads. The new wind is a port-tack knock, however, and Al has just tacked onto the favoured starboard tack, obeying the Stuart Walker injunction to "Cross 'em while you can". This tack not only got Al out of a position where Andrew (4610) had him pinned on port, but also let him cross the #2 seed ...
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... John de Boer (7351), who is the recently crowned U.S. National champion.
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Andrew's tack here does three things for him:
1. gets him and his Windshadow out of Sue's wind shadow,
2. gets him onto the lifted starboard tack, and
3. keeps him from getting too near the starboard layline too soon.
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Near the windward mark: John (7351) and Dave (r) duel not too far below the starboard layline. Note how their slightly oversheeted mains are letting them outpoint Jamie (l) who is making sure his mainsail leech tickers are streaming but is perhaps overdoing that a bit.
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Lori and Jason have ignored the rest of us and gone pretty far right - a risky strategy, but one that ...
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... is paying ...
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... off for them here. Wow! Look at the port tack lift being used to the full by Tony (4105)!! Bill has tacked to port and is sailing a good 30° lower than Tony. Al (2nd from left) and Frank (2nd from right) hold their starboard which is lifted relative to Lori.
- for full-size pic, click here
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Tony seems to be in a very narrow slant of wind that is being felt by only him and Sue (l)
who is just getting a serious starboard knock. - for full-size pic, click here
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Judging by the position of the gybe mark, Frank has tacked on the port layline, shift or no shift! Al (2nd from right) can see that there are no shifts likely to hit between him and Frank, and so tacks where he'll still be able to benefit from shifts. Where Frank is, on the layline, no shift can help him, and his only hope of gain is if he gets better breeze over there.   - for full-size pic, click here
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Colin (r) has his CL pointing very nicely. Meanwhile, Luscious Leading Lori (3140) is about to cross Bill (937) and ...
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... Uncle Al. The latter has accomplished one of his goals, though: staying ahead of major threat, John (7351).
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Given that Al bears away for Lori here, it can be inferred that Al does not expect Lori to lay the mark on this tack or he would have tacked underneath. If that is indeed the case, the next time they meet, Al will have the starboard advantage.
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