Just after the start:  While Al Nichols (r) and Dwight are off to spectacular starts in a huge port lift, Uncle Al (3854) struggles after being run down by a barging boat.  Being on the wrong side of this shift was in itself no big deal, provided one got off the line with good speed and then tacked right away. Sadly for Al, his start-line tangle has left him not only well to leeward of (shift-related), but also well behind (tangle-related) the leaders here.   - click here for full-size pic

The above shots could be very nicely used to educate racers about the importance of angles in racing: Let us assume, to simplify the educational process, that everyone gets the same wind for the duration of this "lesson". Look at the two right-hand boats and imagine both being able to point 30° higher. If that happened, the left-side boat (6082, Brian) would gain significantly on Uncle Al (r).  Now picture both of these boats getting a knock that forces them to bear away 30°. That would leave Al more or less right off Brian's bow. Angles!!! Uncle Al (r) is footing off a bit here for speed (note the the top of his main twisting off slightly) because he wants his deficit to be such that he is way to leeward and slightly ahead, rather than slightly to windward but way astern. Why? We (virtually) always (try to) sail the lifted tack in the almost invariably oscillating wind directions of small lakes. So???!!! I hear you ask. So, assuming that all four of us above are sailing the lifted tack, what can we reasonably expect the next shift/oscillation to be, a lift or a header? Exactly!! A header - one that will benefit the boat to leeward and ahead but kill the boat to windward and astern. Of course, the reality is that sometimes  this does not work out: the windward boat gets better wind, a better lift, etc. but you can't afford to tailor your strategy to such long-shot possibilities. So, all in all, Al is content with his position here in terms of making the best of a bad situation. He has placed himself into a position where he can reasonably expect to gain when the next shift comes along (which is normally pretty soon).

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Speaking of angles: It wasn't until just now that I realized that this isn't just a picture of Brian moving nicely upwind. If you look closely, you'll see that I am in the picture, too. Which reminds me of an item somebody once emailed me: a PowerPoint slide show of pics in a similar vein. I find them to be pretty entertaining. If you trust my judgment, right-click here to download the item: Save Target As ...

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Here, we get a better angled view of the real situation: Dwight (l) is perfectly placed between his pursuers and the windward mark. Note how Roger (2nd from left) and Al (3rd from left) have been gaining windward distance on Brian (6082) and Leo (9667) because the latter have too little vang tension which is letting their mains twist off too much. This lack of mainsail leech tension translates directly into lack of pointing/windward distance made good.

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The bigger picture:  Kirk (l) will continue to lose windward distance due to insufficient vang > too much mainsail twist. Leading the race here is Unplugged (2nd from left) with Al Nichols and Ken Nethercott who always move well upwind in a good breeze. Dwight (3rd from left) appears to be lying a comfortable 2nd.   - click here for full-size pic

While Al (3854) gets ever closer to the dreaded right-hand "corner", he continues to hope/pray for a knock that will let him tack to starboard without getting killed too badly by boats to the left. Knock or no knock however, Al will certainly tack very soon now, before he reaches the (current) lay line, and while there is still some hope of gaining from a possible future starboard lift. Meanwhile, Marc has already bitten the bullet and tacked back towards the rhumb line. Not that much of a bullet, actually, since Marc appears to have located a bit of a starboard lift!!

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As Al and Ken put in a last, short hitch on port to the mark, Kirk (far left) fights the hopeless and slow fight against extreme weather helm caused by a gust. Instead, Kirk should go with the flow and let his boat luff up a bit while he uncleats and eases his main to keep his boat flat. This will enable him to bear away without the difficulties he's experiencing above!! Leo (r) is looking to be sailing at a nice angle of heel that is not causing significant weather helm as can be seen from his (lack of) tiller angle. Still, more vang would remove some obvious mainsail twist and lead to windward distance gained.

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