Jack Frost #2

The radio announced that the high wind advisories for the Golden Gate, Bay Bridge and Dumbarton bridges were all still in effect as of 9:30 p.m., the time of my driving home. That morning at 9:45 a.m. I was driving across the west span of the Bay Bridge making my way to Treasure Island to meet Anna and Thijs aboard their Santana 22 "Byte Size". I had checked the wind forecasts and they looked humane on the computer screen. Driving down from the bridge I got a good look at the Bay proper and knew it wasn't going to be "humane" at all.


Despite the wild wind and rain clouds sweeping in from the west I was relieved that this wouldn't be an exercise in light wind sailing. The 15 to 20 knot breeze was not in evidence. The graph above shows a pretty realistic take of the days winds ( I love the red spots indicating gusts).

The graph above is abstract though....unless you have sailed on the Bay in a small boat it is meaningless. So, in real terms sailing in this kind of wind on an ebb tide means:

• Big sloppy waves (leaving me queasy at times).
  
• The leeward rail of the boat having water coming over into the cockpit when a big gust comes.
• The bow busting into waves, so it isn't just spray hitting you in the face, but decks awash.
• The discovery that oversize winches are recommended. Even with someone tailing it takes everything to crank the jib in with stock size winches.

Every race has its moments. The ones that stand out begin with Thijs getting swept off the foredeck by the jib. The boat was heeled as well, so when he slipped across the deck it had the additional force of gravity to provide acceleration. I saw him catch the leeward shrouds ( the wires the hold up the mast) and one if not both legs submerged . "Remember rule number one", was heard a couple of times yesterday. Rule Number One is:

• Stay in, on or otherwise attached to the boat. Under no circumstances is one to fall out of the boat.

For myself I managed to slip while climbing off the high side of the boat pre-tack and fall across the cockpit landing between Ciaran and Anna. Another realization was that getting hit in the head with the boom makes a strange clunking sound that makes my teeth hurt. It is with great shame that I contemplate getting a helmet for these conditions (found a lovey lime green one online but am thinking red to match my foulies).

Hundreds of times the boom goes wizzing over my head with me ducking appropriately, but it only takes one chance collision to remind me of that big swinging hunk of aluminums cliche of a name and its rational.

The racing:

Encinal Yacht Club did an excellent job running this Jack Frost race. The committee boat didn't look like it was a fun place to be and I've got to give those on board credit for a great race, run well in difficult conditions. They even gave us count downs over the radio (which is not normally done, but they were cutting everyone slack). I heard that a young committee member, in charge of hoisting flags, spent some time battling his own sea sickness. Two races were run and we were nipped at the line by Bonito who had wisely sought a little current relief to the south of us on the downwind run.

The second race saw Anna make an excellent start and we never looked back. The wind was building back up after moderating a touch between races and it was a brutal windward leg with big drops off the back of waves and water washing the decks.