Thursday, January 31, 2008

Starts are the most exciting

In yacht racing, I like most the excitement of starts. It is where the racer is most shrewd the most cunning the most smart. Upon getting out to the race course, I look at all the buoys and check their course bearings. Next, I scan the imaginary starting line between the committee boat and the pin end buoy. Thereafter I check the orientation of the wind. It is here where I know which end is favored. This is the secret of a smart start. I remember one Dragon race I alone discerned where the favored end was. All the other boats started at the other end doing a bandwagon effect. They thought I got it wrong only to find out that upon the starting gun I was way ahead of all of them.
Of course it is also important to forecast which side or part of the course is the wind strong and bending to. One must go to that side which has the stronger wind pressure; but also where the wind is having a header meaning the wind is veering away so that when one tacks, there is a shorter path to the windward mark.
Generally one must also start on starboard tack in order to have right of way no matter what. There are a thousand and one combinations and one must choose the best position, the best tack, the best end of the starting line.
When the ten minute gun goes, one must then watch the moves of the competitors where they' re going, whether they must be covered loosely or tightly.
When the 2 minutes to start goes, one must then calculate exactly how much time is needed to get back to the starting line. I often go from the starting line and make a reach at half time of which I turn back and go for the line, with a bit of an allowance.
Almost always I get the best start, which is very critical in winning the upwind leg and subsequently the whole race.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Outfitting my 110



Despite a newbie in racing and in sailing for that matter, I had to learn fast how to outfit my boat if I were to be competitive and have a chance at beating my co-racers. Here then were the gears and arrangements I installed on my boat Sigwada.
1. My boat had to be repainted and finished smooth every year right before the race series. I had Mang Cesar the reliable boat contractor do this for a fee of P4000 at that time.
2. The mast and boom and spinnaker pole had to be checked for any cracks or defects, hull keel and rudder too.
3. All lines, spreaders, stays, cables and connections had to be checked for any frayings and had to be replaced.
4. All adjustments on the sails led to where I was seated, thus the outhaul, the boom vang, the traveller, even the jib line, downhaul or cunningham. I could then adjust at will even while racing depending on the wind condition and the point of sail. Lines were also double ended so that even when tacking I could make adjustments from whichever gunwhale I was.
5.Where the force needed is big, I installed multiple blocks to increase and lighten the purchase. This was true for the boom vang and the jib purchase.
6. My desired hardware was Harken the top quality boat gear.
7. My sails were NorthSails again the top quality sailmaker.
8. I installed a big boat compass in the middle right before the mainsail block to guide me in the upwind legs to spot windshifts headers and lifts.
With all these, I became quickly competitive and won races.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Our circle of 110 racers


Our club fleet of 110 racers were just a handful but were a serious intense lot and comprise a very interesting profile.
There were first the kids Tom and Brian whose boat was named Double Trouble. At first they were cocky and winning over me, intimidating me with their young age. Their young age gave them the advantage of agility both in body and mind. But as the year's series went on my scores kept improving and by the time the finals came, they began to take notice of me. Tom began to address me as Uncle Rabbit due perhaps to my buck front teeth. More importantly they kept spying on my rigging and how I outfitted my boat wondering why it goes so fast suspecting I have a secret magic gear.
Next there was Sven a German teenager, He was also from International school, a very methodical guy who always tinkered with this boat. His boat had this unique graphic design that looked very nice while racing on water.
Then there were the couple Richard Morris and his wife. They were 40ish. He was working in IRRI as a rice scientist. They were very kind and decent. He loved his boat very much I could see and named it La Vieja. He knew the basics of sailing and won lots of races but again later on I won more races and I could see after such races he went to the club looking tired and frustrated.
Finally there was our fleet hotshot George Hackett and his crew JuanMa. Their boat named Indecision was high tech in rigging and gears and could go fast, I subsequently bought it. They won most of the races all throughout the series. except the final one and this was supposed to be the championship. This one I won definitively. I seemed to have come out of the blue and blew them off the course.
My secret weapon was simply a big compass which I had installed in the middle of my boat to guide me on the upwind leg spotting the shifts headers etc. And my new NorthSails racing manual which gave me all the tricks of racing.
All the same I liked this circle. We were not talking much to each other. Every weekend we just arrived at the club greeted each other casually and brought down our respective boats. After the races we would just exchange a few words, congratulating the winner. But there was much objective respect, no disparaging remarks, just the words Well Done to whovever won the last race. Our common bond was our love for the International 110 design boat and our zest for yacht racing.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Farthest adventure on a Mirror

My farthest adventure in a Mirror was one New Year's Eve. I started to sail in the morning and just went north alone, stocked with two hamburgers and softdrinks. It was easy sailing, the wind was about 8 knots flat water and sail was reaching all the way. I traversed my usual route from the yacht club past Malate Church, Army Navy Club, Luneta Club, South Harbor. From this point I steered west and reached Fort Santiago. I went past the Pasig River passing by North Harbor, where there was a long row of ships and boats vying local destinations. After these came the ugly sight of Smoky Mountain smelling foul and smoldering from afar. Further north came nondescript houses with its attendant urban blight and noise. Still going north, the houses became scarcer and the coastline became more provincial. I felt sleepy just holding on to the helm with the sound of the waves constantly lapping the bow of the boat since the Mirror had a flat nose. I could have dozed off at some point. Finally nearing the border of Navotas, it looked like the beginning of Bulacan since the coast became greener with few houses. At this point I stopped and lowered the sails and just drifted and relaxed. Some kids swam and approached the boat like I was an explorer from the other side of the planet. I dove and swam with them. Afterwards, I ate the hamburgers I brought along.
After about 30 minutes, I turned back and sailed the long way home, following the same route. The sun was setting down it was a glorious sight the last sunset of the year and it was dark by the time I reached North Harbor. I just sailed by dead reckoning against the lighted coastline. Fireworks were being set off and I could see the bursting lights from afar. The sights from the sea was magnificent. I touched down the Yacht club just before midnight and the guards told me they were about to search for me . It was a wonderful experience, my first real long singlehanded cruise. I went home nobody ever knew I came from that unique adventure and this is the first time I write and talk about it after 27 years.

Eleventh stage: Laser


11. Laser. I had no choice (fortunately that is ) but to transfer to this singlehanded dinghy. This is a high performance boat designed by Bruce Kirby a Canadian. It has been an Olympic class boat since 1996. It has a wide international following and is raced extensively. A champion Laser sailor from the States came over to train us. Incidentally I had his book and he was surprised with my copy and I got his signature. Later went on to win the America's Cup helming Alinghi in Valencia Spain. I won a lot of races in Laser and was only second to Bisoy a full time Navy sailor.

Tenth stage: 470


10. 470. Then our sailing association undertook a program to compete with other countries and imported newer boats. The 470 is a high performance centerboarder dinghy used in the Olympics. Me and Chito again teamed up and won some races. However he went to the States and I was left with no crew.

Ninth stage: Flying Fifteen





9. Flying Fifteen. After sailing and racing on big boats, I returned back to my first love - small boats since here I am more in control especially as skipper, and don't have to adjust to so many companions. I teamed up with Chito Fortuna and together we won races. This boat is designed by Uffa Fox of England and sails very well. We got the bronze medal in the national championships, not bad for occasional sailors like us who competed with full time members of the national sailing team.

Eight stage: Sunset Strip

8. Sunset Strip. When we kept winning on Czarina, I was pirated to join Sunset Strip. The owner was Louie Vera a character fellow who owns buildings in Makati and Ortigas (Vernida's) and radio station Mellow Touch. I could not refuse the offer since he said they were preparing for the China Sea Race, the holy grail of sailing in our club, the ultimate target experience in our circle.
The boat was state of the art then, by Castro a famous racing naval architect ,and a one tonner fractional rig boat with running backstays. We won a very respectable third prize in the China Sea Race only after the hot shot racers from Britain and US, who have experiences in world yachting circuits like Admiral's Cup, Fastnet Race, Sydney to Hobart Race, etc.

Seventh stage: Czarina


7. Czarina. After lots of experiences in small boats, I set my sights on bigger boats. I first tried out on Czarina, a Thunderbird sloop. It was a nice choice since the boat was another classic. It was a very practical boat made of marine wood, with a fractional rig meaning the jib sail is lower and smaller than the mainsail which incidentally makes a boat more beautiful to me at least. The weather helm is very light and thus easy to steer even in high seas or when the hull tilts to leeward. We won lots of onshore and offshore races I'd like to think with my joining the boat. Best of all Karl is a very kind humble man, with his beard and all. He limps, very quiet fellow who works in ADB.

Sixth stage: Dragon again



6. Dragon again. This time I hooked up with Doni Altura a brilliant civil engineer. He owned Elan a beautiful Dragon boat. He outfitted it like a modern one-design racer. On this boat me as tactician we won three consecutive championships. Doni being an engineer we got to discuss the technical intricacies of sailing including aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, wood and metal stresses, naval architecture, Vernoulli effect, lifts, drags. I kept up with the discussion during the times we practiced and I learned and enjoyed a lot immensely.

Fifth stage: Various big cruisers racers


5. I also joined as crew to various racers and cruisers: 1. Manureva, This was a cruiser boat owned by Ramon. I got to crew on this boat several times and once joined a race to Corregidor. We lost the race. 2. Don Jones' boat. His was mainly for cruising which we enjoyed sailing around the bay.

Fourth stage: Dragon


4. Dragons. I shifted next to Dragon boats. These were larger keel boats of Scandinavian origin, actually a boat used in Olympics for a long time. Its design was classic and was too a beautiful boat. I just crewed on this boat owned by Ramon Torres and got to learn handling foredeck, winches, spinnaker work. We won some races and lost some as I would say Ramon was a mediocre racer.

Third stage: another International 110


3. Another International 110. I bought a second 110 owned by George Hackett a racing hot shot in the club. I did not pass the chance of getting his perennially winning boat since he was about to go back to the States. Thus for a certain period of time I had two 110's and clubmembers wonder who was this newbie who had two racing yachts, dinghies actually. George named his 110 Indecision but I changed it to Sigwada, the origin of my favorite nom de guerre up to now.
Sigwada is our term for squall or sudden storm and sounds very aggressive yet smooth. I first encountered the word used by the boatboys in the club. It was on Sigwada I enjoyed the best sailing the best racing the best cruising I ever experienced. More details I will write about later. Eventually I sold the boat to a rich young Chinese lad who used the boat to impress a girl he was courting. They did not sail much, either he got the girl or was jilted shortly.

Second stage: International 110


2. International 110. This is a small keelboat but relatively long at 24 feet, primarily used for racing. It was designed by Raymund Hunt of Illinois USA before World War II. Sleek and pointed at both bow and transom like a canoe, it is very beautiful and tracks very well on the water especially going upwind. Its keel design ahead of its time is now used by state of the art America's Cup boats. In fact when you see America's Cup boats they look like International 110's racing. Up to now it is my favorite boat design. I purchased a 110 called Enniskillen from a German teenager named Sven who was precocious and a serious racer. I thought first the boat's name was German until I found out the boat was originally owned by Brian Murray a Scot whose hometown was Enniskillen whereas Sven did not change the name. I too did not name the boat and in the races I joined the committee just wrote No Name. After I got my second 110 I sold the first one to a Singaporean expat who named it Simoy or weak wind. They didn't win races.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Dreams of sailing when young


I was always enamored of sailing at my early age. Even in elementary I marvelled at the sight of sailboats and dreamt of riding on them much more sail them. I doodled shapes of sailboats on my notebook and signed my name as USN or US Navy. I bought a small book on sailboats and read it cover to cover.
One time in high school we went for a vacation in Baguio. There were these sailboats for hire in Burnham Park and I got myself one. The breeze was blowing stiffly and I got out my handkerchief to find out the direction of the wind. I moved the sail accordingly and the boat sped past the others as I instinctively steered it across the small man made lake. It was an exhilirating feeling.
That was my first experience of sailing. I saw a white foreigner sitting on a bench onshore who was following my movements of the boat and he smiled approvingly , to my satisfaction and pride.
Nowadays when you go to the Burnham the boats no longer have sails; they just have oars as visitors just paddle back and forth boringly.

Extreme experiences on a Mirror

Sea tales are always a mixture of adventures , wonders, frustrations, unforgettable encounters.
Once, I set out on a Mirror alone as usual and headed off for the Luneta area. The wind was quite strong on that day perhaps 18 knots. But the Mirror could take it as it is relatively shortsailed and the hull is flat and sturdy. When I reached Luneta the wind got stronger and I decided to shelter in the inside area near Manila Hotel, between South Harbor and the Grandstand area. I figured I'd sit out the increasingly gale-like wind. I even thought of hopping into the Luneta Park and tying up but the waves were getting bigger which were crashing into the boulder size breakwater rocks which were also slippery.
So I steered off the edge and went further out but worst of all I could not tack correctly and get out. The steerage was too narrow and instead of moving forward the wind kept pushing me back closer and closer to the rocks. I felt there was a sort of Bermuda triangle pulling me to its vortex or some sort of enchanted force. I panicked not knowing what to do. Still I tried and tried tacking back and forth. Finally the wind decreased a little and I made some headway, getting out of that trap.
I negotiated my way out and sailed on a reach going back to the yacht club. By this time the wind was dying down, and was moderate midway at Malate. Then when I neared the yacht club, the wind completely died down. It was now dark about 8 o clock in the evening and I could not see anybody that could assist me. I swung the rudder to and fro and the jinx still was at me for I just turned in circles. Again I felt panic. How could this be? Earlier it was gale force wind now its the doldrums and it was playing a trick on me.
After some time, mercifully a yacht came by. It was John Morris who saw my predicament. He yelled at me if I needed help and he threw a line which I tied to the bow. He motored in and happily told the guys in the clubhouse how he rescued me. To his eternal credit points and to my utmost embarassment.
All the same I experienced that time the mysterious power and whim of the sea which I should now respect.

My sailing career journalized, first the Mirror stage


To counter the tupsy turviness of chronology, here are the stages of my sailing career which will contextualize subsequent blogs.

1. Mirror. I trained on Mirror dinghies, a 10 foot double person centerboarder boat used in England. George Hackett trained us well and every weekend I sailed out singlehanded and cruised in the vicinity of Malate and Luneta Park, with park strollers looking at me enjoying so much alone. Once I tried to venture to Baclaran but chickened out when the wind got strong.

Launch


This is a blogspot for my great past hobby - sailing.
I will blog my cruises, yacht races both offshore and onshore, on dinghies, keelboats and ocean racers.
It will have a tupsy turvy choronology according to when I recall experiences or when I come across my journals. No matter, for what is important is the wonderful experience of sailing.
Who knows I just might get back to the sea once again for as they say: once a sailor always a sailor.