All posts by Farley Will
2016 PRSA Fall Series #7
It was a pleasantly warm day on the Potomac with a good bit of breeze. SailFlow shows winds in the high teens for most of our racing period with a few gusts in the high 20s. It turned out 
to be very nice with some good wind for planing and surfing. 3 races were held and the RC also organized a fun race back to the dock for beer!
2016 PRSA Fall Series #6
2016 PRSA Fall Series #2
2016 PRSA Fall Series #1
2016 Spring Series #5
We had a very windy day. We did 2 races. 2 Lightnings, 2 Albacores, 1 Bucc, and 2 lasers made it up to the race course.
2016 Spring Series #5 – Albacores
2016 Spring Series #4
The day turned out to be quite nice. There was a good bit of breeze when we showed up but it died as we launched and it was a slow sail up to the course. After getting up there around noon, we drifted for a bit while the wind switched directions. RC did their best to get a square course set but for the first race the wind was every where with most of the race being a reach but finishing with the leeward mark being a windward mark and a downwind finish. After the first race, they moved the marks and we had 2 more races with a decent breeze. The first 2 races were windward leewards and the last was an olympic. During the second 2 races the wind was still shifty so playing the shifts was quite important. All day we had a strong out going current.
2016 Spring Series #4 – Albacores
2016 Spring Series #4 – Buccaneers
2016 Spring Series #2
The day ended up being a great day of sailing. On shore we decided that we would have all boats start together as we had no more than 4 boats in any of the fleets. After a slow sail to the race course while the wind died before shifting to the south, we all got up to the course around 12:15. The Grahams and Griffins were able to set a course and get the first race off. The first race had the wind starting out of the southeast and swinging more south during the race. As the afternoon progressed, the wind continued to swing to the south. We ended up have different levels of breeze with it varying between 5 and 15 knots. Race committee was able to get off 4 races and I thoroughly enjoyed having everyone starting together as it allowed for a larger fleet to race against and added more competition,
After sailing, Melissa and Heather held the BBQ and everyone stuck around and had plenty of food, drink, and fun!
2016 Spring Series #1 – Albacores
2016 Spring Series #1 – Buccaneers
2015/2016 Frostbite Series #17
2015/2016 Frostbite Series #15
It was a great day for sailing! The wind was strong from the southeast at about 10 mph then built to 12-14 from the south as the afternoon went on. Thank you to the race committee for setting up solid courses and on offset mark for olympic courses.
In the first two races I managed to get solid starts to be at or near the front of the fleet. The tide was flowing very strong down river all day. In the second race I cut the last mark too close and had to do a circle, which is a bummer of a way to lose three boats.
For the third and fourth race the wind was up in the 12-14 range and I managed to botch the start of the third race. I got too close to the pin end with too much time left and ended up over early. The windward mark had also been moved so I and a few others over stood the windward mark. The tide also drove me way past the lay line and I was almost reaching by the time I actually got to the windward mark. The second downwind leg of the triangle planing was possible which added a new challenge we don’t get too often. I managed to do OK and keep up with the boats around me.
For the fifth and final race the wind was somewhat lighter back closer to 10. I was better on the current situation so I managed to stay closer to the marks and lay lines. I tried to keep the boat flat and pointing while going upwind and upright while going downwind.
My lessons learned for the day were: don’t hit marks, know where the next mark is, and be aware of the current and lay lines. I’ve also waited a bit too long to do the write up and the races have blended together a bit in my memory. Thanks again to everyone for coming out to make this day fun!