Urs Rothacher's Story
31st ANNUAL DOUBLEHANDED FARALLONES RACE
Saturday, April 3, 2010
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Race Results Images: Articles and Movies: Article from Norcalsailing.com
For your reference |
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Swells were breaking around the first channels markers and we had a few “Hmmm, good thing we are not over THERE” moments. However, we were sailing perpendicular to the waves so I was not too concerned, as long as we had enough speed. These boats behave fairly well when pointing straight into waves, even in the white, foamy stuff.
As expected, the wind clocked to the right and we were following the channel in the hope of finding less choppy seas. In order to avoid a direct confrontation with the incoming cargo ship we quickly tacked and cleared the channel; this maneuver coinciding nicely with yet another right shift in the wind. After tacking back we found ourselves on a ‘fat’ layline to the Farallones. With calming seas we leisurely cruised along at 8-10 knots. At the skippers meeting we had consulted with Gary Helms about how (close) to round the island and decided to take it very wide, particularly since we were quite alone already… What we were not expecting was how close the Middle Farallones are and that some of the shoals nearby (North) were also breaking, putting Mavericks to shame… So we carefully (and nervously) aimed at the middle, set the screecher, jibed and headed back for the Gate. It turned out to be the perfect ‘screecher day’; with 60-90 degrees AWA (Apparent Wind Angle). Towards Pt. Bonita the sea breeze, which had just built, gradually took over, lifting us. After two quick jibes we headed for the Gate. Even though we had a spinnaker ready to go, we decided against it. All competing boats had vanished beyond the horizon and playing it safe and easy looked like an attractive option. It also seems that in some conditions the downwind VMG (Velocity Made Good) is similar with screecher as it would be with spin.
Behind us, the gradient wind weakened and turned west, slowing down our competitors. We finished at 2:45pm which was earlier than our return from the DH Lightship race a few weeks earlier and 30 minutes ahead of the next boat, a J-125. The next multihull to finish was the F-27 Papillon, 72 minutes behind. Full results: www.sfbama.org/2010/dhf/index.html Thanks again to our wives for relieving us from diapering duties and supporting this ‘midlife crises prevention program’ and to Bill Quigley for his awesome boat Urs Personal Equipment:
Pieter enjoying the flat water in the bay-->
Comparison of the new and old daggerboard.--> |
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We had no wind until about 30 seconds before the gun and positioned ourselves (by engine, before the warning signal) far enough back from the line to avoid being sucked over prematurely in the ebb current. A bit too far back, as it turned out; we crossed the starting line one minute late. The weak southerly wind died soon thereafter, leaving us in a perfect position to get wrapped around the South Tower of Golden Gate Bridge. Luckily, just before we started paddling, the westerly came through and we made our way out to Pt. Bonita in building winds, sea and riding the ebb as much as possible. We were just past max ebb and the waves became so steep and confused that our bow-pole punched into every other lump of water so that we ended up lifting it by three feet! 
As a Swiss sailor, I am inherently afraid of waves higher than 1m and winds stronger than 10 kn; our team had thus made an effort to prepare adequately. Both of us carried a waterproof VHF (one of which had DSC and GPS), I had a PLB in the life jacked and was wearing a 2mm neoprene top and jogging tights as bottom layer which is both warm and does not hinder movement. The tight insulating clothing would also have kept me somewhat warmer if we had gone for an unexpected swim… 
For those of you who are curious about why Tatiana is suddenly quicker… The daggerboard had kissed a coral in the Bahamas a few years ago and rotted and broke away over the last year; we started with about 2/3 of it in spring and ended last season with not very much left… It seems like F-boats can go upwind with little or no board, but when racing you end up being DFL.