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Around the World of Sailing
6 June 2001
News: Detroit NOODS Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0606/ms.htm
One of the first major regattas of the Great Lakes season was
sailed on Lake St. Clair in very northern conditions.
Temperatures ranged from 5.5 to 9 degrees below norms for early
June. The first 2 days had the added factor of rain.
The winds were stout from the south and west. They peaked with
30 knot gusts and were comfortably above 10 knots for all three
days of racing.
The closest results were in the Level 141 class (all boats
rating PHRF 141) where Freedom a C&C 34 won 4 of 6 races, but
still ended tied with Marmalade a Chaser 33. Freedom's 4 1sts
gave her the class on a tiebreak basis.
On the other end of the scale were the two 24 foot classes.
Snowpile Express won the Melges 24 class by 13 points over
Lil' Iodine while Instant Karma won 5 of 6 races in the J 24
class and also has a 13-point margin of victory.
The only boat to win all 6 races in one class was the J-35
Mr. Bill's Wild Ride in the Level 35 class.
After a week off the NOOD series will resume the 15th to the
17th sailing in Lake Michigan, with Chicago Yacht Club as the
host. Look for a preview in next week's ATWOS.
Links: Daily Reports
http://www.torresen.com/races/nood/detroit/2001/reports.html
Results
http://www.torresen.com/races/nood/detroit/2001/results.html
Press Release:
http://www.sailingworld.com/nood/2001/06_detroit/final_press.html
Pictures:
Theme: Weather
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0606/ms.htm
This month's series of theme articles covers Weather and how it
can affect your maritime pursuits. We begin by reviewing the
May weather in the Muskegon area and how it affected boating
and sailing.
Weather wise, Muskegon had great variation in weather within
the month of May 2001. The first 10 days featured above
average temperatures. After 10 days temperatures were + 4.22°.
During this time the monthly high of 80° occurred on the 1st
and 3rd.
Later in the month from the 22nd on Muskegon has below normal
temperatures. This period saw temperatures 5.6° below normal.
The monthly low was 32° on the 13th.
For the month, the average temperature ended up 3.1° above
normal.
The above temperature contrast shows that Muskegon has weather
with air masses originating in warm areas such as the Gulf of
Mexico with colder Polar air masses later on. From a practical
standard, don't miss that good sailing day there's no guarantee
you'll get it back!
Muskegon received 4.82 inches of precipitation, 2.22 inches
above normal, and the 11th wettest May on record. The highest
one day rainfall was 1.38 inches on the 21st. For the same
period Lake Michigan 157% of average rainfall. However, water
levels rose only about 2 inches. Rather than filling the lake,
the rain refilled the ground water supply. This will help in
the long term during dry periods.
For the sailor Muskegon saw an average wind speed of 9.72 in
May, a bonus of .92 knots from the typical wind speed. The
windiest day was 17.4 knots on the 2nd, with the lightest day
2.8 knots on the 25th. By getting your boat in the water
before Memorial Day you can grab some bonus sailing on less
crowded waters.
Wind direction wise the most common wind was SW, which brought
warm temperatures 6 of the 8 days. Second most common wind was
SE, which brought cold on 3 of its 5 days.
A knowledge of the prevailing winds can allow you to sail on
days favorable for your area.
May was an interesting month meteorologically. Careful study
of the weather likely could have enhanced your sailing and your
understanding of the weather.
News: College Nationals
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0606/ms.htm
Two of the 3 collegiate sailing spring national championships
have been completed. The Women's Dinghy championship and the
co-ed Team Racing regattas have been completed. The events
were co-hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and Harvard University on the Charles River in Cambridge, MA.
The women's regatta was a heavy air event eventually won by the
University of Hawaii by 15 points over Dartmouth. 3rd was
St. Mary's College of Maryland. The Hawaii victory was led by
their 1st in the A division. Better yet, they are scheduled to
host the 2002 Championship!
The team racing championship was won by 7th ranked Georgetown
with 18 wins and 3 losses. They used 11 different sailors in
their title win. 2nd was Harvard (ranked 3rd) at 16-5 with
Dartmouth (ranked 2nd) a race back at 15-9.
The final of the trio of the championships is the Co-Ed dinghy
regatta sailed fleet style with 2 divisions. This begins today in
Rhode Island. The top 5 ranked teams in the nation: Old Dominion, Darmouth,Harvard, Tufts and St. Marys are entered.
Link: http://www.collegesailing.org/2001
News: Boat Smart
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0606/ms.htm
Boat Smart is a weekly column written by Chief Tom Rau, Group
Grand Haven, U.S. Coast Guard and appears in a number of
newspapers. Chief Rau has been writing and promoting safe
boating since 1986. Many of his columns are taken from real
life experiences from Station Muskegon, where Chief Rau is
currently serving, or from the Group Grand Haven Area of
Responsibility.
A few days ago, I ran into an old DNR friend of mine. I told
him about last week's column and how I was asking fellow rescue
responders what they would advise a group of boaters regarding
important safety issues if standing before them.
"Carry An empty can aboard," he said.
"Empty can?" I asked
"Yes, an empty can so the boater can relieve himself."
According to my friend, DNR boating accident statistics reveal
that over 50 percent of male drownings off small boats found
the victim with an open zipper. Reportedly, the open fly
figure stands at 75 percent nationwide. Not difficult to
explain, since small boats do not offer stable standing
platforms that are often made even less unstable by boat wakes
and wave action.
Boaters falling overboard with open flies is a well know fact
amongst rescuers I spoke to, which is why they stress the
importance of wearing a life jacket. Sure, we understand, many
small boat operators, especially fisherman, don't wear life
jackets because they can be bulky and intrusive, especially
when worn over coats. But not all life jackets are cumbersome.
Comfortable float coats, light upper body mesh life jackets,
and inflatable ones offer comfort: all are Coast Guard
approved. You can find these user-friendly life jackets on the
internet by searching under "life jackets".
Boat Checks What does it suggest when the operator of a
38-foot motor boat recently told a Coast Guard crew after they
towed him off Lake Michigan that he couldn't understand how he
ran out of gas because there was gas in the boat when he
stowed it last winter. Unbelievable! I wouldn't confess such a
thing to my own mother. And if I did, I suspect the first words
out of her mouth would be: "did you check it?" Let's hope the
boater doesn't fly aircraft.
The fact is boats and aircraft share much in common not the
least of which is gravity. It will take both down if it has
its way. The difference between aircraft and boats, however,
is one goes down slower than the other. Pilots, of course
guard against such calamities by preflight checks. But what
about boaters? A rash of disabled boater's incidents during the
early boating season suggests that boaters are not checking
their boats. Is the battery fully charged? Are through-hull
fittings secured? Are inboard/outboard shaft boots firmly
sealed? Do you carry extra impellers aboard? Is the gas
contaminated from winter storage? Have winter shelter-seeking
critters housed themselves in lines and through hull openings?
What is the condition of the bilge pump and is it discharging?
What about ventilation discharge hose fittings; can you place
your hand over the outside port and feel air discharge? What
about sea trials, do you test your boat in safe waters before
venturing out into Lake Michigan? Do you carry a spare battery
aboard in the event the bilge pump drains the battery, and what
about extra fuses?
And the list of boat check questions goes on. The Coast Guard
produces a hand-size booklet, "Federal Requirements and Safety
Tips for Recreational Boats" that addresses a lot of these
issues and is available at your local Coast Guard Station, or
you can order one by calling 1-800-368-5647; a service
representative will mail you one. Also, the Cost Guard
Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadron offers "Vessel Safety Checks"
(VSC), which do not carry enforcement penalties nor do they
report to the Coast Guard discrepancies discovered during a
boarding. You can visit Coast Guard Group Grand Haven Web Site
at www.uscg.mil/ghaven for a list of vessel examiners in
Michigan and Indiana. The site also offers a list of VSC items.
Low Water Unless life or limb are threatened, the Coast Guard
will not normally assist boaters that run aground. They will,
however, assist in arrangements for commercial or other
assistance. To avoid groundings, boaters should stay within
marked navigational channels. Also, boaters entering
unfamiliar waters, especially marinas, should call ahead for
safe water advisories. A list of municipal marinas and phone
numbers (Mackinac City to Michigan City) can be found on our
web site at www.uscg.mil/ghaven. According to the Army Corps
of Engineers, the continued threat of low water levels will
exist on Lake Michigan during the 2001 boating season.
Adrift Few things can be more perplexing to a rescue responder
that to come across a small craft like a wind surfer board,
dingy, or small sailboat adrift on Lake Michigan. Was there
someone aboard? Did the operator fall overboard? Who does it
belong to? These questions, especially the last one, can be
easily answered if boats carry an attached label with a name
and phone number authorities could call. It would prevent
needless searching, while allowing owner notification- that's a
win-win for all.
A Wife's View Now that we've shared rescue responder concerns
lets share a wife and mother's concerns about her husband and
his 16-foot boat. My neighbor, Tina, hears my Boat Smart
stories first hand. She now insists that her husband wears a
life jacket with a whistle, and a strobe light at night. Tina
also has established what she calls a "worry time", which means
that if her husband doesn't return home within an expected time
period she activates the alarm. That alarm means calling the
Coast Guard with pertinent information, like make of boat,
where he launched the boat , boat color, his fishing
destination, type equipment aboard, and so on. I often say if
people are concerned enough to call authorities they should be
concerned enough to have this information close at hand.
Do you?