Local Girl Arrives in the South of France
News from SIROCCO’s new owner… SIROCCO rolls out of her shipping container in the South of France. Dear Steve, Sirocco just arrived today in Marseille, after one and half month of ocean crossing, and more than one half planet round circle ! She has arrived in perfect shape and seem to have been very well protected inside the container. We put her back in the water this afternoon with no worry. Some water licks (expected) but surprisingly very few, after 45 days spent inside a container box . She has tested the Mediterranean [...]
2014 Wooden Boat Series Race – July 26th.
PACIFICA working it up wind. Photo by Pete Leenhouts The PTSA Wooden Boat Series was started two years ago. It was sponsored by Siren’s as an adjunct to the Classic Mariners Regatta. We are endowed with many beautiful and historic wooden sailboats in our area. The intent of the series is to get more of them away from their docks and show them off to best advantage – sailing. The competition is just the excuse to get out and have fun. For those that missed this race there is another on August 18 th. and the last [...]
Summer Cat’s Paw Series – “Make-up” Race and Final Standings
The final race was probably the best of the Cat’s Paw series. Warm sunshine and a good breeze. Twelve boats came out to enjoy the evening, T-birds outnumbering PHRF two to one. […]
New Racing Website Offers Interesting Capabilities
Thanks to Jim Heumann who crews on THATUNA for sending this in. Have a post idea? Send it in to webmaster@ptsa.org. I'm a member and I sail with John Lynes on THATUNA. I've recently discovered a smartphone app that in combination with a web site lets you record a race, upload it to the internet, and replay it overlaid on Google Earth. If more than one boat in a race records their track the site figures that out and shows them all. We have been recording races for a while now and are finding it really helpful. I think others [...]
Pocket Yacht Palooza PT, July 19-20
Pocket Yacht Palooza, NW Maritime Center, July 19-20 The Puget Sound area, and Port Townsend in particular, is at the epicenter of a global downsizing trend in boats, leading the way with smaller-boat designs, boatbuilding workshops, small-boat publications and events such as this weekend’s third annual Pocket Yacht Palooza, a free showing of more than 60 small boats to be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend. The Pocket Yacht Palooza is organized by the Port Townsend Pocket Yachters, an informal club of small-boat owners (“no officers, no dues, [...]
In Light Air, Go for Pressure
From David Dellenbaugh's always interesting and usefully monthly publication, Speed and Smarts. In light air, pressure can make all the difference. Illustration from Speed and Smarts. When you're sailing on a beat or run, the two main strategic factors are usually changes in the wind direction and changes in the wind velocity. Obviously, you want to sail toward the next windshift and sail toward better pressure. But sometimes you can't do both, so which is more important? In light air, sailing in better wind velocity is relatively more valuable. That's because a small increase in wind pressure will [...]
Summer Cat’s Paw Series – Race 6
Summer Cat’s Paw race 6, a lovely evening to go for a sail with tricky winds. Photo by Steve Stanton Nobody has expressed disappointment with the cancellation of race 5 on July 4th. This week’s race was called number 6 to keep the scorekeeper’s records and the calendar in agreement. REMINDER: – There is no race next Friday (July 18 th) to allow our members to attend Whidbey Island Race Week. The next race in the Cat’s Paw series, #7, our make-up race for the 6 total to gain a throwout, is Friday July 25th. Report and [...]
Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect, But It Helps
Lifted from Sports Geezer And now the bad news: if you’ve been playing a sport for 20 years and you’re not getting better, you probably never will. Practice can only do so much. How much, exactly, has been calculated by psychologists at Princeton University, who scoured the scientific literature for studies examining practice and performance in domains as diverse as music, games, sports, professions, and education. The Association for Psychological Science reports that, based on a meta-analysis of 88 studies that attempted to equate practice with expertise, the researchers found that overall, practice accounts for only about 12 percent of [...]