It was two days of good racing. Saturday saw light and shifty winds but four races where gotten off. Sunday's winds winds, contrary to the forecast, where better, and the race committee were able to get in five more. Local crews took second, third, fourth, and fifth!  But a good time was had by all. Morgan Conrad on Andiamo Again was out watching the regatta and got some great photos. You can see and download them here. Sarah Kolbeck was on the committee boat on Sunday and also took some great shots. See them here. There is also [...]

PTSA Cat's Paw W/L Series - 2021   July 07 July 14 July 21 July 28   Stand- ing Sail # Boat Name Skipper Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 Race 6 Race 7 Race 8 Total Boat Name Stand-ing 1 242 Dorado Joe Daubenberger [1] 1 1 1 1 [3] 1 1 6 Dorado 1 2 1190 Corvo Blackbird Associates 3 2 2 3 2 5 [DNC/12] [DNC/12] 17 Corvo 2 3 642 Owl Dale Dunning [DNC/12] [DNC/12] 5 2 4 1 3 2 17 Owl 3 4 1177 Falcon Roland Nikles [5] [5] [...]

March 13 when Ceaser’s galleys plied the Mediterranean was known as “two days before the Ides of March.”  The ancient Roman calendar was derived from the lunar cycle: the day of the new moon was called Kalends; the day the moon reached its first quarter was the Nones; and the full moon was the Ides. The “Kalends” section of the lunar phase was the longest spanning the entire time of the waning moon (from full moon to new moon).   On March 13, 2021 this was all turned on its head. March 13 coincided with the new moon—as far [...]

Video by Ashlyn Brown Video by Dale Dunning Over 50 boats crossed the start line in the 30th Shipwrights Regatta! On a beautiful day with good wind, it was a blast. See the Awards See the Finishes by class Check out the photos The drawing has been held and the haul-out winners are: For the haul and hang from Sea Marine: Hakoom For the haul out from the Port of Port Townsend: Flapdoodle Many thanks to the POPT and Sea Marine for supporting this event! [...]

After three weeks of foul weather and no racing we finally got a pretty nice day. The wind was fairly light from the northeast, but there was enough to get two races in. Murrelet, Andiamo Again, Owl, Falcon, Blew Bird, Kuma San, and a mystery folk boat all showed up to enjoy an excellent afternoon of sailing.

Frostbiting is about improvising…. The weather forecast was for a solid 6 - 9 knots from the SE all afternoon, and things looked promising as Owl set a nearly square starting line not far off the Boat Haven break wall. As several boats beat to windward, testing the oscillations and gusts, Falcon set a “weather mark” at the 70 foot line, 1.2 miles upwind (somewhat SW of the Tower).  Over VHF-68 we agreed to go to the "weather mark” (a small, yellow tetrahedron),  then off to the Green buoy (entrance to Kilitsut harbor) and back to the finish.  It’s [...]

The wind was calm but  wind vanes slowly aligned in a SE direction, responding to a breeze just sufficient to sail out of the harbor.  Five boats made their way to a start line set south of the Boat Haven jetty.  There was a brief discussion whether to set a short weather mark, but exuberance carried us away when the wind shifted firmly to the NE at ~6knots.  “Let’s beat up to the red buoy,” was the cry over VHF.  Falcon won the start, followed closely by Owl.  These two carried on a lively duel up the City [...]

Clear weather in the low 40’s and a solid breeze of 12-19 knots prevailed across Port Townsend Bay for the first Frostbite sail on January 9, 2021.  Three Thunderbirds came out to play: Bill Broekhof single-handed Blew Bird; Scott Walker and Dale Dunning put Tzieu through her paces; Roland Nikles and Shelagh Reiser were out on Falcon.  Blew Bird and Falcon sailed down towards Port Hadlock a ways, then joined Tzieu for a close reach to close hauled on starboard tack to Marrowstone Point.  Blew Bird headed back towards Boat Haven from there, Falcon and Tzieu enjoyed a long [...]

This week's "race" was the opposite of last week's. If you were on A-dock at around noon on Saturday you would have seen a bunch of TBird sailors scratching their heads wondering if the wind was going to BLOW.  There was no wind in the marina at noon and it was suggested that  we postpone at the dock instead of going out and bobbing around. After waiting until 1pm the race was called off. There are two more scheduled races. Let's hope for better conditions. This is NOT what the wind conditions were like:

Thick fog and no wind sums up the day. Around eight TBirds came out and bobbed around in the fog until the Race Committee raised the cancellation flag and everyone headed back to their slips. Let's hope for better conditions this Saturday.

Revised results: Dog Days Wednesday Series August 2020 Aug 05 August 12 August 19 August 26 Stand- ing Sail # Boat Name Skipper Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 Race 6 Race 7 Total Stand-ing Boat Name 1 190 Raven Black bird Assoc. 2 1 2 5 1 Raven 2 242 Dorado Simon Miles 1 5 3 9 2 Dorado 3 1177 Falcon Roland Nikles 4 4 6 14 3 Falcon 4 1254 Corvo Blackbird Assoc. DNC/13 2 1 16 4 Corvo 5 642 Owl Dale Dunning DNS/9 3 4 16 5 Owl [...]

Six boats came out for a pleasant evening's sail, racing from City Dock. The course set was SITF, 3.76 nm. At the start the wind was ~5 kts WNW. After the start it backed to W then grew steadily through the race until it was 12 - 14 kts as the fleet was finishing. Race results: Pos Sail Boat Skipper Rating Finish Order Finish Time Time Allowance Corrected Time Time Behind Adjustments Pts 1 1177 Falcon Nikles, Roland 198 2 19:19:30.0 00:12:24.5 01:02:05.5 00:00:00.0 1.0 2 1254 Corvo Blackbird, Assoc. 198 3 19:19:50.0 00:12:24.5 01:02:25.5 00:00:20.0 [...]

The forecast hinted at a beautiful night of racing on the Bay with plenty of wind. The reality turned out to be a bit different. The initial assessment from RC at the I buoy showed the wind relatively steady at 280 deg M at 10-14 knts.. As the CB worked its way downwind from I, it became apparent that there was a bit more westerly in the building breeze and that a course utilizing I buoy would run the risk of the racers mixing it up with the Ferry. So, a quick adjustment and the start line was set [...]

Six boats came out to enjoy great sailing weather. The wind on the dock before the start was 8-10 kts from the West. The course chosen was SITIBF -5.7 nm. Right after the start the wind at the dock shifted to Northwest and grew to gusts of 19 kts. There was a crowd of of visitors anchored out, through which the fleet had to transit twice, fortunately without incident. The first two boats finished seconds apart in less than an hour. Race 3 Results: Pos Sail Boat Skipper Rating Finish Order Finish Time Time Allowance Corrected Time Time [...]

Race Report by Jeff Brantley and Dave Burrows All to Play! The forecast was promising and Port Townsend Bay delivered a beautiful night of racing. The wind ranged from 8 -16 knots and a fairly constant direction and the sun was out!. After a quick pin location adjustment due to the settling breeze, the race course was set square to the Indian Point fixed buoy with the wind at 300 deg M. The 2020 July calendar provided a bonus 5th night of Wednesday racing so with the 2 drops already calculated, there were 3 boats tied at the top [...]

It was fun racing in light and shifty winds. Check out the results below: it's a three way tie for first place! PTSA Catspaw Wednesday Series July 2020 July 01 July 08 July 15 July 22 July 29 Stand- ing Sail # Boat Name Skipper Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 Race 6 Race 7 Race 8 Race 9 Race 10 Total Stand-ing Corvo 1 242 Dorado Joe Daubenberger 1 3 [4] 4 2 1 [5] 1 12 1 Dorado 2 1254 Corvo Blackbird Assoc. 2 1 1 3 [4] 2 [4] 3 [...]

Report from Doug Jones on Pacifica:  The winds were very light but there looked to be a little up by Point Wilson, also the tide was ebbing. So I set a course out to Point Wilson and back. Unfortunately what little wind there was faded as the fleet came back to the Point Hudson buoy and we ended up fighting the current until it went slack. At that point most of the TBirds were ahead of Pacifica, so we fired up the motor to get to “C” to take times. Other than the really light wind it was a [...]

Port Townsend Bay produced another great night of racing with plenty of sunshine and a relatively steady 12-15 knots of wind blowing from 270 degrees M. RC chose the recently installed I buoy (Indian Point) as the windward mark and set the start line square at approximately 1 NM downwind. RACE 1: The un-biased line had the starters spread across the start line. The water at and around the start line was crowded with kelp and “confused” chop which added another variable to the starting process. At the gun, the OWL was called OCS and called back on an [...]

It was a beautiful night for a race. Sunny and warm with good wind. Due to a late arrival by the race committee, although the start was on time, not all boats participating were identified. Course set was SBGBF for 6.4 nm. The wind on City Dock (in the lee of the shore) at the start was from around 290 degM at ~5 kts gusting to 8.  It did not vary much during the race. In the bay it was twice as strong at the Start but softened halfway through the race. Although this series has a NFS [...]

As usual we will post the race video when it becomes available. July 8, 2020 Write-Up by Dave Burrows and Jeff Brantley The forecast looked promising, but once again the start was delayed waiting for the wind to establish itself. The RC set W mark in a likely spot then followed the wind front as it advanced toward Rat Island.  After about ¾ nm, the promised Gate mark (aka. S/F line) was set square to the 285°M wind, which in a short time had grown to 9 – 11 kts. at the start of the first race. The [...]

This was another evening when the CB found a windless Bay. After a while, as the fleet congregated, there was enough breeze to provide steerage way. W and L marks were set in apparently stronger patches of a wind from 20°M. The S/F line was set to provide a long first leg. The start was 30 mins late but there was a steady 3 – 4 kts of breeze. During the race the wind eased and became variable in direction. Race 1: The lack of wind made positioning during the last couple minutes of the start critical to success. [...]

Race write up by Dave Burrows and Jeff Brantley At 17:00 the Bay was windless, but outside the Bay there were boats sailing in ruffled water to a North-ish breeze. The CB crossed towards the tower to wait. When the wind line reached the CB the RC checked its direction and set the Leeward mark then the Windward mark. On the way to set up the S/F line the wind shifted and strengthened so the Leeward mark was moved to align and lengthen the course. The S/F line was set square to the 285°M breeze. The start [...]

This evening's moderate and settled breeze and slack water made setting the course easy and provided some great racing. The Windward/Leeward course was set up for the wind steadily from 290°M. An extra long S/F line was set, slightly pin favored, to allow the short handed fleet more room to maneuver at the starts and avoid crowding and barging behind the CB. As the course was short for the wind conditions both races were set for twice around. The first start resulted in a General Recall as more than half the fleet was over early. The Restart was good [...]

Following last weeks heavy air racing, this week the fleet experienced light and shifty breezes, which brought a different challenge. On leaving harbor the Committee Boat found 3 – 5 kt. breezes from around 315° M, the water surface showed the wind was patchy. The course was set in dark water. As soon as the CB anchored the wind veered 90°. While the course was being reset the wind went back to 295°. The final course was aligned W/L but the S/F line was boat favored, creating undesirable congestion at the starts. The first race started with fairly [...]

After two months restriction there was great anticipation for a limited re-opening of the Racing Season. Albeit at short notice and with limits on crew size (for physical distancing). The anticipation was heightened by a series You Tube videos of single-handed pick-up races in the bay during May in great wind and weather. (The 5/13 Race is here, the 5/20 is here, and 5/27 is here). The day was warm and sunny and the wind all afternoon was as forecast, 5 – 8 kts, gusting 12, from the NNW.  Fourteen [...]

It was a cold day with some sun and blue sky accompanied by winds with gusts into the 20's. The course was Start, Indian Point, Green Buoy, Indian Point, Finish. All was going fairly smoothly until about 2/3 of the way back to Indian Point when Owl took down their jib and announced a medical emergency on the radio. Here is a report from Lynn Watson who was on Owl. On the long beat back from the green buoy this Saturday, our crewmember Phil Rome slipped on the housetop and took a tumble into the companionway, landing on [...]

by Roland Nikles, skipper of Falcon Four Thunderbirds tacked their way out of Boat Haven Saturday noon in an unstable SE breeze, blowing 6-8 knots from Indian Island. A yellow pyramid was set near the entrance to the harbor, and a starting line, right-end (red buoy) favored, 400 yards into the bay. Owl brought their automated five-minute count-down timer, with standard starting sequence signals.  Everyone agreed on a windward-leeward course to the green lighted buy #1, off the entrance to Kilisut Harbor, back to the leeward yellow pyramid, and then to the start-finish line.  On some days, successful upwind [...]

This was a Shipwrights for the records.  No snow, ice or even rain, and plenty of wind from many directions.  After a 20 minute postponement as the wind kept shifting 90 degrees, we settled for a reaching start.  Zaya and Cito were class winners and big award winners.  The surprise winner among the T-birds was Dorado.  Norma Mae managed second place in Cruising with a full boatload of pick-up crew. Awards: -First wooden boat to [...]

A little while after the start of the race. Photo by Chris Blasucci. Four boats came out on a pretty nice day to enjoy a light but fairly steady breeze.  A windward mark was set in the vicinity of Indian Point and the start/finish line was placed out in the middle of the bay in the direction of the green buoy. The course was start, windward, starting pin, windward, with a down wind finish. Falcon crossed the start line first with Owl close behind; Kuma San crossed third and to leeward; Raven was last across. The first [...]

Five boat came out on a sunny day.  The wind was fairly light at the dock but increased as the afternoon went on such that it was gusting into the 20's during the race.  The big yellow mark was stationed near where "I" would normally be and a start line was set in the middle of the bay with the course being "Start, Yellow, Green bouy by the navy dock, Finish". Owl had a good start and lead the entire way having an especially strong downwind leg under spinnaker.  Raven followed them also running their [...]

After two weeks of no racing due to excess wind, we got lucky with warm weather, no rain, a bit of sun, and a decent breeze. The wind was from the SE so a course from Indian Point to the tower and back was a nice long windward/leeward race. The competition was close and all of the TBirds finished within around five minutes of each other. Bertram Levy, in the beautiful (but waterline length challenged) wooden boat Murrelet, came in seventh.  It was a fun day out on the bay. Next race: this coming Saturday 2/1/2020 at 1pm [...]

Five T-Birds and one Murrelet showed up for the inaugural race of the new frostbite series.  However, at the last minute one of the T-Birds, Owl, was not able to race.   The main story of the day was the weather; wow what a great day; bright sun, temperatures in the mid forties, and wind 5 to 10 kts from SSE.  We set a leeward mark near the entrance to Boat Haven and used the green buoy as the windward mark. THEN, we retired for the inaugural party of the new clubhouse.   Thanks to Steve for organizing the [...]

   Boreas, Caveat, and Dorado heading for the tower. No shit, there we were on the committee boat at the dock and somebody said “let’s do a Le Mans start”. The official race had been cancelled because of the gale warning that was in effect.  But there were eight or nine us, representing four Thunderbirds, who still wanted to race.  It was Daubie, I think, who said we should start from the dock, meaning the city dock, but Joe took that to mean from the marina.  And so a plan was formed:  we would say “go”, there on [...]

The forecast was for a gale in Admiralty Inlet and at noon the wind was picking up so the official race was cancelled.  However, five boats decided to go out anyway: Dorado, Sparkle, Raven, Thatuna, and Boreas.  They did a rabbit start near the Indian Point buoy - Dorado being the rabbit.  The course was to the green buoy and back to Indian Point.  The wind was fairly strong on the beat and on the first part of the downwind leg but then let up as the boats got to Indian Point where the fleet decided to do another lap.  The wind [...]