Write up by Bob Bear - Sailing No. 187995 to be known hereafter as "Slush Cutter" The last Sunday in February started out better than expected…or so it seemed. The night before the weatherman had predicted a "wintry mix" of frozen rain and sleet. So, it looked relatively auspicious to see just a few snowflakes. Surely they would melt off as the day progressed and we would be able to launch and sail unencumbered with the hazards of ice. But, as I made it to the marina I encountered Scott, Jennifer and a few other hearty souls who informed me that the races were called because of "no wind", but that a chap from England named Kerri who I hadn't yet met might give me some good competition in a match race if he was still around. After the rest had wandered off I was about to give up. English people are supposed to be quite sensible after all. But then I turned around and there he was. "Have a go at a match race?" he asked. "Sure, why not! We can do rabbit starts." As I raised my sail I was happy to see that there was sufficient wind to keep it full. It would be a good day for a sail after all. But, by the time we launched the snow was falling thicker. Normally one would expect snow simply to melt when it hits the water, perhaps with a very thin accumulation on the surface. But it was falling so thick that it was actually accumulating faster than it was melting. So, what we unexpectedly encountered was a semi-solid substance on the top inch or so of the water with the consistency of a frozen margarita. It took a few minutes for Kerri and I to develop a technique for moving our boats through this slush. Kerri opined that it would be faster to gybe than tack in order to come about. Even with the sails full, our two lasers proceeded through the slush in a slow moving and eerily quiet ballet. For the first race I suggested that we move out across the river and use the can buoy as the windward mark. I also hailed that we need to dispense with Rule 42 -- it looked like we would continually have to pump and rock to move the boats. Kerri and I split tacks right away. I went right thinking that would get me into the current faster and hopefully clear water. It seemed to work. When I got to the windward mark I was 50 yards in front, but then I noticed that Kerri wasn't pumping or rocking. Evidently, he was going to sail the course properly or not at all. Knowing now that it was possible to get around the course legally after all, we decided to play Race Number 2 by the rules and with the same course. Going right into the current paid off again for me as I took that race. By the time we started the third race most of the slush appeared to be melting. There appeared to be quite a bit of open water in the cove, so we decided to have the final race there. Unfortunately, we picked the red day mark on the far side of the cove right near the shore for the starting mark. That was where the slush was thickest. Kerri and I took turns getting caught in slush floes as we attempted to start off on opposite tacks with one of us passing the other's transom for a proper rabbit start but ended up circling each other instead. Finally, we ended up going upwind relatively close to each other and we decided to call that a fair start. I was behind and to windward. I bore away some to power through the slush and ended up rolling over Kerri. But then I sailed right into a thick floe of slush. Kerri was able to tack free and into relatively open water and stayed ahead through the rest of the race. Although I almost caught him on the downwind leg by sailing down the path he cut through the slush. So for the sake of posterity and whatnot, here are what appear to me to be the finer points of cutting through slush in a laser match race: 1. Pinching is death. Sail at least 10 to 15 degrees lower than you normally would when working to windward. 2. Tack as little as possible. When cutting through slush you rarely have sufficient momentum. It rarely pays to tack on lifts and headers. Find a patch of clear water or at least thinner slush to make the few tacks that you must. 3. Use any clear water you find. Here and there I found small channels of clear water through the slush. Use them as much as possible. Also, try to use any pathway that you or the competition have previously cut through the slush. 4. Current is your friend. Even if the current is running against you, it clears or at least thins out the slush layer. 5. Watch out for thick slush floes. Particularly if you are racing "by the rules" sailing into a thick slush floe will knock you out of the race if you cannot rock and pump your way through. |
||||
Join the PRSA Laser Fleet Email List
Contact the PRSA Laser Webmaster at: