Both Starboard, reciprocal course & who is windward when?

Q: I'm going downwind, by the lee on starboard gybe. Wind is about 5 knots. There is another boat which has already rounded the leeward mark, coming upwind towards me on starboard tack. We hold our courses, with him on a bearing to pass to my port side, and me to pass on his port side. We're on more or less reciprocal bearings. As we pass, my boom hits his mast. There is no damage. We both protest. Who is wrong?

A: This has always been a bit of a conundrum. If you take the situation a few boat lengths back, the running boat was probably on the windward side of the boat close-hauled, so the running boat is the keep-clear boat. When she crosses the line projecting ahead of the close-hauled boat she ceases being the keep-clear boat and so might possibly be said to ?acquire right-of-way?, requiring her to initially gives room to the other boat (rule 15).

But if you just take the situation you describe, and if both boats are sailing steady courses, then both boats are on starboard tack and both are on the other boat?s leeward side, so neither is windward boat, and rule 11 doesn?t apply. The only rule that can be applied is rule 14 requiring each to avoid contact with the other and if there is damage, both boats could be penalized.

Don't shove sails down the hatch, walk on etc

After all the years of doing bow, I never found shoving any upwind headsail down the foredeck hatch on anything but a custom race boat, a good idea. Unless it is a non-production, custom race boat, the foredeck hatch is never large enough for the #1 or #2 jib/gen and takes so much longer to do than a quick, loose folding luff when you drop the sail, bend it over upon itself once and set with a sail tie, or two on bigger boats. Once you are dealing with the #3 and up, the waves are breaking over the bow so much that opening that hatch is a good way to take on a couple hundred gallons of sea water in a hurry.

Oh yeah, it's bad for the sails too. A good bow and pit would know how to drop the sail and luff fold it on the way down, even on an outside peel, layer up when pulling underneath the newly hoisted sail. Always roll your old bag for the sail in reverse so that you can roll it towards the bow from the mast.

Tuning - Mast Base Position

Move the mast base forward so mast is 24.25 inches from bulkhead. Other than that, do what Ulman guide says.

Spray Baltoplate / Wet Sand / Polish - GO FAST!

How to on the Olson 30
Burnish a Vinylester Bottom, like Baltoplate or VC-17
Spray on 2 coats of Baltoplate and let dry.
Wet sand with 400 grit sandpaper (knock off the rough spots only).
Bronze wool polish the surface (I forget the wool grade recommended). [ed. Do not use steel wool, as any little flakes will end up rusting.]
Finish by burnishing with a piece of hardwood that has had the end ‘fired’ - ie you take a piece of maple flooring, cut an angled tip on it. Then stick that tip into live coals (or hit it with a blowtorch) until it gets a layer of charcoal on it. Rub away the charcoal by rubbing against a hard and smooth surface (like a piece of slate). Then use that on the BaltoPlate.
Notes:
The wool and the burnishing should only be done in Fore/Aft motion.
The idea that you only need to polish the first 6 feet of hull and forward 1/3 of the keel because of Reynolds numbers - is an old wives tale. It is based on drag models scaled up from hull testing in drag tanks. Turns out that Reynolds numbers don’t scale that way - especially in ‘surface boundary’ environments.
We found on the J-24, that going to 1600 grit (on a vinylester epoxy bottom) for the whole keel and rudder, and the forward 2/3 of the boat, made a noticeable difference.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/search_subCategory.do?categoryName=Longboards%20and%20Blocks&categoryId=3&refine=1&page=GRID

Antifoulings should only be wet sanded. Never dry sand or burn-off old antifoulings.

Keel fair?

Shape is important but not exactly specified for the class as all boats have slightly different shapes. This is hand-and-arm work, not computer-lathe work; the tolerances are inexact. A fair shape is extremely important. If it is not fair it will not work well, thick or thin. You can tell if it is fair by getting it wet and looking at the reflections for distortion.

Heavy Air Downwind

Aliens tends to leave the #3 up downwind in very heavy air. I think it helps stabilize the flow, and prevents wraps, and especially on short courses one doesn't have to deal with the weight forward to hoist it again. (We did take our #3 down this race, though.)
When the boat is way overpowered in big waves, the way I chicken out is to sail higher (maybe 160). The pole is overtrimmed when we sail high and undertrimmed when we sail low. The higher angle stabilizes the rolling from the waves. The chute is twinged down both sides to minimize oscillations (from waves and from the Karman vortex trails). Then when we get planing at the higher angle I can bear off into the wave faces ahead with apparent wind more forward for the compass course than if we were not planing. I will be faster when I learn to sail more DDW in these conditions. Slightly by the lee can be fast but is scary. Weight trim on the boat is key. We had constant lee helm problems this race which kept making me sail high when the pole tip headed for the water to keep the boat upright. We had one or two crew on the transom hiking the high corners but this was not enough; the helm improved only when we put another 200lber on the lee rail midships, plus trimmed in the main a bit for more mainsail power. For the lee helm, I should have powered up the main more. This race, I learned that pumping the main when the boom points skyward helps lever the boat back flat.
Driving the wave faces in front of the boat is also key; we did ok at this -- trying to head up just enough to bump over the wave ahead so we could go over it and surf it down. If you can get it planing, the waves are just obstacles.
The driver is at the mercy of the trimmers. At the first sign of a roundup crank the pole back, ease the sheet; at the first sign of a round-down, ease the pole quickly about 2 feet forward. This rotates the chute so the forces tend to flatten the boat. The rudder is not enough. Another easy rule we use: "wet side eases." The trimmer who is heading for the water eases.
Once again, we learned to foot upwind in heavy air. Crime Scene remembered this late in the final beat and powered over us, sheets well eased and sails well twisted. The slot opens, the main works, the boat levels, and it speeds. I saw their trim, I thought, "Duh!", imitated them and sped after them. Having the main flat and travelled down to the stopper is not enough, you have to ease the jib sheets or put the lead way back or put the lead outboard or some combination of these for the conditions.
John Rahn
Aliens Ate My Buick 005

Headsail Selection per Ulman - Note outboar lead

Head Sail Selection
0-10 knots true 155%
10-16 knots true 135%
14-25 knots true 98%
25-30 knots true 98% on outboard lead