Souffle Enters The Oven...I Mean the Strait!

Souffle, our lone Cruising Class entry in this year's race, has joined the fun with the rest of the fleet and is now parked just off of Duntze Rock near Cape Flattery....that's close enough for us, consider Souffle In the Strait!

Race Tracker Note:
Passepartout seems to have not updated their position lately, since 7 am.....they are likely farther ahead than they now appear.


Weather Update - Big Clouds Building

Here is a picture taken from the ferry dock at Port Angeles.....big dark clouds looming over Vancouver Island and the Strait!
photo credit: Dale Sherbourne


Open & Close The Barn Door


Well.....things have certainly gotten interesting this morning....
After what appears to have been a wild night at sea under a nearly full moon and up to 30 knots of wind at times.....the fleet has mostly entered the west end of the Strait and is currently parked.
The two lead boats, Rage & Kinetic V on the other hand, are now near Sooke and approaching Race Rocks. They seem to have gotten into a new wind from the NE and are approaching the final turn at Race Rocks at around 7 knots of boat speed.
https://weather.gc.ca/marine/weatherConditions-currentConditions_e.html?mapID=03&siteID=16200&stationID=WQK
Riva, which was making great progress as the most southerly boat heading down the Strait, decided to consolidate, move North, and now they too are parked, hobbling NE at just 0.7 knots.
This "wind wall" may just give the two lead boats Rage & Kinetic V enough of a window of opportunity to finish fast and put some time between themselves and the rest of the fleet before the predominantly westerly  afternoon breeze and incoming tides get fully established.
They'll first have to don headsails for the final leg between Race Rocks and the finish, as the wind will be on the nose, NE @ 11 knots!

Fickle Winds and An Upwind Beat To The Finish

Winds are currently reported to be SSW @ 3 knots near Shearingham Point, and NE 11 knots at Race Rocks.
Rage & Kinetic V better get those headsails ready for a beat to the finish!

Race Rocks....What Is The Wind Doing?

http://www.windalert.com/spot/628
or
http://www.racerocks.ca/weather/
or
https://weather.gc.ca/marine/weatherConditions-currentConditions_e.html?mapID=03&siteID=16200&stationID=WQK

Weather Update For The Strait 

WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-
900 AM PDT FRI MAY 12 2017

TODAY
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT EASING TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND
WAVES 1 TO 3 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10
SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON. 

TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT BECOMING SW 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
SHOWERS. 

SAT
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9
SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING THEN SHOWERS LIKELY IN
THE AFTERNOON. 

SAT NIGHT
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6
FT AT 9 SECONDS.

Parking Lot at The Point

After a wild night at sea, things have settled down a little bit as the remainder of the fleet enters the Strait.
Speeds are WAY down for most of the boats, especially those near the mouth:

CURRRENT BOAT SPEEDS:
Anam Cara - NNW @ 0.4 knots
Abstract - SSW @ 1 knot
Velocity - E @ 0.6 knots
Raindrop - N @ 0.8 knots
Sloop Dawg - SSE @ 3.5 knots
Desperado - ESE @ 2.5 knots
Cool Change - NNE @ 0.5 knots
Escape Artist -NE @ 0.7 knots
Stay Gold - NNE @ 1.4 knots
Panama Red - ESE @ 2.2 knots
Sol Pacifico - NE @ 3.8 knots



10 am Update - Leaders Kinetic V & Rage Approaching Race Rocks


When using the Race Tracker, click on an individual boat and take note of the "Time Reported"at the lower section of the box....if the Tracker hasn't updated recently, it can be deceiving.

Current (unofficial) standings (boat for boat) are as Follows:

Kinetic V
Rage
Riva
Free Bowl of Soup
Velocity
Abstract
Anam Cara
Rain Drop
Sloop Dawg
Panama Red
Desperado
Cool Change
Escape Artist
Blue Martini
Stay Gold
Sol Pacifico
Passepartout
Souffle
Aja


Sailing Her Own Race: Could Riva Win It All?

It's Lonely Near The Top

Riva, a J-46 based in Portland, Oregon, has largely been sailing her own race in this years Oregon Offshore.
While the other boats have been relatively tightly grouped, Riva has been by herself for much of the race....lonely, but it provides some good opportunities.
1) No one knows EXACTLY where you are
2) You Sail In Your Own Wind, good or bad.
3) You can make out like a champ(or a chump) by sailing a "different" race than the other boats, and
4) Less Peer Pressure. When you sail right next to other boats, they can have a tendency to influence your decision making.

Riva is on her own, and, by the looks of things, has made out quite nicely through the night passing Rage and closing considerable distance on the current leader Kinetic V.
Will it hold? Who knows, but the crew onboard Riva probably would have a chesire cat grin on their faces if they could see how much ground they've gained in the last 6 hours.


Morning Update - Blue Martini: Shaken not Stirred @ 8.8 knots!

The Sun is up and the wind is down in the front of the fleet, but the rest of the boats are coming on strong with a fresh breeze for those crews that have yet to reach Cape Flattery.
Blue Martini is trucking towards the Cape at nearly nine knots! Way to go big blue!
Inside the Strait is a different story, Shearingham Point is reporting light winds and it appears that everyone is still bucking the ebb tide, at least for a couple more hours.
Watch what happens after 9 am though....the current will switch from ebb to flood and the fleet will once again start making tangible progress towards the finish line....if the winds permit!
Here are some speed and direction reports from 7:30 am:
Boats That Are Currently In The Strait of Juan de Fuca:
Kinetic V - SE @ 3.5 knots
Riva - E @ 3knots
Rage - SE @ 1.5 knots
Free Bowl of Soup - E @ 2.2 knots
Abstract - SSW@ 1.4 knots
Velocity - NNE @ 5.3 knots
Anam Cara - ENE @ 3.5 knots
Raindrop - SSW @ 4.7 knots
Boats Outside the Strait, Approaching Cape Flattery:
Sloop Dawg - NNE @ 6.5 knots
Passepartout - ENE @ 7.5 knots
Desperado - NE @ 6.9 knots
Escape Artist - ENE @ 7.7 knots
Cool Change - N @ 8.5 knots
Stay Gold - NNE @ 8.5 knots
Panama Red - ESE @ 7 knots
Blue Martini - ENE @ 8.8 knots
Sol Pacifico - NNE @ 6.1 knots
Souffle - N @ 6.6 knots
Aja - NNE @ 5.9 knots

A Crazy Night At The Cape

It looks like things have shaken up a bit.....
Riva has passed Rage and is catching up to Kinetic V, which has sailed into a hole.
Riva chose to hug the Washington coast rather than cross the shipping channels as was anticipated....the gamble apparently is paying off, as the two lead boats struggle to find consistent winds in the northern sections of the Strait.
What the heck is going on with Panama Red?!? It's anyone's guess at this point, but they sailed the greatest great circle route last night in the history of OO.....they are still well outside of the mouth of the Strait and will need some pretty good mojo to make uplost distance.
There is more to report, but here are some screen captures to illustrate the action:








Stay Cold or Stay Gold? An Update From B Fleet

Apparently, it was quite a night on the 2017 CYC Oregon Offshore!
Here is a picture sent from the crew on Stay Gold with the caption "Off the Cape....30 knots and making way"!

Photo credit: Brian  from s/v Stay Gold



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Free Bowl of Soup, Anam Cara, Velocity & Abstract Are Now In The Strait!

Kinetic V takes a commanding lead over Rage on the Canadian side
Riva works her way East towards the finish along the Washington Coast
Four more boats - Free Bowl of Soup, Anam Cara, Velocity & Abstract have entered the Strait
Panama Red takes the turn wide, very wide!
Cascade 36 Raindrop approached Cape Flattery at 4:30 a.m. local time

Morning report: 4:30 am local time

Wind Conditions At Neah Bay

Current conditions show winds SE at 10 knots at the Neah Bay Buoy.
https://www.windfinder.com/forecast/neah_bay_buoy

Riva Makes The Turn

Riva sailed into the mouth of the Strait at around 1:30 am local time making 9.9 knots of boat speed!....It looks like they will have just enough of an incoming tide until about 3:30 am to cross the shipping channels and follow Rage's course to the Canadian shore........after that, the tide begins to ebb until around 9:30 am, which will most likely find the leaders picking their way gingerly along the northern side of the Strait towards Shearingham Point.
With today's tides, look for Rage, Kinetic and Riva to all stay north of the middle of the Strait.


Time & Tides In The Strait

Now that the lead boats are in the Strait, timing the tides can make the difference between winning and losing.
What does it mean to "time the tides"?
Although no one boat can change the tidal flow of the mighty Strait of JDF, they can choose a strategy that hopes to mitigate the effects of the ebb (outflowing) tide, and maximize the benefits of the flood (incoming) tide.
You may see boats head straight to the Northern edge of the Strait in hopes of getting into shallower water and correspondingly, less negative tidal influence to battle a strong ebb.
Conversely, as the flood tide comes back into the strait, the boats utilize their local knowledge and tidal changes to their best advantage.
Whatever the tides, all boats have to deal with them....but timing, in this case, can be everything.

http://tides.mobilegeographics.com/locations/6190.html




Abre Su Ojos Cerca De Cabo de Alava! Use Extreme Caution Approaching Cape Alava, Flattery Rocks & Umatilla Reef At Night!

Umatilla Reef lies just offshore from Cape Alava, a notoriously rough and rocky section of the Washington coast.
Anam Cara, with Velocity and Soup close behind, are moving quickly towards this trouble spot now, and will have to pay close attention in order to stay well outside the hazards at Flattery Rocks....rocks, rocks and more rocks....and a reef to boot!

Cape Alava is known for something quite unique.....do you know what it is?
The answer is here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Alava

Final La Push Update

All of the remaining boats are getting closer to the unofficial halfway point in the race at La Push, so this is the last update about La Push you are going to hear!
We are already "pushing it" with so many updates about La Push!
Couldn't resist that.....
Velocity is now North of La Push, with Abstract, Panama Red, Raindrop, Escape Artist & Sloop Dawg not far behind.
It won't be long with this breeze before the rest of the fleet gets to the halfway point and then the turn at Cape Flattery....even Souffle is cooking along now at a nice 5 knot average!


Day 2 Begins - Boatspeed and Direction Update

As of midnight, here's where the fleet stands relative to current boat speed (not average) and heading:

Kinetic V - NE @ 7.5 knots
Rage - NE @ 6.8 knots
Riva - N @ 8.6 knots
Anam Cara - N @ 7.2 knots
Free Bowl of Soup - N @ 9.3 knots
Velocity - NNW @ 9.2 knots
Abstract - NNE @ 8.2 knots
Panama Red - NNW @ 8.3 knots
Escape Artist - N @ 6.8 knots
Raindrop - NNE @ 6.8 knots
Sloop Dawg - NNW @ 7.1knots
Desperado - NNW @ 6.9 knots
Passepartout - NNW @ 6.9 knots
Blue Martini - NW @ 3.6 knots
Cool Change - NW @ 5.1knots
Stay Gold - NNW @ 5.6 knots
Sol Pacifico - NNW @ 4.6 knots
Aja - NNW @ 6.5 knots
Souffle - NNW @ 4.4 knots