And Now....The Rest Of The Story! (Apologies to Paul Harvey!)

With the two lead boats now finished and entering the Victoria Inner Harbour, it is time we turn our attention back to the rest of the CYC Oregon Offshore fleet.

Riva has been a little anti-social this race; she continues to sail her own race with no one even close to her position nearing the turn at Race Rocks.....the tide is swinging from slack to ebb again now, so it could be along night for all of the boats if the breeze lightens significantly. Riva SHOULD be the next finisher, sometime around 8 or 9 pm tonight most likely.


The J-105's ( and Anam Cara, who thinks she is a J-105) have herded together in the middle of the Strait with Free Bowl of Soup - still hot - leading the pack. They are all past Shearingham Point now, which currently is showing winds WNW @ 11 knots, and are heading towards Sooke and Race Rocks. It looks like a nice Spinnaker ride down the Strait for this "race within a race".

Panama Red is at Shearingham Point and making nice speeds along the Canadian shore, but will it be enough? Panama took an unexpected westerly route up the coast and seems to have sailed a LOT of extra distance, putting her far behind the competition at the mouth of the Strait...she was one of the first boats to pick up the afternoon westerly breeze, and is now making back some of the distance lost.

UPDATE: PANAMA RED HAS WITHDRAWN FROM THE RACE AND IS HEADING TOWARDS VICTORIA UNDER POWER.

Raindrop, like Riva, finds herself all alone in the middle of the Strait, to the south and behind the J-105 fleet. This lone Cascade 36 rates PHRF 138, so the rest of the fleet owes her LOTS of time...she's saved her rating more than once in this race........

Behind Raindrop, it gets really interesting! Sloop Dawg, Escape Artist, Cool Change, Passepartout, Desperado & Stay Gold are grouped together just North of Clallam Bay. This group has taken a "middle of the road" approach to the Strait so far, but as night approaches and the ebb tide picks up steam, you'll most likely see this pack move farther north, seeking the refuge of shallower waters and less current near the Canadian coast.

Aja, Sol Pacifico, Souffle and Blue Martini round out the fleet, and are all in the Strait heading East. Blue Martini's position is a bit of a surprise, as she was showing tremendous boat speeds approaching Cape Flattery...


Finish Alert - Kinetic V & Rage Are Less Than One Mile Away From The Finish Line!

Rage has overtaken Kinetic V just before the finish and is minutes away from taking line honors in the 2017 CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race....a distinction she and her crew are all too familiar with!



Finish Line Update - Kinetic V & Rage are Neck and Neck!

It looks like it is going to be a close finish between Kinetic V & Rage....anything can still happen if the "Monster Hole" of Beacon Hill rears its ugly head.....you can literally get stuck for hours just within boat lengths of the finish line, then the tide starts slowly sucking you back out to sea.....ugh! Let's get this over with already!


It Pays To Be Well Grounded: 3 pm CYC Oregon Offshore Weather Update - (TSTMS are Thunderstorms!)


PZZ130-130630-
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-
300 PM PDT FRI MAY 12 2017

TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES
1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY AND A
CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE EVENING THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER
MIDNIGHT. 

SAT
SW WIND TO 10 KT BECOMING W IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT
OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY. 


PZZ131-130630-
CENTRAL U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-
300 PM PDT FRI MAY 12 2017

TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SHOWERS LIKELY AND A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE
EVENING THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. 

SAT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SHOWERS LIKELY. 

2:30 Update - Kinetic V & Rage Steam Towards the Finish Line!

With ominous black clouds hovering over the fleet, it definitely looks like rain for the rest of the afternoon.....
At the finish line, the CYC team awaits the two lead boats; they should be finishing within the hour.
It looks like Kinetic V will win the barn door trophy, but don't count Rage out yet.....remember the earlier discussion about "holes" on the course?!? Well, there is often a doozy of a hole awaiting the finishers just before they cross the line.....it ain't over yet!









NOAA Chart 18400 - The Strait of Juan de Fuca

Enhance your experience following the race by keeping this handy reference on your desktop!
You might as well use it, YOUR taxes are paying for it!

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/18400.shtml


Race Rocks & Race Passage: Inside or Outside?


As the two lead boats, Rage & Kinetic V, approach the next turning point in the race, there is another tactical decisions the crews must make, inside or outside?
"Race Passage" is a narrow slot between Race Rocks and the mainland. Taking the Passage can cut a huge amount of distance off of the race course at a most critical time, the final sprint to the finish.
But wait, not so fast!
 Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it often is, and the same adage applies to Race Rocks.
Fickle winds, currents and unpredictable wind direction shifts can often occur when cutting through the Passage, and winds are generally more stable and predictable outside of Race Rocks.
Each boat must decide for themselves as they approach this crucial point in the race, "inside or outside"?
Usually, in daytime hours with a steady breeze and not too adverse tidal flow, most boats choose the shorter route through Race Passage, but there has been more than one instance where the wrong decision at this point in the race could mean the difference between winning and losing.
Tide is incoming at Race Rocks until about 4 pm today, after that, the tides will start working against the remaining boats that haven't yet finished.

http://tides.mobilegeographics.com/locations/5225.html






Race Rocks Update - Wind Shift

Winds are now reported to be lightening and clocking at Race Rocks...It might take the leaders just a LITTLE bit longer to get to the finish now........

Updated wind report at Race Rocks as of 11:15 am: SE @ 7 knots

https://weather.gc.ca/marine/weatherConditions-currentConditions_e.html?mapID=03&siteID=16200&stationID=WQK

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