HHSA: Saturday's Results

Ahoy!  6 boats showed up to race in the first ever Saturday race around course #3 in about 10 knots of wind.   Holmes Hole races have traditionally been on Sundays and Thursday evenings, but with a little foresight for this post season race, which was scheduled for a windy and rainy Sunday, it was moved to be raced today in conditions unlikely available tomorrow.  Good idea?  Well, the turn out was respectable and the weather, for October, was perfect.  The race featured plenty of broad reaches and a little bit of windward work.  The current favored everyone and made for a quick race, just an hour to just under an hour and a half.  Gloria won the race by just 30 seconds over Silhouette.  All six positions were within 4 minutes on corrected time.  

The island will be hunkered down for a wet Nor'easter this week but I'm thinking everyone is hanging on for another post season race or two.  

All the best,  

Roger. 

HHSA: Results for Sunday's post season race

Ahoy!  

No WInd, No problem!  5 boats, hopeful that the North wind would make it's switch to Southwest, like Edgartown, Airport and everywhere else, did actually start the course.  The start was postponed til 2:35, but the wind didn't get the message.  A couple of boats soon dropped out as getting to the can at East chop looked to be not possible.  The wind was making attempts but only in micro bursts in acre size areas.  Boats, separated by just 100 feet, were experiencing opposite wind directions and no one was getting very much.  That said, Wendell Colson sailing Silhouette was picked from the group as if raptured from above and sent on his own good way over to the Eastchop shore, along the shore, around the can and into a fair tide and 15 knots of SW wind around Nun 4 and to the finish line as if it were a normal October's Sunday wind.  Gloria's crew, finally got the wind which was mostly West South West and decided to make it for the harbor before it too died off.  Penelope, undeterred, proceeded to do the course finishing 40 minutes after Silhouette.  

Maybe we'll catch a break on Thursday and the 20 knots Northeast expected in the morning will die down by race time? 

All the best,  Roger. 

HHSA: Thursdays post season race results

Ahoy!

    5 boats for this afternoon's race around the triangle in a dying Northeaster.  We went to W. Chop first and rode the current to East Chop with a stately run back to Nun 6.  Gloria is seemingly unstoppable for reasons not apparent to her crew.  Even on the broad reaches and runs the longer boats are not making any time on her. That certainly wasn't the case during the season.  The clear views in every direction with the sun and blue skies made for a pleasant time on the water.  Hats off to the SSA captains who are not in a rush to blow their warnings, letting us maneuver as necessary in our own good time!  There was one non-HHSA boat on a sail, but otherwise the harbor was ours alone.  The fish must be somewhere else on Thursdays.  

   Sunday is forecasted to be warm with a light southwest breeze...but rain in the morning.  Hope to get in another post season outing even if cloudy. 

   All the best,  Roger. 

HHSA: Sunday's post season race results

Ahoy!

    6 boats raced Course #2 today in about 10 knots of West-South-West breeze.  Smooth waters and Sunny blue skies with puffy clouds made for a perfect setting for the race.  The 2 mile first leg, a broad reach to Hedge Fence with a flooding current, usually keeps the fleet tight, but already the J boats surged ahead leaving the Alerions wondering what was up.  Gloria, today's winner, used her "jib on the stick" to full advantage.  Steve Besse, single handling the biggest boat in the race, didn't have his sailing instructions at the ready and had to come back after rounding the RG buoy the wrong way....it was reminiscent of a June race when 5 or 6 boats made a similar mistake.  Today's picture credit goes to Adam Hayes, taken over the stern of Bliss on the way to Hedge Fence.  

Thursday's forecast shows cooler weather with the remnants of a NE wind..maybe sun and maybe decreasing enough to get another race in.  

Hope to see you there,  Roger. 

HHSA: Post season Sunday's results

Ahoy!

     6 boats raced the #1 triangle in reverse.  Rollers commanded the middle of the outer harbor and staying close to East chop seemed to provide a smoother course and was the wiser move.  Still lots of judgement calls about when to tack with unknown results until crossing the other boats.  Clear views offered great visibility of each mark still a mile off.  Favorable current again heading east to west.  Zebra, by far the fastest boat for the day,  won the race by just 23 seconds.  

   Next race is Thursday, 4:05 start.  All are welcome, new comers and old timers.   

   All the best,  Roger. 

HHSA: Sunday's post season race results

Ahoy!   

   6 boats raced course # 1 in 7 knots of wind from the West-South-West.  Second time in 2025 for the old standard triangle course, twice around.  Gloria won the race on the 5th leg by reaching out into the easterly current, gaining help from the current and the full use of the jib.  The last leg with shifts in wind direction and strength made for the most interesting beat back to Nun 6.  Course 1 was the only course HHSA used for the first 7 or 8 years of existence.  Using the same course every time allowed the handicappers at the time, Frank Jewett and Hugh Schwarz, to simply record the competitors average speed over the previous races and find a number that equalized the boats.  They needed to throw out the light and heavy air races and there were other short comings but the concept of using actual performance was established.  As new courses were added to the HHSA schedule, new methods needed to be adopted and thanks to the revolution of the Home Computer, this was done with many various outcomes.  

Next race:  Thursday 4:05 PM. 

Roger.

HHSA: Thursday's post season race results

Ahoy!

The post season opener attracted 4 boats for a sunny afternoon race in a dying north breeze. 

The first two legs were like sailing, while the final run back to Nun 6 from Can 23a seemingly took forever. 

All four stuck it out and Apres, who took the wind off the course as he crossed line finished first and also won on corrected time.  

Cheers for the Island Home who carefully steered around the Holmes Hole sailors, with no need for horn blast.  

Sunday's race will start at the usual time, with a 2:00 PM warning.  2:05 start. 

See you there, 

Roger.