This was the last Wednesday night race of 2019. Because of lost races in this series due to light winds and Circe missing a race we needed another race to allow us to drop our DNC.
CREW
We had a full crew for this race.
Foredeck- Pam, Kathleen, Nansi
Mainsheet & Timing - Susan
Jib Sheets - Steve & Sam
Tiller - Skipper Ron
WIND & JIB SELECTION
The wind filled in nicely from the east just before the race. It was a steady 8 knots gusting up to 12. Easy call. We went with Black Magic.
THE RACE
Everyone was out for this last race. Blue Streak, Alpha Omega, Amelia, Veloce, and Abracadabra. It was stunningly beautiful evening. Clear skies and a nice 8 to 12 breeze out of the east. The course was a buoys to port windward/leeward 3 times around with the windward marks near the eastern gap and the start and leeward mark at the east end of the bay. Good long legs. And even a pretty square line.
We got a good start near the Committee boat with Veloce just to leeward and everyone else below her. Amelia tacked over first then Abra tacked over and crossed our bow. Veloce tacked next and passed behind. We tacked over next and Blue Streak hung on the longest.
We got to the weather mark third behind BS and and Abra and hung on to that position for the rest of the race. The second leg was dead downwind and we went wing and wing on a starboard tack. The wind was lightening a bit and oscillating through about 30 degrees.
On the second and third upwind legs the leaders, including us, went toward the Island and it seemed to pay off. We increased our lead over those behind and kept close to to Abra. Abra seemed to have some difficulty at the last upwind mark requiring a rerounding so we went onto the last run right behind her and actually gained on her to the finish.
On the last run Amelia rounded well behind Alpha but went toward the Island and made huge gains on Alpha and finished a good five boat lengths ahead.
The Circe Crew were working like a well oiled machine and were a true pleasure to sail with. It was a really great last Wednesday night race and a great way to finish the mid week series.
RESULTS
We thought we might have been close enough to BS to have a crack at her on corrected time but alas not so, she beat us by 52 seconds. She also beat us for the jug. Circe finished second, Amelia third, Alpha fourth, Veloce fifth, and Abra sixth.
We discovered after the race that Veloce was sailing with a total crew of two so they were a bit handicapped.
In the Third Series Blue Streak won it with a two firsts and a second, Circe was second with a first, second, and a third, Alpha was third with a two thirds and a fourth.
Well done Circe Crew!!!