CREW
Foredeck - Pam, Kathleen
Main sheet & timing- Susan
Jib Sheets - Nansi & Steve
Tiller - Skipper Ron
Chris L was off racing with Dragon Fly on Lake Huron. Jay was sick with a cold.
WIND
It was out of the west and light and forecast to get lighter. Before the start it was variable between 5 and 7 knots. We went with the light #1, again.
THE RACE
Graham set up a buoys to port windward/leeward course 3x around. During the early starts the wind shifted to the south, like last week, making it difficult to cross on starboard. But prior to our start it had shifted back making the line more square again.
We started about a half way down the line just weather of Veloce with the rest of the fleet to leeward of that. Despite being in a back wind position we quickly crept up on Veloce which they didn’t seem to like so they started to luff us slowing us both. We hung on there long enough to ensure clear air from Blue Streak and Abra when we tacked away who by now had crossed us on port. Resisting the temptation not to tack away simple because Veloce was encouraging us to, we tacked away on to port.
By this time most of the fleet was on port tack heading to the middle of the bay except Veloce who carried on into the Island on starboard. We tacked back onto starboard about half way to the starboard lay line then tacked back to port about 10 lengths from the port lay line. Veloce was coming into the mark on port on the lay line. Alpha was to leeward and slightly ahead. She crossed us close on starboard but not laying the mark. We tacked on the lay line and as we closed on the mark Alpha tacked just in front of us with Prosecco just in front of her and Veloce in front of Prosecco. It was close hauled to lay the offset mark and Alpha had to delay her rounding to avoid Prosecco which allowed us to sneak inside them both at the offset mark.
After rounding we gybed the jib and quickly set the pole to starboard and sailed past Alpha and closed on Veloce. The wind was continuing to die but our light #1 kept full while other jibs around us were not. We passed Veloce.
Graham mercifully shortened course at the leeward mark and we finished ahead of Alpha and Veloce but behind Blue Streak and Abra.
RESULTS
Blue Streak, able to finish before the wind dropped dramatically, ended up winning by over 3 minutes on corrected time. But we caught Abra on corrected time by 21 seconds. Abra finished 3rd just 5 seconds ahead of Alpha who finished 4th. Veloce finished 5th, Amelia 6th, and Kokoro 7th.
With three races sailed and one drop race we are tied for second with Abra one point behind BS. But Abra”s drop race is a 5th and ours a 3rd.
Another good race, Circe Crew. Well done.
Skipper Ron