It was a perfect evening for a sailboat race. Well, maybe a bit cool, but a nice steady 10 to 12 knot breeze out of the east.The crew consisted of Kathleen and Nansi on the foredeck, Susan on the main, Pam and Mike on the jib sheets, and of course Skipper Ron on the helm.
The course was a windward Leeward three times around with the start in the middle of the bay to the weather mark at the east end.
The start was a bit confused. In the middle of our start sequence Graham stopped the clock and put up the answering pennant and then a minute later started the sequence again. But we seemed to be the only ones who noticed and we watched in amazed delight as our whole fleet went charging across the line based on the original sequence. Well, we thought, this is going to be easy, but Graham generous forgiving soul that he is, notified them all by radio to come back. Rats!
But we got a pretty good start with Blue Streak charging to weather and Alpha Omega to leeward. BS sailed over us so we tacked on to port into the Island Then tacked back before the lay line and caught Abra on port and forced her to tack. We then tacked onto port and tacked back on the lay line and got to the mark just behind Alpha and Abra. Pam and Mike were working wonders on cranking in that big #1.
We went wing and wing and despite excellent pole work by the foredeck crew (who rediscovered that its hard work holding the pole up by hand) Abra stayed ahead on the run. But we closed on Alpha and rounded the leeward mark nose to tail with her and immediately tacked away on to starboard to get clear air. Alpha and Abra continued on port into the island right to the lay line but we continued towards the NE corner on starboard and tacked back about 3/4 of the way to the lay line before tacking back to port. When we got to the starboard lay line we tacked to leeward and ahead of Alpha and rounded ahead of her. By this time Blue Streak was out of sight (and mind) and Veloche, who never seemed to get the start sequence figured out, was well back.
These positions held until the last weather mark where we got caught in the wind shadow of (ironically)The Shadow right at the mark and couldn't quite lay it. In trying to head reach it Alpha sailed over us blanketing us further and we drifted slowly but inevitably into the mark. Susan seems to recall that Skipper Ron was simultaneously encouraging Mike and Pam to both bring the jib in and let it out. Skipper Ron has no recollection of this, but it seemed to be confirmed by a number of nodding heads while drinking beer generously supplied by Mike in the cockpit after the race. We did our 360 after rounding the offset mark but in the end it had no impact on our division results but it would have been nice to beat Alpha boat for boat.
Circe got a second behind Blue Streak (who got the jug). Abra got third and Veloche a 4th.
It was a good night. It looks like Mike's a keeper (and not just because he supplied beer - but that never hurts).
Who's back for more fun and games next week?
Skipper Ron