Crew
Kathleen, Pam - Foredeck
Susan - Main Sheet & and Start timer
Steve M, Nansi - Jib Sheets
Ron - Steering
This race marked the return of Pam and Steve M to Circe for the 2015 season. All the other testosterone was otherwise engaged. We are raising funds to send Nansi off to upper body strength training to be of increased benefit to Steve on the winches.
Wind
It was a nice wind, about 10 to 12 knots out of the east at the start, a bit shiftier than usual for an east wind, and dying as the evening wore on.
Sail Selection
The big #1 of course. Though Pam noted it was showing its age and gave the Skipper permission to buy a new one. We have witnesses!
Twinsies! Enjoying well-earned free beer
Course
A windward leeward with the start west centre of the Bay and the weather mark towards the east end of the Bay. Originally set as 4X around but shortened to 3X as the wind dropped
Race
Most of the usual suspects were out, Veloce, Abracadabra, Alpha Omega, Amelia, Kokoro but no Blue Streak.
We used the Vanderbilt start to great success again. Skipper Ron has it on an app on his phone so it requires a bit of fumbling and distracted driving while he inputs the numbers. We were a few seconds early heading for the line as an increase in the breeze brought us to the line faster than we sailed away. But we were at the committee boat end and because Alpha was even earlier and had to layoff to leeward we had room to leeward to run the line a little bit before heading up at the gun. But that allowed an opening to weather for Abra to nose in. We tried to hold her off but she crawled over us and at the first opportunity we tacked away onto port tack to clear our wind. Abra tacked over soon after but we held on as long as we were getting clear air and then tacked back on starboard when we felt Abra's dirt again. Abra stayed on port into the Island before tacking on the starboard lay line. Alpha, with the benefit of continual clear air and one less tack crossed our bow, but not by a lot. We held on past her then tacked back just before the port lay line. Abra rounded first with Alpha second just a boat length ahead of us.
It was a dead downwind wing and wing leg. We jibed the main over and kept the Genoa on the port side with the pole fully extended. We very slowly reeled Alpha in sitting as best we could on her wind and managed to achieve an overlap just in time and rounded the leeward mark a boat length ahead. She immediately tacked onto starboard and headed for the city. Abra ahead was sailing into the Island on port. Skipper Ron was all for tacking over to cover Alpha but tactician Steve urged us to stay on port for better wind in toward the Island, which we did. We sailed into the Island as close as we could before tacking on the starboard lay line. But the wind was oscillating and we had headings sailing to the mark. We were half a boat length low of the mark but managed to head reach around it without having to tack twice. And we had gained on Alpha by going to the Island.
The wind was dropping and the next down wind was slow at about 3 knots. We held our own and rounded the leeward mark heading onto the third buck within eyesight of Abra and comfortably ahead of Alpha with the rest of the fleet not in contention. We again went into the Island and tacked more successfully on the starboard lay line and laid the mark comfortably. The only excitement being Dragonfly coming in very close on our bow on port tack and tacking RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. We managed to head up sufficiently and in time to avoid contact while politely expressing our concerns.
It was wing and wing again in light air and it looked like Alpha was gaining on us with a stronger breeze coming from astern but that died and we started to pull away again. We were heading for the mark for the 4th time around and as we rounded and hardened on we were becoming aware that not everyone else was and that we were hearing finishing horns. We then noticed the "S" flag on the committee boat. We were done.
Results
We won. The jug, the race, and the series!! On corrected time we beat Abra by only 8 seconds (easily the time saved by head reaching at the windward mark) and Alpha by almost 2 minutes. Alpha Omega was third Amelia was 4th, Veloce fifth and Kokoro 6th.
There were only 4 races sailed in the first series and with one drop race Circe handily won the series with 3 bullets. Our drop race was a 2nd!! Alpha was 2nd in the series, Veloce 3rd, Blue Streak 4th, Abra 5th, Kokoro 7th, and Amelia 7th.
And then there was free beer when we got in!
Does it get any better??!!
Well done Circe Crew!!
Skipper Ron