Crew
Kathleen, Pam, Audrey, Gary, - Foredeck
Susan - Main Sheet & and Start timer
Steve M, Trevor - Jib Sheets
Ron - Steering
We had a full crew and then some. Welcome back Gary after a long absence. Nansi couldn't make it and then she did, Trevor was without RS400 crew so joined us, so we had a crew of 9!
Wind & Sail Selection
It was the dreaded north wind blowing over the City so the wind was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. When I first checked the wind speed at the club at 4:30 it was a pretty steady 20 to 22 knots. When I checked it again it was a steady 10 to 12 knots. When we got out there in the north east corner of the bay it was piping through at plus 15 knots pretty consistently. So we rigged the #2 on deck with pretty good confidence. Then it died to about 8 knots for an extended period. So we put the #2 below and rigged the heavy #1. Then it piped up again to plus 15! So it looked like it was going to be one of those nights and we stayed with the #1 knowing we would at times be overpowered and at times not. we were right. And did I mention it was shifty? It was oscillating through 40 degrees.
Course
Graham set up a triangle buoys to port 4x around in the east end of the bay with the first mark near the city east of Red Path, and the second mark in the middle of the bay toward the Centre Island ferry dock.
Race
Most of the usual suspects were out, Blue Streak, Abracadabra, Veloce, Amelia, Alpha Omega. We had a good start at the committee boat end. It was a mugs game trying to predict a favoured end in that shifting wind, so we just timed it with Mr. Vanderbilt and hoped the wind strength would be consistent for the 2 minutes we needed to make it work. It was. At the pin end Veloce was running the line but ran out of line before the gun so had to gybe around to start. Abra was over early and ended up coming back and starting on port. We had a good start but Alpha got the jug. We stayed on starboard to the lay line but meant we were coming in tight to the pin on port tack with Abra coming in on Starboard. We managed to tack at the mark just below her and in front but I suspect Klaus was generous in avoiding us. Blue Streak was already establishing a good lead and Alpha got around before us too. The second reach was a frustration every time around as it was full of holes and patchy as could be. We let Abra get past over us and tried to stay in front of Veloce and Amelia and catch Alpha. No places changed for the first two times around.
We were catching Alpha nicely on the third buck and at one point in a nice lift were up to her but then we all got a big knock and ended up trapped in her dirty air and reluctant to tack away as we were nearing the starboard lay line. But that slowed us enough to allow her to get away. On that same buck Amelia tacked onto port at the leeward mark and went left up the leg and made up a big chunk of ground and rounded the weather mark right beside us. We managed to stay ahead on the next two reaches. On the 4th time around, we fell into a deep hole on the 2nd leg that allowed first Amelia to overtake us to windward and Veloce to leeward so that at the gybe mark we were line abreast with Veloce on the inside, Amelia on the outside, and us the meat in the sandwich. Then miraculously the wind shifted from very light behind to very light ahead on starboard tack. We were just far enough ahead of Amelia to get it clear but Veloce was just far enough back not to so we managed in slow motion to gybe around the mark ahead of both Veloce and Amelia. Then the wind piped up again for the close to beam reach to the finish and fighting off a couple of near broaches and watching Amelia and Veloce broach behind us was good fun.
Results
We only managed a 4th this race with the boats finishing ahead benefiting from the patch of slow air suffered by the boats behind. Blue Streak won it by 3 minutes, Alpha was 2nd, Abra was third then us, followed by Veloce and Amelia. But Amelia actually beat Veloce across the line.
But that was good enough to give us a solid second in the second series.
Well done Circe crew!
- Skipper Ron