CREW

Pam, Kathleen - Fore Deck

Susan - Mainsheet, timing

Nansi, Steve - Winches

Ron - Tiller

Jay had a last minute conflict and had to bail.

WIND

SE around 8 to 10 knots but varying in direction and strength.

COURSE

Buoys to port triangle 4x around with a long windward leg with the start mark in the western part of the Bay, the weather mark near the eastern gap, and the gybe mark towards Red Path.

RACE

This was the first race of the second series. The usual competitors were out in force; Blue Streak, Abracadabra, Veloce, Amelia, and Alpha Omega. We went with the heavy #1. We were a bit early to the line so had to dive across Abra's bow going to the line. We had a good start but Abra was to weather and rolled us as we were heading to the City so we tacked behind her only to have her tack soon after and sailed over us again on port tack to weather forcing us to tack away again. We carried on a little bit more then tacked back to port tack just ahead of Amelia homing in on port Tack. By the time we were nearing the starboard tack layline it was clear that two additional tacks we required had not helped us and that the Island shore was favoured as both Veloce and Alpha crossed us with a healthy lead. Blue Streak and Abra were, of course, well ahead of them.

The second leg was a broad reach to the city where we closed the gap a bit. The next leg was almost a run so we went wing and wing on a port tack. By this time the wind was dropping and oscillating through 30 degrees. The big jib was filling though. We closed the gap on Alpha almost to an overlap and rounded the leeward mark right right on their transom. We tried to hang on to port tack into the Island but were getting too much back wind from Alpha so had to tack away onto starboard and sail into the middle of the bay. After tacking back to the starboard layline it was clear that going into the island was favorable as we had lost ground to both Alpha and Veloce but were still ahead of Amelia.

On the next two legs we again closed the gap on Alpha and Veloce. Alpha got ahead of Veloce at the gybe mark. We couldn't get an inside overlap on Veloce in time to establish buoy room so had to round outside her with a slight overlap but we miraculously ghosted past her to leeward to a deadly lee bow position forcing Veloce to tack away. This time we were able to sail into the island and despite over standing the mark rounded ahead of Veloce and Amelia but could not catch Alpha. We closed the gap on Alpha and increased our lead over Veloce and Amelia in the dying wind but finished in that order.

Despite being short Jay on the winches Nansi filled in admirably grinding with Steve and Pam and Kathleen wrestled the pole to great success on their own. But it was a good thing it wasn't blowing harder.

RESULTS

The dying wind again worked to the advantage of BS ans Abra as the slower boats were even slower in the dying breeze after the leaders had already finished. BS won it and beat us by a whopping 5 minutes 10 secs on corrected time. Abra was second beating us by 3m 26s and Alpha was third with a more respectable 1m 7s lead. We were fourth, Veloce 5th, and Amelia sixth.

Veloce got the jug

Amelia's protest from the week before was disallowed prior to the race because it was deemed that the 2 minutes they claimed had past before hailing "protest" and the 5 minutes before showing a protest flag was too long. So we finished 2nd in that series behind BS.

One thing I learned tonight from Rob Eckersley is that this year Blue Streak has gone back to her more favorable official PHRF rating. He had reduced it last year since it seemed to give him a ridiculous advantage. But us beating him in the Champion of Champions last year was enough and he has reinstated his old rating. No wonder he won the first series with 5 wins. His drop race was a second when we beat him. Blue Streak's margin of victory on corrected time over the 2nd place boat in each of the races they won in the first series was 4:40, 3:29, 1:50, 3:23, and 3:42. The race we won was by all of 31 seconds. I guess we're all racing for second place from now on.

But in any event, WELL DONE CIRCE CREW!!!

Skipper Ron