CREW
Pam, Kathleen, Nansi - Fore Deck
Susan - Mainsheet & Timing
Steve & Jay - Genoa Winches
Ron - Tiller
WIND
South west 15 knots
COURSE
Windward/Leeward 4x around
RACE
Prior to leaving the dock Jay rigged his camera to the head board of the mainsail. It would prove most useful.
After rigging the heavy #1 on the way out, Skipper Ron decided to change to the #2 with 20 minutes left to the chagrin of the fore deck who had to make the change but to the delight of the winch crew. It was a good call.
The usual suspects were out; Blue Streak, Abracadabra, Veloce, Amelia, and Alpha Omega. It was the last race of the first series. Circe was in third but only one point behind Amelia. The objective was to finish this race well but mainly in front of Amelia.
The line looked pin end favoured. We came in at the committee boat with time to run the line but that route was blocked by Alpha trying to start by the committee boat. We headed up and stalled enough to duck in behind Alpha as she sailed by the committee boat. We ran the line behind Alpha with Amelia right behind and Abra behind her. We hardened on at the gun with Amelia yelling "protest" to leeward and behind. We ignored that and carried on. Alpha ahead was out pointing us with their #3 and Abra was rolling over us so we decided to tack out of there. There was lots of wind and the #2 was the right jib.
Alpha was carrying her #3 which was small but not hurting her upwind. We rounded the weather mark ahead of Amelia and right behind Alpha. BS. Abra, and Veloce were ahead. It was wing and wing down wind. We had rounded outside Alpha so could not get past her down wind and she maintained buoy room, so we rounded the gybe mark right on her transom. Not a good place to be so we tacked into the Island on Starboard to get some clear air. The rest stayed on port to the layline. We tacked before our layline and by the time we got to the starboard layline had closed the gap on Veloce and tacked inside and ahead of Aplha, so rounded ahead of Alpha and close behind Veloce. Alpha's #3 was definitely hurting her now downwind and she sailed low on the island side of the leg and lost ground. We were wing and wing on port tack and closing rapidly on Veloce who was wing and wing on starboard tack. we established an overlap on her port quarter. She took us up a little but before long we got clear ahead. We sailed the next two times around in that order and opened up an increasing gap on Veloce, Alpha and Amelia. But on the final run to the finish the wind was dropping and Veloce behind wing and wing with her #1 up was closing the gap on us. But we managed to stay ahead sufficiently to beat her.
RESULTS
Veloce got the jug, Blue Streak won (beat us by a whopping 3 min 42 seconds - helps to finish early), Circe was 2nd, Veloce 3rd (beat her by only 4 seconds on corrected time), Amelia was 4th, Alpha 5th, and Abra 6th.
So based on that result Circe finished second in the series behind Blue Streak. Not bad since we had to carry a DNC as our drop race. Amelia was third.
PROTEST
Amelia has protested us for not responding to her luff at the start. Steve and Jay are sure she did not have an overlap for very long but out of curiosity we inspected Jay's camera photos and discovered the entire start sequence showing us and Amelia nicely captured. Photos are at 10 second intervals and no overlap is recorded and nothing indicating Amelia trying to head up and us in the way. The protest hearing is not yet scheduled.
Well Done Circe Crew!!
Skipper Ron