CREW
We had lots of absentees this week. Pam was at a cottage, Kathleen was still in Ireland, and Jay and Chris L were unavailable. But luckily we were able to press into service a couple of Circe newbies. Sam Grundland used to race 14’s at QCYC a few years ago and made himself available this week and very short notice. My brother Rob just happened to be at the club with his boat, Trillium, en route back to Hamilton and generously made himself available.
We welcomed Nansi back after a month of absence. Steve and Susan provided much needed continuity.
Foredeck – Nansi and Rob
Mainsheet & Timing – Susan
Jib Sheets – Steve & Sam
Tiller – Ron
WIND & JIB SELECTION
The forecast was for a pretty steady 10 knot wind out of the west shifting to the north. We decided to go with the heavy sheets and the heavy #1 and stayed with that decision despite some early indications that the breeze might fail. It didn’t. It pretty well stuck to the forecast and we actually saw 15 knots apparent at one point upwind before the start.
THE RACE
Before the start we did some practice tacks to introduce Sam to our self-tailing winches and then a wing and wing to introduce Rob to our telescoping whisker pole. They seemed to all get along well.
Graham was back from CORK and set up a buoys to port windward leeward course 3X around. As the wind gradually went north it increasingly became a committee boat favored start line. This created some excitement in a start before us with a very loud collision between Morning Star and Panache on the starting line.
We planned to be somewhere near the committee boat even if slightly late knowing it was bound to be a busy place. Skipper Ron misjudged his approach and got there too early but managed to block out Amelia to starboard who had to duck us but we had Abra to port so could not run the line. We threw in a quick 360 degree tack and gybe and by the time we got back to the committee boat there as a nice opening right beside it with Amelia a boat length to port and the rest of the fleet, Blue Streak, Abracadabra, Veloce, and Alpha Omega all further down the line. Though Abra got the jug, we got the best start. Alpha was over early and had to restart and wasn’t really a factor after that.
We carried on starboard. Amelia tacked away first behind us toward the city. Veloce went next and ducked us. Abra tacked and crossed our bow. Then Blue Streak looked like she was tacking but then continued to pirouette 720 degrees. She must have fouled someone at the start. We tacked behind Abra and Blue Streak was behind us. When we got near the mark on port we had to duck both Veloce and Amelia coming in on Starboard but rounded close behind. Alpha must have been behind us.
On the downwind lag we went wing and wing on port tack right away and worked or way above Amelia. Veloce stayed down. We gradually reeled Amelia in and got an inside overlap in time for buoy room at the leeward mark. Veloce rounded just ahead of us but left just enough room for us to squeeze in to weather of her. We both stayed on port tack heading to the City but we were gradually dropping back into her back wind so tacked away on to starboard. They carried on to the city.
When we next met at the weather mark they crossed us on starboard but could not lay the mark and tacked back onto port to weather and behind but close enough that we could not tack for the mark and had to wait for her to tack which she finally did. We rounded just behind her and gradually reeled her in on the next wing and wing run and got an inside overlap at the leeward mark and rounded ahead of her on port tack heading for the city.
She was forced to tack away to clear her wind but we hung on sensing that the city was the better place to be. We tacked at the starboard tack layline and crossed well ahead of Veloce when next we met closer to the mark. We rounded well ahead and hung on to that lead on the run to the finish.
RESULTS
Abra got the jug but Klaus generously donated that to the Circe Crew before he caught the boat.
Abra also won the race quite handily beating us by a full minute on corrected time. Circe was second ahead of Veloce in 3rd and Alpha Omega in 4th. Blue Streak was 5th and Amelia 6th. We are now tied for second in the series with Blue Streak with 4 points after 3 races and one drop. Abra is first with 2 points with her two firsts. Alpha is 4th with 6 points and Veloce 5th with 7 points.
Well done Circe Crew, especially Sam getting the hang of grinding winches in very close conjunction with Steve and Rob on the foredeck doing a superb pas de deux with Nansi skirting jibs upwind and pole work down wind. And Susan kept us all focused, organized and calm from her central position in the boat.
Skipper Ron