CREW

Foredeck - Pam & Kathleen

Main Sheet & Timing - Susan

Jib Sheets - Steve & Jay

Tiller - Ron

Nanci couldn’t make it.

Video credit: Brendan Carberry, crewing on Veloce

WIND

There was LOTS. A major squall went through about 5:00 while we were still at dock with high winds and rain. It then went calm and the sun came out. And then the wind came back. It was reading 30 knot gusts in the clubhouse anemometer and steady 25 out of the north west when we went out.

SAIL SELECTION

We found the #3 and kept it close at hand. We rigged a reef in the main and hoisted it that way. The wind was gusty and shifty ranging from 12 knots to 25+ knots but it wasn’t clear it was going to stay. We opted for the #2. Then about 10 minutes before our start the wind strangely died to 6 knots so we decided to shake out the reef and wondered if the #2 was going to be too small. But we sailed that way. And the wind didn't die.

THE RACE

Due to the severe conditions there was a reduced turn out so Graham collapsed the six starts into three. The course was a buoys to port triangle 3X around. Our usual competition were out except Abracadabra and Kokaro. The wind by now had come back with a vengeance and had shifted enough so it was hard to cross the line on starboard.

On the start line, with Amelia to weather

Skipper Ron misjudged the start by about 10 seconds and by ragging the sails managed to be at the pin end at the gun and had to head reach around it and started just to leeward of Amelia on starboard tack. Veloce was further to weather. Blue Streak started late being caught off guard by the collapsed start sequence. Not sure where Alpha Omega was.

We pulled ahead of Amelia then tacked on to port. Veloce was ahead and to leeward. We had over stood the mark and rapidly closed on Veloce and over took her with an inside overlap at the mark. Susan was working the main sheet and traveler constantly to keep us from being over powered. We were ragging the main a lot.

Blue Streak was now ahead but not by much. We stayed ahead of Veloce and Amelia on the next two reaches with dramatic butterfly gybe at the gybe mark.

Catching Veloce and Blue Streak to leeward

The next two laps were full of excitement with blasts of wind sweeping across the bay. On the second up wind leg Skipper Ron noticed that a good portion of the luff of the main was no longer attached to the mast but didn’t say anything as everyone seemed to be pretty busy. And there wasn't much we could do about it anyway. We weren't about to down it. Pam and Kathleen were skirting the jib on a 45 degree sloping foredeck feet jammed into the toe rail and water churning up to their knees. Susan was continually wrestling the main sheet and gradually removing great chunks of skin from her hands. Steve and Jay were doing heroic work grinding in the bar tight jib sheets often themselves being swept with waves on the rail under leeward side. Everyone was thankful that we didn't have to set the pole (especially Pam and Kathleen).

We saw Amelia drop their jib and retire and Alpha Omega also withdrew.

By the third windward leg the wind was getting really flukey near the city side windward mark. There were dramatic wind shifts and inexplicable lulls of almost no wind. The wind at one point caught us aback while on port tack and before we could tack over it shifted back. We thought that Veloce would gain but they were having similar issues. We came around the weather mark the last time to have the wind die to 5 knots and come in from behind so we were suddenly wing and wing instead of close reaching. Then it filled in again with a bang and we were again rail under doing 7+ knots.

On the reach to the finish I saw 8.6 knots on the speedo and some say they saw 8.9.

We finished within sight of Blue Streak and ahead of Veloce.

It was a wild ride. And a whole lot of fun.

We downed the main and discovered that every sail slide had failed. But nothing else. It is now in the Evolution sail hospital for repairs.

THE RESULTS

Circe won, beating Blue Streak by 40 seconds and Veloce by 48 seconds on corrected time. BS was second, only beating Veloce by 8 seconds.

Jay had his Go Pro set up on the aft rail and is now reviewing thousands of photos, so stay tuned for those highlights. Brendon, sailing on Veloce, took a fabulous video of Circe sailing past them on the first upwind leg. We have been promised a copy.

It was a grand night of heavy weather sailing.

WELL DONE CIRCE CREW!! You are magnificent. Sorry you missed it Nansi.

Skipper Ron.