CREW
Kathleen, Pam, Audrey, - Foredeck
Susan - Main Sheet & and Start timer
Steve M, Nansi - Jib Sheets
Ron - Steering
Nansi was back showing little wear and tear from her time last week in Winnipeg. We could not scare up any more testosterone to help Steve on the winches, so all of Nansi's 110 lbs. was pressed into service tailing for poor old overworked Steve.
WIND
Well. there in lies a sad tail. Out of the dreaded north, very patchy, anywhere from 2 to 20 knots and shifting through 90 degrees completely unpredictably. Thank heavens the Pan Am racing managed to avoid a north wind in the bay.
SAIL SELECTION
The #2 would have been just right when it was blowing 15 to 20 but not good when it was 2 to 12 knots. So decided to go with the heavy #1 and just hang on when we were over powered and hope not to tack when it was blowing hard.
COURSE
Triangle course, buoys to port, 4 X around. The course was in the east end of the Bay with the start near the Polson Pier party place, the first mark up towards Red Path, and the second mark west into the centre of the Bay.
RACE
There were 9 boats out in Division 1. A new record? All the usual suspects, BS, Alpha, Abra, Veloce, Kokoro, Amelia, but also Ascend, and the Hanse, Buttercup.
Did I already say the wind was fluky? It was anywhere from 8 knots to 20 knots while we waited for our start sequence and after the Shark start Graham stopped the sequence to readjust the line which went from heavy committee boat end favoured at the Shark start to unable to cross it on starboard at all. About 10 minutes before our start the wind dropped completely to about 2 knots just as we were about to raise the heavy #1. The Skipper toyed with the thought of switching to the light #1 but hesitated long enough for the breeze to fill back in. We stayed with the heavy #1.
We did the good old Vanderbilt again at the start but got caught, along with most others, as the wind headed and dropped at the one minute mark so no one had any speed and could not lay the line on starboard. Circe crew started urging the Skipper to tack for the mark but he thought the meant the weather mark. They meant the starting mark!! We needed to tack just to get across the line. So we actually crossed the line on port tack We stayed on port as the wind built and headed toward the NE corner of the Bay.
It turned out to be a good call. We rounded just behind Abra and Blue Streak and ahead of the rest.
No places changed on the next two reaches and the second time around and we remained pretty close to BS and Abra and ahead of the rest of the pack. But on the 3rd time around we rounded the leeward mark on port tack right on Abra's transom just slightly to weather. Then Abra unexpectedly and suddenly tacked onto starboard and we had to throw in a quick tack to avoid a collision. So we were now heading into the centre for the course. We tacked back after a bit to get out of Abra's dirt. The wind continued to be very puffy and variable in strength and direction. Then when we got close the weather mark the wind went completely squirrely for us and Veloce came in on starboard tack from the east side with wind while we were becalmed on port about 3 boat lengths from the mark. Mark, gentleman that he us ducked our transom and managed to get around. Alpha also got very close. Veloce rounded a boat length ahead and Alpha a couple of lengths behind us. We suddenly had a real boat race again.
We could not catch Veloce on the two reaches but managed to stay ahead of Alpha. Veloce rounded the leeward mark ahead and stayed on port tack as did we. Alpha tacked onto starboard after rounding. The wind was oscillating continually and we threw in a couple of tacks trying to take advantage of the lifts and ended up east of the windward mark while Veloce and Alpha were west of us coming to the mark on port tack. We intentionally over stood the mark before tacking onto starboard for our rounding and ended up reaching down for the mark with wind while Veloce was pinching up to it now also on starboard with little wind. We both rounded side by side with Veloce to leeward. We managed to pick up a nice breeze and nicely opened up a comfortable lead again on both Veloce and Alpha. BS was well ahead and so was Abra at this point. So we finished with a nice continuous breeze down the 3rd leg reach using the new snatch block jib sheet angle adjustment ahead of Alpha and Veloce with BS and Abra well ahead.
RESULTS
We did Ok. Blue Streak won it but we were second and only by 26 seconds. Veloce was third, Alpha 4th, Abra fifth, Kokoro 6th, Ascend 7th, Buttercup 8th, and Amelia 9th having apparently torn a head sail. So we are in second place in the series behind Blue Streak
But the real highlight of the evening was Steve serving Ti Punch in Circe's cockpit to the entire crew after the race. Nansi was cross eyed with her glass only half empty. A good evening was had by all.
Skipper Ron