The return of Jay - and champagne!

CREW

Today saw the return of Jay after a long absence due to his training and work schedule for his new career as a TTC driver. Welcome back Jay. Unfortunately he picked one of the few days this season where everyone else turned up too so we had a surplus of crew so we gave him the role as rover helping out as needed.

Foredeck – Pam, Kathleen, Nansi

Mainsheet and timing – Susan

Jib Sheets – Steve & Sam

Rover – Jay

Tiller – Skipper Ron

WIND & JIB SELECTION

It was a pretty light night again so we had no confidence that there would even be a race. In fact, there was so little confidence that the ever prudent Circe Crew weren’t even prepared to remove the fenders and simply lay them on the deck. We at least took the cover off the main even if we didn’t hoist it right away. We motored out to the start and drifted around. But there was SOME wind. About 3 to 4 knots out of the south east. We gradually got Circe race ready, just in case. Fenders off, light jib sheets rigged, light jib on deck. But by this time, the foredeck crew apparently adrenalin pumped at even a possibility of a race, could not be constrained at rigging it up. Graham started the race sequence and we went with the light #1.

THE RACE

Graham was back. Because of the very light winds there was a low turnout. In our Division there was just Abracadabra, Amelia, and Veloce. With the wind out of the SE he set up a buoys to starboard triangle three times around with the first mark near the eastern gap and the start near the city. The wind had shifted to the north a bit making the committee boat slightly favoured. The wind was still only 3 to 4 knots but really patchy and shifty. We got a good start about half way down the line. Amelia was at the committee boat and Veloce and Abra were behind slightly to weather. Abra tacked over on to port early but the other three hung on to starboard tack to the lay line. When we got to the mark it was Abra around first, Amelia second, Veloce third, and Circe last, but all very close. The second leg started off as a port tack beam to broad reach. Despite this, however, Skipper Ron chose to drop to leeward of the boats ahead hoping to establish an overlap and eventually buoy room. Being to leeward turned out not to be an issue as the wind went behind and we were wing and wing. Mission accomplished. We manage to squeeze into a small space at the mark left by Iliad and rounded the second mark ahead of Amelia and Veloce behind Abra.

We held that to the third mark but after rounding tacked early onto port tack into the Island thinking there was more wind there. Veloce held onto Starboard longer and seemed to pick up a nice lift which put her ahead again. We rounded the weather mark right behind her though and well ahead of Amelia.

The wind now was obviously on its last legs. Graham shortened course to finish at the second mark. This time, because buoy room wasn’t an issue, we went above Veloce and despite their attempts to defend by luffing sailed over her and ahead. The light #1 was really coming into its own as it was filling while Veloce’s was simply hanging. We were now only crawling along at 1.3 knots but slowly opening up our lead over Veloce and finished at least 3 boat lengths ahead. Amelia finished fourth. Abra was well ahead.

RESULTS

Abra took advantage of an early finish while we were trapped in the dying wind on the last leg and finished first on corrected time. Circe was second, Veloce third, and Amelia fourth.

Amelia got the jug either just by centimetres or by being beside the committee boat.

This race was the last race of the second series. Of the six races scheduled for this series only three were completed due to weather conditions. Circe ended the series with two firsts and a second. The results on the website show one drop race, however, the Sailing Instructions say that with only three races sailed in this series there would not be a drop race. In either event Circe wins this series!

Well done, AGAIN, Circe Crew!!!

POST-RACE LIBATIONS

To celebrate Circe Crew Susan’s wonderful news, when we got in we all had a glass of congratulatory Champagne in the cockpit to toast Susan and her impending new arrival. The next generation Circe Crew! It was great to have all the Toronto based Circe Crew on board for that. But we were all so caught up in the moment that no one took a picture.

It was a good evening.

Skipper Ron