It was raining all day, it was windy, and it was cold. It was GREAT!!!
The QCYC Regatta saw the return of Chris from Vancouver broken ribs and all. Circe had a full crew complement with Audrey, Kathleen, and Pam on foredeck, Susan on main, Steve and Chris on jib sheets and Skipper Ron on tiller and verbal motivation. We left the dock at 9:30 in the pouring rain, and, if I recall correctly, it continued to rain steadily until the end of the last race at 3:30.
The race course was out in Humber Bay so it took us about an hour to get to it and an hour to get back. The winds were quite light as we motored out the western gap and into Humber Bay which was mirror smooth. We started into the decadent pastries that Chris brought for breakfast. The start was delayed waiting for both wind and the rest of the fleet to arrive. QCYC's own Graham Dougall was the race committee on the Harold Robins. But the wind soon filled in with some force and it blew a steady 15 knots for the first 2 races and about 12 knots for the 3rd. We carried the heavy #1 for all races but at times in the first 2 races the #2 would have been just as effective and a lot easier to crank in.
We did not have our usual adversaries to race against. Mark on Veloche had to work, Abracadabra, Ascend, and Blue Streak were on another course. So it turned out our main completion was Peter Jones on Dove and Bruce Smith on Bandoleer. Ten boats came out to race white sail, 9 of who were from Queen City. Circe had the lowest rating so we owed everyone time, and there was a huge spread in ratings from Circe at 150 to Fine wine at 243. Dove did not sail the last race.
We saw Trevor out there in his J24 before the first race.
Three races were held and Circe was first to finish in each race. We had cracker jack starts in the first 2 races next to the committee boat at the favoured end and going fast at the gun and then Skipper Ron went brain dead on the third and we started well back in a cloud of dirty air. In the first and second races we lead the fleet wire to wire but in the third had to tack away to get clear air and went toward shore on port tack early and split with the fleet. We got to the weather mark with Bandoleer ahead but reeled her in on the next run and rounded together at opposite ends of the gate mark but pulled ahead on the next buck and stayed ahead to the finish, but not likely far enough ahead to win on corrected time.
In separate incidents we almost lost Audrey and Kathleen over the side. Audrey between races as we were hauling up the jib and then tacked. The jib sheet got wrapped around Aud's ankle and she was being pulled in two with one leg being pulled over the side by the jib and the other stubbornly trying to stay with the boat. We got her untangled before we had two halves of Audrey to try to put back together before the next start. Kathleen we almost lost by her simply sliding under the leeward life lines off an almost vertical heeling foredeck. Pam grabbed her just in time.
The conditions were hard on boat and crew and both responded admirably. Aud, Kathleen, and Pam were amazing skirting that big jib on a foredeck that was sloping at 60 degrees and the leeward rail under water. Then having to wrestle that big whisker pole out to wing that big #1 jib. No mean feat. I suspect a few bruises on those soaked and chilly bodies. Susan was terrific in controlling the main sail with more wind than we could handle going up wind, a hard enough job with everything working perfectly but an almost impossible job with one traveller control jamb cleat broken. But she did it. She was complaining of a sore knee after the race and I suspect that was just one of a number of sore spots the next morning. Chris and Steve did yeoman service tacking that big #1 in those strong winds. Cranking in that jib is no mean feat especially with broken ribs. And climbing up to the windward rail on a heavily heeling boat for everyone was a challenge. And Skipper Ron managed to get whacked with the boom on one tack, that was sure dumb and it sure hurt.
After the last race we downed the jib and motored home. We all gathered in the cockpit and finished off the amazing sandwiches that Pam had made, and dug into the chocolate nut cookies made by Audrey.When we tied up the boat we just left the soaking wet jib on the deck and the whole crew went to 11 Seneca for hot showers and dry clothes and a little body heat redistribution on the living room sofa. Steve mixed up his famous Ti punches, interrupted by real estate deals. Kathleen went home and the rest of the crew went over to the club to participate in the festivities. Both Pam and Ron won boat gear from the Sailing Committee lottery, Ron fender covers (Circe never looked so posh) and Pam a floating winch handle. We did not win the new set of sails, however. But we did place second in our division behind Bandoleer, so we have a nifty new red flag to fly.
There is however, something wrong with the Circe's listed elapsed times in the race results on the LORC web site. We were first to finish each race but that's not what the results show for races 2 and 3. I have asked Graham to look into it.
So, it was a long, hard day, but great sailing, and great fun. Circe and her crew acquitted themselves well.
Skipper Ron