CREW
Kathleen, Pam - Foredeck
Susan - Main Sheet
Steve, Chris- Jib Sheets
Ron - Steering and amazingly little motivation required
Chris was a special guest star for this race
Nansi not able to make race but did turn up for beer drinking later.
Mike was missing. Where is Mike?
WIND & SAIL SELECTION
There was a decent wind when we went out but its future was uncertain. We were prepared for either the light #1 or the heavy #1 depending if the wind rose or fell. it rose so on went the heavy sheets and the heavy genoa. It turned into a great wind out of the east at about 10 to 12 knots.
COURSE
Graham set up a windward/leeward buoys to port 4X around course with a nice long buck from the west centre part of the bay to a windward mark off the old Docks night club.
RACE
The usual suspects were out except Veloce who was down the lake taking in the cool sounds of the Picton Jazz Festival. Graham set up with a moderately pin end favoured line. Skipper Ron incorporated the Vanderbilt start technique again and managed successfully to divide one number by half and add 15 seconds to it IN HIS HEAD to time the start. And he got it just about PERFECT!! We went for the pin end and had to run the line for about 10 seconds but Skipper Ron listened to Kathleen on the bow and went for the line when instructed and got a beautiful pin end start AND THE JUG!! Alpha Omega was just to leeward and was too early so had to stall and head reach the pin and was going slow so we sailed right over her. We were so close we were concerned about being over early, did hear a horn, but no call came over the VHF so we charged on with Blue Streak and Abra well behind us. Steve was talking to some race committee people on the boat on the way home after the race and learned that we were, in fact, just possible, an eeny meeny bit over early and Graham was going to call us but got distracted. So, in other words a perfect start.
It was a beautiful night for racing. A pretty steady (for Toronto Bay) breeze out of the east and Circe was charging along. The crew worked like a well oiled machine with great tacks up wind and great pole work down wind. We rounded the first mark with Alpha comfortable behind and Abra just in front. We got a bit pushy at a couple of leeward marks in establishing last minute buoy room on Fine Wine (not happy) and later Blithe Spirit (who actually apologized via email after the race for getting in our way). The reason they apologized is that everyone else except our division got a shortened course to 3x around and Blithe Spirit was finishing while we had to round the mark again for another lap. But it was such a nice night for a sail that it was no hardship. But it meant that it was getting dark as we finished and we just managed to get Steve on the 8:00 tender for a social commitment. Oh. I forgot to mention the rain that decided to fall for our last lap as the wind softened.
RESULTS
We won the first boat after Blue Streak race. So we finished second to Blue Streak with Alpha third and Abra fourth.
But even with such a good race Blue Streak still beat us by 2 minutes on corrected time and we only beat Alpha by 27 seconds on corrected time even though we beat her by 73 seconds on elapsed time. So we owe Alpha 46 seconds on a 1 hr 10 minute race. In other words, beating BS will require them going on holiday more often, but we will have good competitive racing with Alpha.
Did I mention we won the jug?
Did I mention that we also won the second series?
Well done Circe Crew!