Wind: SE 3 to 6 kts
GON Baro & Temp: 30.13” & 64 to 63F
Current: flood Ram Island 18:50
Start/Finish: near Horseshoe
Course 4: s/f-wmk-lmk-wmk-s/f; 0.8 nm at 100,
Race Length: 3.25 nm
Crew: Brian, Dan, Josh & RW
After a so-so start on port in clean air about a quarter a way down the line with the rest of the class down towards the pin, we moved out on port as planned, the only ones to do so. For some reason, most of the class headed towards for Groton Long Point (I assume with the thought of current avoidance that the flood was further along?). Nearing what we felt was the southern wind boundary, we took a hitch towards the middle. There was some discussion we may have ventured too far south at this point, yet the chart shows this was our best SOG of the night, which correlates to the greater depth of the channel & and a lingering ebb farther from the Connecticut shore. The closer we got to the mark the lighter the wind became along with evidence of flood.
Following the rounding, we worked our way towards GLP for a current boost, there to gain on Merganser farther offshore in the last of the ebb. Reluctant to head offshore, we delayed too long & overstood for the jibe and now a reach (yet we faired well relative to our competition nose to in the current) to the leeward mark where we had a smooth leeward douse & hardened up on port for an upwind similar to the first.
For the final downwind we took a port jibe soon after the rounding more offshore for what appeared more to be wind towards the middle and now some helpful current. We followed Cosmic (getting the gun), Jolly Mon & Merganser across the line, though close enough to correct over all three.