Ram Island YC Regatta "Inside"
Sunday 08/15/04
Starting area: between GLP & Horseshoe
Currrent: ebb 1105 North Hill, 1120 Ram Island
Course: start - Silver Eel - Vixen - Stonington Gong - RI
Ram Island Distance: 14.5 nm
With the remnants of Hurricane Charlie (a ghost of his former self) whizzing by in the early morning hours, the race committee announced at 8am, a one hour delay till 1055 for the first warning, then chose an inside course for the first time in years.
We had an excellent downwind start, popping the spinnaker just short of the line and gun, and stayed with the fleet fairly well until Silver Eel. The fleet slowly pulled away in beat to Vixen with our eleven tacks against the current. The long reach to the Stonington gong with the ebb in our favor was not enough to make up for the beat to Vixen.
After rounding the gong at Stonington we reached up towards the CT shore for current relief. About half way to the finish, thinking we may be high enough (TWA 120 degrees at TWS 10 kts), we set the spinnaker for an exhilarating reach for the finish.
We finished 6th out of 10.