Date: 07/16/2003 Log Entry: Race
Distance: 3.0 Weather: cloudy, low ceiling. SW 8-10 < 5 kts Current: ebb 1324 at Ram Island
Course: s/f-W-I with port roundings Crew: Brian-foredeck, Bobby -mid, Seth-aft, RW -helm
MRMSA Wed Night Summer Series - Race 2
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The wind moderated as the start time neared, in comparison the brisk mid teens breeze (remnants of the afternoon storm) we had motoring over towards Fishers.
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Off the line with a great start, we short tacked up the right side of the course along the east shore of Flat Hammock laying W on the sixth tack. A good set found us rounding the mark in fourth behind Jolly Mon, Cosmic Debris & Mini Maxi. Again, I failed to stick to my stated strategy of jibing shortly after the set. Instead we played follow the leader, (Axiom - Don’t split with the fleet) when the opposite course was heavily favored (Axioms - Favored side up the course wind wise should be the favored downwind also.
- tack favored upwind, indicates opposite jibe favored downwind). Instead we fell for the first and stuck with the leaders, when a port jibe was heavily favored as was the left side downwind.
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Eventually we jibed to port (about five minutes too late), with Blue Light on our tail. They slowly overtook us to windward; we then reached up and gave them the same treatment. Shortly thereafter, we raised the genoa and doused the spinnaker in a 90 degree clock of the wind, and we were still in the hunt now ahead of Blue Light. I then made two fatal tacks towards the left side of the course for more wind, the last of which set us up for another spinnaker set as the wind backed to the SW again. Had we stayed on our original port tack after raising the genoa we could have made the finish at Intrepid in fifth (elapsed) place rather than last (7th).