MRMSA Wed Night Spring Series - Race 7

Date: 07/02/2003 Log Entry: Race
Distance: 3.0 Weather: Clear, Wind: S 8-5, < 5 kts Current: ebb 1330 @ RI
Course: s/f-W-DM-W-s/f with port roundings Crew: Brian-foredeck, Bobby -mid, Seth -aft, RW -helm

MRMSA Wed Night Spring Series - Race 7

 

Wednesday Night Start: 1800 hours.

The start for the last race of Wed. Night Spring Series was set up in the approach to Fishers Island West Harbor just outside of Flat Hammock, with “W” R6 in the mouth of the harbor a mile upwind, back downwind DM, at the halfway point on the rhumbline, back to  “W” with a final run to the start/finish line for a total of 3 miles. 

 

A so-so start in 7-8 kts of wind found us sandwiched between Sassy Lassie to windward and Jolly Mon to leeward. A short port tack to clear Jolly Mon’s leebow found us shortly back on starboard to windward of the fleet playing the shifts and pressure up the course, with great tacking and trimming on crews’ part. Bearing away after good set at the mark, with the wind dropping to six or so, we played the middle of the course with a series of jibes. Approaching DM found us sixth behind Blue Light. Raising the genoa on starboard with a port leeward douse, Brian quickly stowed the pole, & we jibed around the mark to find Blue Light going backwards in some kind of snafu. Offering our condolences, we hardened up back to speed for the final beat to windward in the dying air.

 

With the whole crew looking for air and Seth watching the numbers, a series of tacks got us back up to the layline for another smooth set. A couple minutes after rounding, Seth’s attentive eyes noticed Jolly Mon way off to the right near Clay Point about to jibe to port in a long wind band stretching all the way to the finish. That was the ticket, yet I felt we had missed the train. Seeing little to no wind between us, I decided on another run down the middle in extremely spotty light air. In retrospect, maybe we should have invested on the reach towards Clay Point as the wind band held there throughout the race. I was concerned that dividend would expire prior to our arrival. Shortly thereafter, we belatedly switched to the light-air spinnaker sheets. Had we switched earlier, I may have continued towards Clay Point. The performance of a .5oz spinnaker vs. our .6oz crossed my mind also. Working our way down course, connecting the patches of air we crossed fifth boat for boat in our class with no gain in correction, and 29th corrected in a fleet of fifty boats.

 

Kudos to the RC for the course selection; any other start area would have resulted in an abandoned race for lack of wind.

 

Congratulations to John McCrea (regular crew on Crystal Slipper) and his father Peter for winning their class in the Doublehanded return of the Bermuda 1-2 Yacht Race, of which his father won the first singlehanded leg