Crew: Brian, Megan, Seth & RW
Current: flood - 0909 North Hill
Winds: SE (160 avg) avg 3.5 kts
Start: 1105 hrs, ¼ m south of Seaflower;
Finish: NE of Horseshoe; 1424
Course: s- DM -f, 2 laps, Distance: 4.9 nm
Shrouds: @ base
Not the best of turn outs, eleven boats and only two in our class, Salud and SeTherin. In an effort to establish a square windward/leeward course, the RC moved the start line south of Seaflower. Unfortunately, this was nearly in the middle of the southwest channel and a cooking flood.
A couple minutes prior to the start the wind dropped from 6-8 kt range to less than six. We were reaching along the on port at the gun with Salud on our windward hip, and continued up to nearly abeam of the committee boat prior to tacking, with Salud tacking with us. Initially following the tack and able to accelerate sooner, we were able to sail up on Salud’s starboard quarter. Though eventually, Salud began to out-point us. She just made the pin, and we began a series of tacks paralleling the line with not enough air to point up and cross it, and forced farther and farther from the line on each subsequent tack.
We worked our way over to some wind west of and on the current lee side of Seaflower. Sailing back and forth a few times, anchored twice and gained a bit of distance to windward. In the meantime, Salud not able to weather it, tacked back short of Seaflower, sailed southward where she ran out of air about mid-start line and anchored about he same time we anchored for the first.
She received a teaser (as did we), weighed anchor and got pushed back through the line nearly a hundred yards. We pulled anchor the second time, and had been sailing back and forth in Seaflower’s private little wind; and as Brian was lowering it for third time a slight new breeze began to build out of the south. We nixed the anchor (and noticed Salud pulling theirs) to begin a slow starboard reach for the pin. We were able to fetch the pin, Salud crossing within a second or two (for the second time) along with us an hour, twenty-five minutes after the starting gun. Bearing off in 3.5 kt breeze, we led nearly five minutes prior to Salud passing clear to windward, followed shortly thereafter by non-spinnaker Sylvester.
Halfway to the mark, the RC notified the fleet over VHF, that the leeward mark had been moved (in an effort make it more downwind) up into Mumford Cove just northeast of Horseshoe. We rounded with a jibe set and Megan began the trimming, as Brian and Seth squared things away. From a good distance out, I watched Salud rounding the leeward mark, yet continue on port for what I felt too long (as port was nearly perpendicular to the rhumbline). Where we had a nice conservative douse allowing us to round, stow the pole and tack back upwind in short order.
The last run with a bit more motor boat chop was a cause of frustration, yet Megan did an excellent job of trimming, and we crossed about 24 minutes behind Salud to correct over her with 16 seconds to spare.
Link to chart
The Mystic River Yacht Club threw a good party in spite of the small turnout.
The results sent into ECSA combine the two spinnaker classes which gave us a third overall, instead of a first had we been scored separately.
Some thoughts on why we faired so well against Salud compared to some races earlier in the season with similarities- the Hospice Cup & Mason Island Regatta where we recorded our two sixth places of the season. I reviewing these two races, the obvious advantage we had in this last race was the smooth water do to less power boat traffic.
MRMSA Hospice Cup – 07/19/08
Current: flood - North Hill; ebb 1210
Winds: W at 6 to 12 kts
Start/Finish: West of Horseshoe Reef Race
Course: s/f- DM -s/f * 2, Bearing 270, Distance: 6.0 nm
SeTherin: 6th
Salud: 2nd
The Mudhead Benefit Cup consisted of two windward/leeward races. The first race took place in a breeze averaging 9 kts and a good amount of weekend chop which particularly hurt us on the upwinds. The gradually diminish wind through the second race did not bode well for us, the slowest boat in the fleet.
Mason Island Regatta – 08/23/08
Current: flood - Ram at 1000
Winds: SE (avg 5.4 kts @ 165 degrees) at 4 to 6 kts
Start/Finish: offshore of Horseshoe
Course: s/f- DM -s/f, *3, Distance: 9.1 nm
SeTherin: 6th
Salud: 2nd
The MRYC Fall Regatta was a reach-a-rue similar to the Mason Island Race. The Fall Regatta had very little power boat chop though, so were able to maintain our speed for much longer periods of time, and do well even though the average wind speed was less than that of the Mason Island Race. Salud much heavier and significantly longer in water line, was not as adversely affected by the chop.