Wed Night Race Interim Series
The Race from Orcrist Point of View:
Light southerly before the start, we were off South tacking and taking pics of the #1. Then hoisted for a run back to starting area. Halfway there *boom* Instant Northerly (TM) hit. 10 knots + near starting area, blowing about 15 at the top end of the course. Long Windward, very long leeward, long windward, downwind finish. We timed the start, but were a little off because the wind had lightened in the starting area and so we were not where we wanted to be (mid line, stbd tack, pin was favored by 10 degrees) and started at the boat, with Enigma 3 feet under us. They were at speed off the start, and pinched us out initially. So we sailed in their dirt a little but held on because we really wanted the middle left of the course. Mojo had a late start. Wyewacket was about 5 min late, and light (3 people? flying #3?) The new winch placements take some getting used to, but tacks were pretty good except one or two. We stayed with fleet to first rounding, rounding 6th of 8, but everyone was actually quite bunched up. We stayed with fleet downwind, gaining noticably on Enigma (5th), not loosing any to Bad Dog. Mojo is faster downwind than Enigma. Aliens and RoadRunner had taken the left downwind, but it didnt pay as there was more breeze outside to compensate for the ebb. We rounded the leeward mark about 7 boats behind Enigma and went to the breakwater. Tacked with Enigma. Mojo catching up a little now. Enigma suddenly crash tacked to avoid collision (!!), as Mystique, a J30 on port, forced them over. Enigma did a slow uncontrolled 360 and we rolled on to abeam of them. We sailed side by side a while, good boatspeed, good point. Really fun going side-by-side like this, makes you appreciate one-design sailing so much! No one gaining or losing. But we were not able to clear the start/finish area (missed laying it by about a boatlength) and so had to tack to clear the line. Enigma crept ahead of us again. Rounding the windward mark, good port layline rounding in 15-16 knots of breeze. Basically everyone was still in the same place they had been in on the first leg of the race: we were 30 sec behind Enigma, who was 40 sec behind Turkey who was 30 sec behind Bad Dog? Mojo was 45 sec behind us, which means that they reeled in about a minute or two off their start time, most of that on the leeward leg. Mojo is fast downwind. Wyewacket was not in touch with the fleet.
Sound Interim Wednesday Race 1
Sound Interim Wednesday Race 2
Sound Interim Wednesday Race 3
Sound Interim Wednesday Race 4
Sound Interim Wednesday Race 5