Big Ocean Small Boat

Sailed Encinal’s Jack Frost midwinters in Berkely Circle double-handed with Bob (it’s a fully crewed series, we are just being smart asses). Very light air, which was probably good, since we were a little out of practice on the controlled chaos of short-handed racing.

DNF’d the first race, ostensibly to fix our #1 Jib for the next go-round. 2nd in the next race, losing to a Tartan 10.

 http://www.encinal.org/pageResource/racing/2009/docs/JF_2008_SSR2.htm 

This is supposed to be the series with 5 or 6 911s on the starting line, but it was just us and Elusive, both from SFYC. I like the two-short-race format, however.

Raced the Great Pumpkin with Phillip, Nicole, Garth, and a few others aboard the j/105 Racer X. The Sunday Pursuit race, which goes  either way around Alcatraz and Angel island.

http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=1966  

• Finish: Thirtieth out of one hundred sixty four (164) finishers, 195 registered
• Wind Angel Island @ Fort Blunt: 20 knots, 25-30 knot gusts (National Weather Service)
• Max Ebb at Alcatraz 14:45 hrs, 2.4 knots.

Phillip must have really needed crew, because he told me I could take any position I wanted if I came out. Of course, I picked tactics, figuring that all I needed for that job was a stogie, a Mt. Gay hat, and the ability to bellow “RIGHTS!” at every boat within hailing distance.

Since the wind picked up to the usual washing machine near Alcatraz, I was calling “tactics” from the bow, with boots full of water, switching the akite hoist to starboard.

photo credit: George Gurrola

Ultimiately, the most important tactics were:

1. Go clockwise, choosing favorable wind (at the beginning of the race) over adverse current (coming through Racoon Straits at the end of the race).
2. Stay way out of the Angel Island wind shadow coming out of Racoon, but not so far North that you miss the fill-in on the way back to Richmond.

Among the competitors were Far, Far (the Cal 40 that crushed our fleet in the Transpac) and Silkeye, one of those Wylie 30’s that always seem to stroll around the course (like the dbl-handed Farrallones) without spilling the skipper’s drink.

Got a chance to crew (as Mast and “emergency” Bow) with the great team from “Fuzzy Wuzzy”, Bengt and Marie Johannson’s J/30, this time in the North American championships.

Our team was Bengt, Marie, Alan, Bob, Jerry, Jon, and Kelly.

http://www.j30.us/na2008/

We won the regatta (and therefore the NA Champs) with  [7], 1, 7, 5, 5, 1 and had some great sailing in everything from straightforward boat-for-boat dueling to intense ultra-light-air crapshoots.

We also won the best overall “all amateur crew” finish trophy, which seems a little redundant.

As usual, I was inspired by the skill and focus of the FW team. Both Bob (as tactician) and Bengt (as driver) were really impressive. Of course, Kelly took the “summer of love” prize by stacking the NA Champs on top of winning the 2008 Newport-Bermuda as navigator.

It was interesting how much more the East Coast 1D competitors sail the fleet, as opposed to just the course. In SF Bay, everything seems to be about currents, local knowledge, currents, wind, and currents.

Bristol YC

Light-air postponement

Bengt and Marie

Upwind competition
(credit:  Spectrum Photo)

Downwind competition
(credit:  Spectrum Photo)

Thanks guys, see you next year.