We looked forward to motoring out of Eagle Harbor in the wake of Simon and Becky’s new boat, Boadicia, on the way to the Sloop Tavern Ice Berg Race together, but that dream was put on hold by the news that both boats would be short of crew due to illness. Instead, Simon joined us on Ablissian, and we had the benefit of his skill and enthusiasm. We look forward to having both boats out together soon.
We were one of 9 boats entered in the non-flying sails class, no spinnakers for this group, and as such, we had the first start of the morning. Due to winds gusting into the high teens and a crowded starting area, we played it safe and crossed the line just behind our competitors. But with one reef in the main and our smaller genoa, we were pleased to find ourselves able to sail right back into the middle of the pack. As we anticipated a broad reach after rounding the first windward mark we had to shake out the reef before the rounding, a feat handled ably by Nancy and Simon as we continued to maintain our position amongst a fleet that was converging on the mark. Once reaching across the Sound, we found the sweet spot with sail trim and saw the knot meter register a high of 8.2 knots while we continued to work our way past boats that had sailed away from us in the early going. Great fun!
After rounding the next mark we managed to sail into a hole and had trouble getting the boat moving again while the wind remained light. Lighter boats and those flying spinnakers had more luck and began to sail away from us at this point. When finally the wind did return to us, we had lots of ground to make up to avoid falling into last place in our class. We kept at it, and over the next two hours we were able to build a significant lead over three boats. We tried every maneuver we could think of to catch our next closest competitor, but they managed to stay just beyond our reach. Our efforts were worthwhile as, in the final result, with each boat’s handicap figured in, we finished 5th out of eight boats, just ahead of the boat we had been chasing and just behind the boat that had been chasing us.
After rounding the next mark we managed to sail into a hole and had trouble getting the boat moving again while the wind remained light. Lighter boats and those flying spinnakers had more luck and began to sail away from us at this point. When finally the wind did return to us, we had lots of ground to make up to avoid falling into last place in our class. We kept at it, and over the next two hours we were able to build a significant lead over three boats. We tried every maneuver we could think of to catch our next closest competitor, but they managed to stay just beyond our reach. Our efforts were worthwhile as, in the final result, with each boat’s handicap figured in, we finished 5th out of eight boats, just ahead of the boat we had been chasing and just behind the boat that had been chasing us.
Racing for us is really just another excuse to get out on the water and enjoy practicing our sailing skills in the company of like-minded folk on other boats. This race served that purpose well. Good wind, reasonable temperatures (mid-40’s) and not too much rain, contributed to a satisfying day on the water. Off the dock in the morning just before 9am and back in our slip by 4:30, after a relaxed sail back across the Sound, we looked forward to enjoying a good meal together. We found just that at Simon and Becky’s house where the day ended with good company, good food and a warm fire.
(Posting by Peter)
Some pictures of the day, beginning with the muffin that is one end of the starting line:
(Posting by Peter)
Some pictures of the day, beginning with the muffin that is one end of the starting line:
These last two are pictures of our boat, taken by our friends on Blue Lullaby.
