“Terrible Conditions!” yelled the RD.
“Pull the plug and refill the Blake Sea!” shouted one of the racers.
And yes, both were right of course. The RD being me, covering for Gemma, but also having had raced yesterday during the Bandit 22 races at NYC with similar bad conditions already. However, the lag even crept up to hover-board altitudes. And as much I would have loved to pull the plug, I simply couldn’t find it.
Though, we wouldn’t be the bravest sailing racers on the grid if we hadn’t kicked it anyway!! (Yes!! TWO exclamation marks!! Plus another kick just because!!)
Heather was at the Committee Boat for a short visit, but currently being in Europe on a business trip meant that it was too late for her to stay and watch. The ones who came to stay and race were Emilio, Freeman, Gin, Justin, Moon and Pitr.
Pitr I already had met earlier this day at the Clubhouse, studying the Race Calendar there, and although he was so busy that he did not respond to me, he did show up later (which yesterday was ‘now’), letting us know that this would be his very first sailing race ever.
After a friendly welcome from all of us and quickly setting him up to have race wind, we started the event with wind from 200° at brisk 21 knots.
Great starts for 311 by everyone except Pitr, who did not finish the first race. He agreed in IM that he will have to practice the handling of the boat until next week, and I really hope that he will come again.
The rest of the fleet stayed close together up to the second mark (Image 1). There they showed some great skills around it … Emilio even had to put in an additional pair of tacks to get there. Yet it all was clean like a freshly swaddled baby. (Don’t ask where connotations like these come from at times. I have no idea! But yes, that’s what Image 2 is about – the red marker pointing at Mark3.)
As it often is the case with the Shields boats – and partially due to the mean wind direction that offered a lot of wind shadow options on the next legs – there were a couple of switching positions. Freeman passed the second last mark on the wrong side and Justin unfortunately got affected by this. Until he could get around Freeman’s boat in his way, Emilio, who had been last until then, sailed past both. Freeman then sailed sort of a 360 although there was no need to call a penalty since he was last anyway after this, but that turn was needed to sail around the mark in the correct way.
311
Race Results:
1: Moon – Race Time: 0:14:16
2: Gin – Race Time: 0:14:53
3: Emilio – Race Time: 0:15:00
4: Justin – Race Time: 0:15:11
5: Freeman – Race Time: 0:15:58
6: Pitr – DNF
Lap Times:
moonglownight Resident moon – Start: 0:00:20 – Last lap: 0:13:56
GinPhx Resident 18AI – Start: 0:00:07 – Last lap: 0:14:46
emiliopc7 Resident EM69 – Start: 0:00:10 – Last lap: 0:14:50
SteveLL Resident JB08 – Start: 0:00:10 – Last lap: 0:15:01
Freeman Gopheller FG29 – Start: 0:00:06 – Last lap: 0:15:52
Pitr Juran PITR – Start: 0:00:56 – Last lap: Not Finished
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After a slightly longer break we went on with 312-A. Freeman got eaten by the lag monster during the countdown right on the first crossing from Atlantic into Bow Sprit. Three of the other four racers arrived a bit early by the start line and crossed it neatly shifted to each other. Gin in the middle of the long line, Emilio a bit right of her, then Moon close by the Committee Boat and finally Justin, only a few seconds later. Pay attention to the almost same start times.
Justin was soon overlapped to Moon’s windward side and at the end only could keep clear by tacking away to port. Some time later – after a couple of tacks – Gin arrived first at Mark 1. She already had a pretty nice margin which she could extend on the way to the second mark because Moon and Emilio sailed higher above the straight line. Wind from behind on that leg made this necessary to defend the windward side. Justin could catch up because of this action.
Gin meanwhile was far ahead and carried it home without having to look back anymore.
After Mark 3 Justin gained a rank, so it then was Moon second and Emilio fourth around Mark 4. Justin had even managed to get very close to Moon – so close and overlapped to Moon’s windward side that a fierce defence started. Moon forced Justin very far off the straight course to the finish line, even east around the Fastnet Island on Crows Nest. At the end, because of this, Emilio almost came in second, but Moon crossed the line a few moments before him.
312-A
1: Gin – Race Time: 0:19:00
2: Moon – Race Time: 0:20:19
3: Emilio – Race Time: 0:20:22
4: Justin – Race Time: 0:20:27
Lap Times:
GinPhx Resident 18AI – Start: 0:00:02 – Last lap: 0:18:58
moonglownight Resident moon – Start: 0:00:02 – Last lap: 0:20:17
emiliopc7 Resident EM69 – Start: 0:00:01 – Last lap: 0:20:21
SteveLL Resident JB08 – Start: 0:00:05 – Last lap: 0:20:22
Congratulations to Moon and Gin for their wins, and to everyone else for kicking the bad conditions. Once again it was a thrilling event with a lot of action and proof of skills. Thank you all for coming!
Nantucket Yacht Club 