[Public-List] Finally a race to write about...

[crufone at comcast.net]

Gord, 

It is always delightful to read about your adventures/escapades with SURPRISE. 

Michael 



----- Original Message -----


From: "Gordon Laco" <mainstay at csolve.net> 
To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> 
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 8:56:12 AM 
Subject: [Public-List] Finally a race to write about... 

Hello gang. 

Well SURPRISE finally had a race last night that was worth writing about. 

 Despite a somewhat miserable looking afternoon, by supper time the weather 
cleared and lovely cool 12-15kt breeze from the south (!?) filled in and 
blew solidly.  About 15 boats roared out to the start... In the Œreal boat¹ 
division of B  Fleet ( real boat, as opposed the the 24¹ Shark One-Design 
boats we share a start with) there was us, WIND SCOOP (a CS27 who we used to 
clobber but this year is quick and beat us twice so far (quote from my 
son... ³WTF, did he read a book or something?!²), a Tanzer 22 (ugly, short, 
but quick), MAID MARION (an Aloha 28, well sailed by Robin, a gentle soul 
who in his youth flew deHaviland Vampires, a 1st generation jet fighter in 
the RAF), the Thurley¹s with their all-girl crew in their Pearson 31 and 
several more.  The usual rabble mob of Sharks was there, I think that vermin 
is up to 6 or 8 boats now. 

We got into the quite heavy traffic before the start, galloping back and 
forth as the clock ticked down, and placed ourselves behind and just to 
windward of MAID MARION, close reaching for the committee boat end of the 
line doing over 6kts with seconds to go.   Up ahead was a solid wall of 
Sharks, nose to tail and several boats thick all hard on the wind (sailing 
across our course) and screaming at each other.  We managed to clamber over 
MAID MARION, stifling them with our wind shadow as we passed and allowing me 
to dive to leeward into a hole that had appeared in the Shark stampede.  We 
hardened up and crossed the line with only one Shark ahead of us and to 
windward of the whole fleet.   Our principal foes were all with the 
exception of Maid Marion, who was nicely behind us and elbowing their way 
through the vermin, all nicely to leeward and somewhat distracted by the 
howling scramble the rabble were causing at the start line. 

For the rest of the race we sailed clean in clear air with nobody near us... 
I was reminded of quotation I heard a skipper I crewed for giving to the 
yachting press after a big win... ³how do I win races?  I try to start 
first, then work to improve my lead...²  None of the big boys in A Fleet, 
who started 5 min behind us, came near catching us.  We were hitting 7kts 
under spinnaker on the runs (the sets, gybes and douses were nearly 
flawless) and we were never going under 5kts on the beats.  We crossed the 
line half a leg ahead of our nearest rival and with only the same single 
Shark ahead of us.  Wow.   We crossed the finish just galloping under 
spinnaker...tossing in a gybe just to be stylish as we got our horn toot, 
and reached under Œchute back to the club with the pole just off the 
forestay, rooster tails coming off our quarters, stern tucked way down and a 
big foaming bow wave on either side. 

This being the end of the first series, there was pizza at the club house 
after and while chowing down I was amused to have WINDSCOOP consoling me on 
our finish... We were so far ahead of them they¹d lost track and thought we 
were behind them.  Ha ha ha ha he he he.  What a look on their faces when my 
son Peter filled them in. 

So, I¹m at Toronto Pearson now waiting for my delayed flight to Providence. 
I spend the weekend doing the Mystic Seaport Wooden Boat Mag festival 
(anybody who¹s going please come and say hello at the R&W Traditional 
Rigging booth), crawl around the whaler Charles W Morgan to talking about 
their big refit, then I¹ll be home again next Wednesday just in time for 
next week¹s race. 

Gord SURPRISE 426 
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