[Public-List] Another Wednesday Race...

[Gordon Laco]

Well last evening our club ran it’s annual Snake Island Race;  a nice change from chasing each other around the buoys but not quite a distance race.

Spoiler alert… we did well, which you may have guessed because I don’t generally write when we don’t do well, like last Wednesday.

So out we went for the start.  Because this race is potentially longer than a normal Wednesday night race, it starts early which means we all stampeded to the club straight from work.   I brought submarine sandwiches and juice for the guys… nice to be the magnanimous skipper sometimes.   There was, however, a problem.  I remembered to get the sandwiches, but I forgot to get the ice for the beer in the icebox.   I wisely chose not to reveal this oversight till after it was too late for anyone to jump ship.

So out we went to the start.  The fleet was a little smaller due to yachts being away competing in the Georgian Bay Regatta but we still had a mob of Sharks, MAID MARION, a Niagara 26, and couple of Express 30’s and the other usual foes to contend with.   We had a great start, zipping across the line only a few seconds after the horn, clear air and MAID MARION nicely astern.  The first leg of the race was a short jolt to windward up to M10 (aka Midland Shoal Buoy) leaving it to starboard, then away for Snake Island.   The air was blowing NW about 12 knots, perfect for us.  We got there in the midst of the leading pack of three Sharks and the Niagara 26… round we went in close combat with all of them, then the guys tossed the spinnaker into the air and away we went.  Well it’s not quite that easy of course but the hoist went without any hitches.

We were gliding east broad reaching when the wind began to build.  Soon we were doing better than 6 then more… What a wonderful feeling of power in the rig as SURPRISE put her starboard shoulder down and plowed along steady as if she were on rails.  The spinnaker guy and sheet were hard taut, Steve was up by the windward shrouds flying the chute while Clint was adjusting the pole position and we manoeuvred to get the best out of the boat.  Our stern was tucked way down and our bow wave foamed on both sides, but especially to leeward…  We overtook the Niagara, then began grinding down the Sharks.  Twice a gust pushed SURPRISE over till her boom end was skipping the water… but true to her Folkboat heritage, she obeyed her helm and only hinted at wanting to round up.  Was it a good reach? Oh yes,…  

The main pack of the fleet was left behind and the five of us (three Sharks and the Niagara) stretched out ahead.  We passed one Shark by driving through is lee (oh what arrogance, but so satisfying) and began working on the leading Sharks….wait, what’s this?  They began jostling each other, as such vermin as Sharks often do, the leeward one lifting the windward one… soon there they went, spinnaker poles laid forward to their forestays reaching up as high as their spinnakers would fly, trying to mess each other up… Napoleon Bonaparte wrote “when ones enemy is busy making an error, do not interrupt him”.   So we left them to their squabble and slid by to leeward of both.  Just before we were through one of them saw us and broke off the surfing match but it was too late.  By this time we were screaming along to leeward of Snake Island, being careful to stay far enough off so as not to get into its wind shadow.  We set the penny, eased the pole forward then popped the tack shackle, and doused the chute while hardening up toward the pin the club keeps at the far end of the narrow island.  

So there we were… first around the island… three Sharks and the Niagara hard on our heels but we were first around.   We began the long buck back to the club where the finish awaited off the breakwater… 

Actually I don’t really want to write more but the story isn’t over so I reckon I should tell the rest.  The wind, which was up to 18 knots + during the romp out to the island, went light and came ahead.  We ended up beating in baffling light airs while our four foes in the leading pack worked up and over us.   We finally finished close behind them… now I’m waiting to learn how high our PHRF will place us.  Oh well we can’t be worse than fourth because we were fourth over the line at the end.  We soundly beat MAID MARION (who got us last week)  and of course no-one can take from us our moment of glory being first around the island.  

What a wonderful night.  What a great crew.  How wonderfully satisfying to sail SURPRISE well.

And to top it off, when I got home Caroline reminded me that this weekend is the August long weekend… So we’re going sailing up the coast.   Wahoo.  We’ll be home Monday evening, Tuesday evening my son and I will be out training the Atlantic Challenge Canada team in one of the Bantry Boats, then… it’ll be Wednesday again already.

Gord
#426 Surprise