[Public-List] Last night's race...

[Gordon Laco]

So there we  were… 

Down at the sailing club the mob was gathering, but instead of fussing about their boats rigs in preparation for departure for the race, everyone was standing around talking and glancing from their phones to the sky.  Weather radar showed an immature thunderstorm just missing Severn Sound.  Are we going or not?   All speculation was ended when we saw the committee boat casting off and buzzing out of the club.  OK, we’re going.

Our committee boat is quite a contraption.  It’s a pontoon boat, which is the say it’s really a powered raft.  We really know better than to use the thing but we’ve got it and there it is.  Aside from being almost unmanageable with regard to manoeuvring in close quarters, it’s nearly useless as a rescue craft.  And it’s appearance with its hard overhead, has led to a couple of amusing events.  One was a few years ago when it was decided that the club might benefit from more public visibility.  

The start/finish was placed off Midland’s municipal wharf, at the landward end of which is one of the larger eating and drinking establishments in our town.  Waterfront strollers might be interested in watching the spectacle of the events at the beginning and end of that Saturday’s regatta.  Great idea… but…

So a couple dozen yachts gathered, milled about and jousted as the time ticked down to the start; in due course away went the herd as each division got its start gun.  I did notice a few people ashore glancing out no doubt wondering why all those rag-hangers were in such a jumble, before returning  to watching their dogs do their business.

Once the race was underway, the race committee aboard the pontoon boat settled down to wait for boats to complete the course so their finishes could be recorded.  At anchor on a nice summer day… they figured a cleansing ale might go well with the wait.  Their first beers were in hand, when they saw a patrol boat of the Ontario Provincial Police coming into Midland Bay… hmmm… it’s coming toward the committee boat.  Then a second angry looking boat came, this time the Canadian Coast Guard RHIB also roaring around Midland Point… it’s also heading for the committee boat.   Directly for it, and both going as fast as they could.

Down go the beers, and an unseemly scuffle ensued as all evidence of sneaking a drink were concealed as well as could be accomplished on the exposed platform of the committee ‘boat’.    The police and Coasties zoomed directly to the committee boat and both came alongside..  The earnest expressions on their crews faces became flat and disappointed.  After a quick word, they both roared away again.

What was that all about?  Well it transpired that a drunk up on the veranda of the waterfront pub had been watching the start of the race.  He noticed that there was a strange vessel with some sort of framework over it that was left behind when all the sail boats trundled away.    With beer goggles, that strange vessel was interpreted as a sunken cabin cruiser with only it’s flying bridge and overhead canvass still above the water.  He called 911 and summoned a rescue.  It’s all funny now, but the race committee that day nearly filled their pants over having cans of beer in their hands when they saw the officials heading their way with such earnest intent.  

So… that was then.  Last night the committee ‘boat’ went out to the start position, set up the start line and race marks, and away we all went weaving in and out of each other getting ready for the start.  I noticed that the start line was particularly long, and thinking swiftly, decided to do a port tack start at the pin end, thereby avoiding the squabbling mob that would develop at the committee end of the line.  The wind was about 15kts, solid and steady.  Everyone was blasting along at hull speed and it looked to be a good night for yacht racing.

My plan for a dramatic port tack start was foiled by my misjudging the timing… we came roaring past the mark end of the start with twenty seconds still to go.  Oh no we’re early!  There we were reaching at high speed directly toward the herd which was also reaching from the committee end… closing speed something near 15 knots.  We were both using up line like crazy… I could see the people in the mass of boats coming toward us suddenly sitting and standing more upright as the peril became evident to each of them.

Finally the horn went and up we all swerved to cross the line… we on port and everyone else on starboard.  However, instead of triumphantly crossing all their bows. we were in the midst of them, dodging and weaving with no rights.    We crossed one guys bows, then bore away violently to take the stern of the next boat, and the next… then one of them tacked over us.  Damn.  So much for the big gamble… away we went on the first beat in bad air and in an agitated state of mind.  

The rest of the race isn’t worth talking about.  We eventually settled down and got SURPRISE somewhat into the groove, but we never caught up and rounded each mark solidly in last place.  Worse, the leaders of A Fleet, who started five minutes after our B Fleet start, overtook us on the second lap and we found ourselves in heavy close quarters traffic with larger boats at every mark.    We couldn’t avoid messing them up and they certainly messed us up, all to no benefit to anyone.

Well it’s all over.  Maybe we’ll do better next week, which is the first race of the second series.  We’d nailed two second places in the last two races; I don’t know yet how we scored last night but don’t hold out any hope for anything good.  I suppose getting clobbered once in a while is good for my humility.  

Onwards.

Gord


Gordon Laco
426 Surprise




Gordon Laco
www.gordonlaco.com
705-527-9612