After drifting around for quite some time, the International Canoes decided they had had enough, and turned around to drift home. Three of the 505s agreed and turned to follow. Three other 505s, and the four 470s chose to wait near to RC - probably more in hope of a tow in than a race! All of a sudden a distant gun shot was heard by some of the boats drifting in! The ten minute gun! The two father and son teams of Nelson/Nelson and Monty Schumpert/Craig Schumpert either did not hear, or chose to ignore this signal. Bob O'Brien with recent recruit and new 505 owner George Saunders crewing, Peter Mignerey, with new recruit Chris Harvey, and Hampton aces Jim Englert/Thad Melton began jockying for position on the line. Ali Meller/Allan Johnson tacked back for the start line, and hoisted their spinnaker in an effort to get back for the race; they failed, and were almost ten minutes late for the start. Fortunately for them, no one had gone very far in the zero to nothing conditions - most movement could be attributed to the building flood tide.
Englert/Melton patiently worked their way up to the windward mark in the lead, then carefully sailed high enough on the first reach to keep their chute full. Gybing early was the trick, as the current was taking everyone high of the gybe mark. O'Brien/Saunders were 2nd, with Mignerey/Harvey 3rd, the four 470s, and close behind the 470s Meller/Johnson in last! Down the first reach, Meller/Johnson made short work of the 470s, and closed on Mignerey/Harvey. Englert/Melton had built up a nice lead, and fought their way against the current down the second reach, and then nursed the boat back upwind, with O'Brien/Saunders some way behind. Mignerey/Harvey tacked to starboard to cover Meller/Johnson's up current move. When Meller/Johnson tacked well below the port layline - trying to account for the current - they had gained ground on Mignerey/Harvey, but the latter were able to tack directly on Meller/Johnson's air - what air? THEIR WASN'T ANY F&#*! WIND!, and lead to the windward mark. Mignerey/Harvey chose to bear away set, while Meller/Johnson did the bear away set, built up speed and then gybed to go down current. Mignerey/Harvey countered with a gybe a little later, but it was too late - Meller/Johnson's hot angle and left move had paid off, and put them up into 3rd. The port tack run took a long time against the current, and when Meller/Johnson gybed they were much closer to O'Brien/Saunders, while Englert/Melton were a few hundred feet - and almost hours - ahead.
The short beat to the finish had a strong current set right to left. The first three 505s all sailed out on port, as starboard would get you to the layline quickly. O'Brien/Saunders were footing to keep their speed up, and worked further right, while Meller/Johnson sailed high looking for some separation. Englert/Melton crossed first and got the gun. O'Brien/Saunders tacked to starboard to close with Meller/Johnson, who tacked 15 boat lengths to leeward and abeam, rather than go behind them to the starboard layline. Despite very low speed in the light (VERY!) air, Meller/Johnson were able to climb on O'Brien/Saunders, closing the gap as they approached the line. Rather than tack on the layline for the favored RC boat end, Meller/Johnson chose to tack short - back to port - O'Brien/Saunders countered with a loose cover, but in the now strong current, this put them above the layline for the RC boat. Meller/Johnson were able to squeeze the boat up with the help of the current, and just cleared the stern of the RC boat to beat O'Brien/Saunders for 2nd. Mignerey/Harvey were 4th. A long wait ensued while the 470s finished drifting around the course.
The second race started in about the same non-existent air. A combination of strong flood tide, and a wind shift before the start made the pin favored. O'Brien/Saunders won the start and lead by several boatlengths as the fleet crossed the line on starboard. O'Brien/Saunders tacked to port to consolidate, and Englert/Melton, who started at the RC end, tacked to port at the same time. Reluctant to separate, Meller/Johnson and then Mignerey/Harvey tacked to port as well. O'Brien/Saunders' foot mode did not pay, as they gradually lost height to Mignerey/Harvey and Meller/Johnson. Englert/Melton footed to the right looking for a shift, but whey they tacked back to check in, had not gained any distance. They tacked back to port a few boat lengths to leeward of Meller/Johnson, to lead the fleet back right. With plenty of time to consider tactics as the boats drifted toward the windward mark, Englert/Melton chose to tack short of the layline so as not to be sat on by Meller/Johnson, who by this time, had punched out enough that they could easily cross Mignerey/Harvey and O'Brien/Saunders. Meller/Johnson lead at the mark, with the other three boats rounding together a few boat lengths behind. Once everyone hoisted and settled down, Englert/Melton were in second, a few boatlengths behind Meller/Johnson, with Mignerey/Harvey ahead of O'Brien/Saunders. Englert/Melton were unable to close on the leaders on the first reach, but once both teams gybed for the gybe mark (everyone had sailed high - up current - to keep their spinnakers full), began to close. They feinted high several times to pull Meller/Johnson high of the rhumb line, and then broke low, with Meller/Johnson struggling to keep their chute full at the lower angle. The current set and sailing high had turned the second reach into a run. Englert/Melton gybed to starboard and headed up for speed. Rather than doing a downspeed gybe, Meller/Johnson reached up for speed, intending to gybe shortly after and cover Englert/Melton's move. Englert/Melton gybed back before Meller/Johnson were ready to gybe, and now in clear air, were clearly ahead. Several gybes - and some time - later, the two teams approached the leeward mark with Englert/Melton having opened a significant lead (20 boat lengths and several minutes!). Again the fleet went right up the beat to avoid being swept passed the port tack layline. Now in gear, Englert/Melton pulled away, with Meller/Johnson struggling to stay in contact. At the windward mark, Englert/Melton had built up a substantial lead, with Meller/Johnson well ahead of Mignerey/Harvey in 3rd. A gybe set seemed the move down the run, but Meller/Johnson convinced themselves there was a little bit of a puff to the right, and gybed back for it. This daring move failed, as Englert/Melton sailed away to an unassailable lead, and Mignerey/Harvey closed on Meller/Johnson by hitting the the corner. The order was the same at the leeward mark. The short last beat took forever. Englert/Melton won the race - again, Meller/Johnson were second again - starting on time proving to be an insufficient improvement to stop Englert/Melton, while Mignerey/Harvey were 3rd and O'Brien/Saunders 4th, reversing their finishes from the first race. Given that there had been two races in almost no wind, a third was a definite possibility, but first, the 470s had to finish. They were unable to make headway down the run against the current, and were gradually drifting North of their shortened course finish line. The RC took pity on the competitors and decided there would not be a third race. One of the club whalers took tow lines from the 505s, and once O'Brien/Saunders had finished, started towing the 505s in. We all waved to the 470s as we were towed by, and wished them the best of luck getting to their finish line. Apparently they made it before dark, but the 505 were well into the beer by the time the 470s returned to the club. It is not clear that Nelson/Nelson and Schumpert/Schumpert had missed much!
Mistaken priorities - a big boat racing commitment - led Englert/Melton to pack up their boat and return to Hampton.
Sunday morning was clear, sunny, cooler and somewhat windier, with breeze from the Northeast. By prior arrangement, Mignerey had replaced Chris Harvey with ace crew Mike Smith, who was back from the West Coast for the weekend. Macy showed up without a crew. The sail out to the race course was interesting once the chutes went up; as we sailed out of the river, it became apparent that the wind was blowing rather harder than we had expected - about 20 knots in the puffs. The Canoes chose to race Sunday, their being enough breeze to make things interesting.
The RC had set a "w" course, which caused Meller/Johnson to ask the RC what the "w" course was - windward, leeward, windward, with the start/finish in the middle of the beat was the reply. With conditions similar to the Saturday of the East Coasts, Meller/Johnson decided to go hard left looking for the knocks from the puffs off the MD shore; they were well ahead of Mignerey/Smith at the weather mark. Despite their being no gybe mark, they sailed high to keep the boat planing. This tactic did not seem to lose them any ground, and they lead easily at the leeward mark and up the short beat to the finish. After crossing, they watched the rest of the 505 fleet, and the leading International Canoe, sail hard left looking for the shift. It soon became apparent that the rest of the 505 fleet, and the lead Canoe, did not realize this was the finish! Once Meller/Johnson sailed over and told them, the 505s peeled off one after the other to reach into the finish. Roger Link, the lead Canoe sailor - and past 505 sailor - was so startled, he nearly capsized his boat trying to bear off.
As with the Saturday of the East Coasts, the wind was puffy, shifty and dying. Though the breeze had gone right prior to the second race, a shift at 35 seconds made the pin favored. Meller/Johnson were able to get there and start on port, clear ahead of the rest of the fleet. Mignerey/Smith were close in speed up the beat, but a loose cover allowed Meller/Johnson to retain their lead to the windward mark. Bowing to pressure and threats, the RC had dropped a gybe mark for this race. Meller/Johnson were able to reach high in a puff and get the boat planing fast, they sailed past the gybe mark and gybed late so as to have a higher angle for the leeward mark. They didn't go far enough, and chose to gybe several more times down the second reach, in order to sail a hot angle and keep the boat planing. Mignerey/Smith chose to sail the rhumb line course on a broad reach, and did not gain any ground. O'Brien/Saunders and Schumpert/Schumpert were a short distance behind Mignerey/Smith, in a knock down, drag out battle for 3rd.
Meller/Johnson lost a little ground to Mignerey/Smith on a shift on the second beat, but were never threatened. They sailed hot angles down the run, and appeared to have lost Mignerey/Smith - who sailed very low at the leeward mark - at one point, but gybed in a puff, and planed back across the rhumb line well ahead. At the finish, it was Meller/Johnson, Mignerey/Smith, with O'Brien/Saunders and Schumpert/Schumpert fighting it out.
With the regatta well in hand, Meller/Johnson chose to become Johnson/Meller for the last race. The fleet drag raced left, but Mignerey/Smith chose to tack away, and in a righty, lead for much of the beat. One last knock allowed Johnson/Meller to tack and cross them, to lead at the weather mark. Both teams gybed multiple times down the first reach to chase puffs and keep their speed up. Once again, Johnson/Meller were able to break away, with Mignerey/Smith holding a secure second, and O'Brien/Saunders and Schumpert/Schumpert in a battle for third. At the finish, one last shift pulled O'Brien/Saunders away from Schumpert/Schumpert and almost allowed them to catch Mignerey/Smith, but it was not too be.
A long sail in - planing in the puffs - was fun, as was hoisting the spinnaker and passing an F27 trimaran as we approached the club. If only I had a camera so I could have taken a picture! You should have seen the surprised looks on their faces as we planed by! They had been certain they were the fasted thing on the Bay that day.
The Goodbye [and good riddance] Mike Smith party was immediately following racing. By the time the 505s were out of the water, pretzels, chips, salsa and beer had materialized on a picnic table. Mike Smith was a great fleet captain, and one of the great 505 crews. He is looking forward to sailing with the SF Bay area 505 fleet, and we expect to see him on the water at the major events. Discussions on the racing were interrupted by passionate discussions of the crews union rules. It was being alleged that George Saunders was ordered over this side by his skipper, into water that was well over his head - apparently a clear violation of the rules. An immediate work stoppage by the crews union appeared imminent, but cooler heads pointed out that work stoppages outside of scheduled events were pointless, and there was food and beer to consume. Finishing the beer and de-rigging took rather longer than expected - perhaps we should have de-rigged before finishing the beer! One of the 470 sailors made arrangements to try a 505 - a day of watching 505s planing around the course at speed had suggested to her that maybe the 470 was not the boat for her!
At the prize presentation, George Saunders was singled out for "new " recruit" recognition. after surviving a baptism by fire in the east coasts," he was back for more! Craig Schumpert was also recognized for "sailing" with family"; it is difficult to crew for your dad; you are not supposed to" yell at him when he sails you off into the corner! A few days off at work to recuperate, and then we are at it again for the Pumpkin event next weekend, in the river! This year, we are going to rotate boats and people between races, and invite others to do a race or two. We will score people and boats separately and ask the top of the fleet to help out the middle and back. We'll see who comes out on top with this scoring system.
8263 Meller/Johnson 2 2 1 1 1 7148 Mignerey/Harvey/Smith 4 3 2 2 2 7347 Englert/Melton 1 1 DNS DNS DNS 7607 O'Brien/Saunders 3 4 3 3 3 8015 Schumpert/Schumpert DNS DNS 4 4 4 8191 Nelson/Nelson DNS DNS DNS DNS DNS