The first weekend of 505 racing on the Bay was the April 15-16 weekend. In Europe, the Easter weekend is when the largest regularly scheduled 505 event of the year (excluding worlds and European Championships) is held; the Euro Cup Cavalaire event in the south of France. In the USA Easter appears to be a conflict for many 505 sailors.
We had eight teams on Saturday:
Macy Nelson/Dustin Romey
Bob Patterson/Kevin McGill
Sterg Papadakis/Mike Renda
Ali Meller/Mike Coe
Barney Harris/Shorty Harris
Joe Morris/Colin Robertson
Alon Finkelstein/J Bergquist
Doug Watson/Chris Watson
Saturday conditions were light with a few moments of medium; the breeze was shifty and up and down which made for challenging racing. The left paid big on the first beat of the first race, and we were all schooled by Alon Finkelstein/J Bergquist who owned the left (planning in with eased sheets while everyone else was sitting on the seat tanks), while the right was the place to be on the first beat of the second race, and Alon and J were hung out to dry in the left corner.
In race 2, Joe Morris/Colin Robertson tacked just after starting, and worked the right by themselves, while Ali/Mike started at the boat and kept going on starboard because they did not want to split from the rest of the fleet, which held the lifted starboard tack most of the way up the beat. The breeze went right and split, with Ali/Mike on the wire and sailing fast, and the boats furthest to the left sailing lower in less pressure. Ali/Mike thought they were leading, but the last shift was another rightie and Joe/Colin easily crossed Ali/Mike to lead at the weather mark. A spinnaker luffing match ensued down the run, with Ali/Mike eventually rolling Joe/Colin to take the lead. But Cardiac Arrest hung tough and Joe/Colin finished second, with Barney Harris/Shorty Harris, Bob Patterson/Kevin McGill and another team all crossing within seconds.
Apparently the key to race three was to be over early (under a Z flag), and restart! The first three finishers were all OCS and restarted. The fleet merged in a parking lot at the first windward mark, broke out of that in painful drifting conditions and then dealt with the first run turning into a beat. The race then became an IQ test as the RC signaled a course change to 100 degrees at the leeward (now windward) mark, which turned out to be continue in the direction we were beating to another windward mark that was set further east. The first three teams to the mark failed the test, and Alon/J figured it out first to lead at the new mark and at the next mark, where the course was shortened. Joe/Colin also did well on this test, to pull up to third, which they held down the run fighting off Barney/Shorty coming in to the finish line. Barney/Shorty went a little high trying to get on Joe/Colin’s air and then inside at the pin end of the finish line. But Joe/Colin took them up, then picked the perfect spot to gybe and had a nice angle in the drifting conditions to cross the finish line. Barney/Shorty tried to sail by the lee, went really slowly, then belatedly gybed, and with assistance from the current managed to drape themselves all over the pin, just as Ali/Mike arrived and crossed the line.
We had a short debrief (thanks to Dustin for the beer, pretzels and nuts) on the upper deck of the clubhouse. Optimum setup was raked forward of the standard 3’4” in the lighter stuff, going back to 3’4” for the second race when we were all trapezing. Ram up a lot in the light stuff, bringing it down progressively for better pressure. Low rig tension (leeward shroud slack) until trapezing low and fully powered up. Centerboard raked forward in the light stuff, going to vertical either when the crew goes on the wire, or when they start to lower themselves in increased pressure.
On Sunday we had five teams, having gained Chris Legg/Derek Davies, but losing several other teams to church and Easter dinner.
Sunday was light – Mike got on the wire once or twice – but steadier. Current was a factor both days, more so on Sunday, where though we spent nearly equal time on each tack upwind, the run was actually a broad to beam reach! We used line starts on Saturday, but since the 505s were the only class racing on Sunday, we went with gate starts.
Perhaps the big story for the weekend is the newcomers we are drawing into 505 sailing. Bob Patterson sailed with midshipman Kevin McGill. Top high school sailor Joe Morris teamed up with SSA high school sailing coach Colin Robertson and raced Cardiac Arrest; they were leading at the first windward mark in race 2 and finished second in that race and third in race 3! British expat Derek Davies crewed for Chris on Sunday (after helping Chris finish rigging his new boom) and they showed good speed and excellent tactics. And not-quite-a-newcomer Alon Finkelstein sailing with J Bergquist won race 3 and was second in race 1! Another high school star, Sara Morgan Watters was at the club Saturday morning hoping someone needed a driver, but we were not able to match her up with anyone.
Derek commented (regarding Sunday’s racing) that there was “plenty of tide and not much wind”, and he liked the informal short course races, but that more breeze would be good.
J was amused that he and Alon won race three after being the last of three boats to restart, and they did it by sailing in the correct direction for the change mark despite not having a compass aboard!
The Angry Chef did not put in an appearance, so the “angry (and hungry) sailors” were left to make other arrangements for food and beer.
Spring Series Results (so far, we have more spring series racing in May) are up on the SSA web site at
http://www.severnsailing.org/results/2006/4165o5.shtml