Race Spring 3 – The Importance of Being Early
On Team Grace we are all about the importance of being early. 4:00 at Ida, or else, get aboard, tune the rig, chill the brew, sail the first beat at least once to figure out the breeze and current.
Executed plan to a “T” last evening. Gorgeous evening – Rachel, long-time mastman on Grace, opted this year to forego May racing since “It is always cold, rainy, and windy”, and so she sweated ashore while Ted Hood graciously subbed. Bad call, Rachel. Matt was back from kite boarding in the Caribbean, Pete was as usual doing foredeck, John driving, me working the main.
Blowing a good 12 knots out of the SW, so we sailed up past Clingstone, found that there were some huge righties out there, and were confident in the game plan. Then poof, no wind, only to come up fitfully from the SE, with a bit of east in it. So much for our prep, so much for being early.
Line seemed heavily boat favored so started in top third, and for awhile looked really good over the crowd jammed into the pin end. Dirk on 181 was behind and to weather, and he steamed over us with superior speed – meanwhile the pin-winners, including Wendy on 138, Charlie on 145, and Jan on 33, were being lifted up beneath us with better pressure.
We did take time for a pity party for the chaps on 108 who were called back about five minutes after the gun – heard later that with the I flag up they were over the line at about 20 seconds but were clear at the gun, yet still had to re-round…. (They fought back to a very respectable 14 of 31).
We tacked to port early than the leaders so as to keep clean air, then in a puff hitched back in towards Goat. Charlie and Jan held on port too long and ran out of breeze, which gradually backed and lifted us to the mark right on Wendy’s heels. Jamie followed on 217. Long, slow run ensued in about 3 knots, and when the breeze filled in from behind from the east, by being to the left of Wendy we had a better angle and eked around the gong just ahead.
At which point the breeze freshened and it was a reach to the finish for the gun.
Next week, we will be at Ida at 5:00 sharp….
Reed Baer, Grace 107
