No guts no glory!

Saturday we had another double-handed sail race – Phil and Yolande. This was the Constitution YC Spring Regatta that was held in Broad Sound just outside of the Boston Harbor (see the screen shot of our Spot tracker beneath).

Winds were all over the place – direction and speed. We arrived for the race and Karl, the race committee man, had to change the course several times since the winds that were projected to be out of the SW were from the N and then changed NW to W. Finally with the course set we were off. We had a relatively poor start but were off on a nice tack in about 5kts of wind. Then the wind slowed and everyone was having problems. The wind was less than 2kts.  It was low everywhere but we hit a wind hole. As we were trying to navigate through this our boat speed dropped to 0kts. Moving the helm had little effect; we could spin but not move. Darn it – we must have caught a lobster pot marker. We spent 15-20 minutes slowly circling then when the wind grew to 5 kts we came free. Now this problem arose on the first upwind leg of two laps. We pushed as hard as we could to make up ground (which wasn’t very fast) and gradually clawed our way back and finished second to last.

In April I took a Race Judges all day seminar. I didn’t pass the exam (never was good at studying) but I did really get a better knowledge of the rules of racing. This came in very handy as we were able to use the rules to our advantage to out maneuver another boat.

Back at the start line waiting for the next race we were getting compliments on our doublehanded use of the spinnaker from other crew members. I guess the message is that it doesn’t matter if you suck so long as you look good. The sense of community and support for novice sailors by sailors of the really fast boats is something I like about this sailing club.

The wind shifted direction again, marks were moved and we were set for the next race. We timed the start perfectly and crossed the line seconds after the horn. Winds were now up at 15-20kts and we were in the lead – Yes, the lead. Due to a late wind shift we just needed three tacks to get to the windward mark. Our first was a long one then we tacked across laterally about 100yards to have a layline to the mark.

Mysterious ways was hot on our tail (stern) although in this first leg she didn’t point as high as we did. We rounded the windward mark followed by Mysterious ways. Being double-handed, with the winds near 20kts, with the rain pouring and the deck slippery we decided not to raise the spinnaker. This was a good decision. We headed down to the leeward mark at 7.5kts and did a perfect rounding. I decided to head off about 100 yards to try to get 1 long tack to the windward mark. This would give us an advantage if all worked out because of the need for fewer tacks. However, it was risky since the wind could have shifted on us. Mysterious ways decided to try to take advantage and immediately tacked at the mark. A good choice since it might give them an advantage if there were a wind shift in their favor.

We both headed to the windward mark adjacent to one another, although we were 100yards to their starboard. In 10 minutes we would know who made the right choice.

Yolande was grinding away at the winches throughout the race – it’s the only time in my life that I can tell her (well maybe ask her) what to do. At one point as she is grinding she says “you’d better mention that your wife is a beast in that blog entry”. Well she is.

Closing in on the windward mark we can see that we will get to the mark perfectly. But Mysterious ways did sail a little faster. Its neck and neck. This is a new experience for us. We are actually in a competitive race. As we were closing in on the mark the winds subsided a little. But we decided not to use the spinnaker. We rounded the mark, gybed and then looked at one another and Yolande said “No guts no glory. Let’s put the spinnaker up”. Music to my ears.

Spinnaker was deployed really quickly. Mysterious ways saw me moving to the bow and they countered with sending someone forward. By the time we had both spinnakers deployed we could hear their bow cutting through the water just behind us and we were within feet of one another. We slowly pulled away and were first to finish the race.  What a new experience.  We imagine we will come lower in the rankings with handicap but it was an exhilarating race. Maybe we have learned a thing or two by keep trying to race. But there is still a long way to go.

Some stats - Race 1 1h 58 minutes. Race 2 - 38 minutes. Top speed 8.5kts.

Next races, Wednesday Rumble, then Friday overnight 40nm race.