Finally a Relatively Ligth Air Day

Interesting day today. Started off very cold, in the upper 40s, but sun was shining and it wamed up nicely. Wind was light around 5-8 knots as we sailed out, and then sat around for 2 hours waiting for the wind to fill. If this was the Chesapeake, we would have completed three races during the postponement, as there was at least 5 knots almost all the time. and it was a relatively steady direction. Of course, nobody else thought that it was racing conditions. Finally around 2:00 the wind filled into 10-12 and they started racing. First time this regatta, the boat was favored, so I set up on the right side of the line. At about 40 seconds to go, a Swedish boat sailed right into me on port, and forced me to tack to port and back to starboard, totally ruining my start. Not fun, but it was right in front of the judges. I started second row, and immediately tacked to the right side, and worked the right side shifts. It paid off pretty well as I was in top 10, but I made the fatal mistake of hitting the starboard layline too early, I got tacked on, and tacked on, and tacked on, and so on, until I was so far outside and overstood, I lost at least 10 boats. Silly mistake, I also hit the mark and had to do a turn, and lost 3 more boats. I was able to work the boats back on the downwind leg, and then worked the shifts on the next upwind. There was a point I made out very well, but went back left and lost all my gains. I rounded the weather mark in the 20s and worked well downwind, and on the reach, I was able to just get an overlap at the last mark on Nick Place, and passed another boat on the upwind, ending around 20. Not bad.

After a couple of general recalls in the first two fleets, we finally started our second race. For the first time, the line was square, so I started in the middle, and shortly after the start the wind started to die down to around 5 knots. There were 6 boats that went hard to the right side and made out well. I worked the shifts, roll tacking well, and managed to latch onto the boats that went right, and rounded the weather mark in 7. Once again, I hit the mark, did my turn and lost one boat, and started on the reach in very light air. I passed one boat on the reach, and another on the run, and rounded the leeward mark in 6, with 3 boats close behind and then a huge gap to the rest of the fleet. Lots of shifts on the next upwind leg, and I worked them with the other leaders, gaining and losing from time to time. Then about 100 yards from the weather mark, the wind filled in at 20 knots, yes, from 5 to 20 just like that. Once again, my size got me as the boats I was working with passed me just before the mark. I rounded the weather mark in 8th and didn't get my vang eased quickly enough while bearing away, and capsized. I managed to get on the board without going in, and righted her hopped back in and immediately started planing downwind, I didn't lose a boat, good job. Screaming plane downwind, around the leeward mark, screaming reach to the last mark, and then hike hard for the short upwind, covering the Swiss boat. I finished just ahead of the Swiss boat in 8th place. Nice race, but it just shows what a light wind wimp I am, or to be nice, what a Chesapeake Bay saliior I am.

Fantastic reach to the club in about 20 knots, dolly waiting for me as I was first to my tally point, and even had a hose to myself. Nice day but only because of the light air I am sure. Tomorrow looks like 20 knots all day, so another tough one for me, but hopefully with the breeze we will get in a little earlier than today.