08/05/07           


              Race 10

When Curt and I set the marks at 8:00 the lake was completely filled in with wind. It was 3-5 mph and felt great. This was going to be a good race day.As I sailed over the wind remained pretty good and we were able to run the course and get a feel for the winds and lifts.

But the closer we got to the horn time the worse it looked, the wind was dying. The forecast called for 5-6 mph for the day, well that showed up around 2:00 pm.

Twice I yelled out, should we be canceling this race in favor of racing twice next week but twice I hear Curt saying noooooooo. He must have known something because he won the race.

Des started first went left but not far, Joe and Bruce followed but again didn’t get far in this windless arena. The rest of us started but no one was going fast. Most of us went right with Curt and Des keeping the left. Then Jack went right and seemed to be gaining. I was with Mike and Doug and when I saw the wind from the left went left. This was a good move and put some separation between me and Mike and Doug. I got within a few hundred yards of the mark and all wind left us. So bobbing around up there was Jack and Curt and Me. Then the wind was there although there was no sign of it on the water, just the telltales. Curt and I were on starboard and beginning to move on the mark, Jack was off to the right and appeared to be stuck, I kind of forgot Mike and Doug figuring they were back there somewhere. Curt made the mark first and then Jack caught some invisible wind and came across second, well at least I have third…. Then I hear Startbord and here comes Mike on the same wind Jack had and passed me, We both had to tack one more time to squeak by the mark but we did get by. And the same wind that got us by kept us going downwind.

In the mean time, the balance of the fleet died. They could not get to the mark at all, nothing, nada. The four of us just sailed away albeit slowly but steadily away.

John actually hit the mark and had to do a 360 if you can believe that insult to injury but no mind, they were all just sitting there anyway. Doug went home.

Mike and I dueled down to the mark and never got very far from each other. Jack was on Curt like stink on rice but could not close. You have to go where the wind is and that is were Curt was so you simply have to follow.

Mercifully the RC shortened the course to a 2 with a downwind finish. We four were ok with that. But when the second half of the fleet were given the news they looked at the RC like they had 5 heads. No way they wanted to be out there that long, so the RC had them finish at 1.5 laps. Now that is what I call flexibility in a Race Committee. It made sense, the separation between the fleets were at least one leg. So the down wind finish was Curt, Jack, Peter, Mike ( I got lucky on one tack on the 2^nd upwind. I caught it and Mike missed it (all luck) and moved 5 yards ahead, he never got an opportunity to close).

The upwind finishers were, in very slow motion, John, Bruce, Joe , Des.

We were all happy it was over and each of us got a tow home.

Hoping for more wind next week.

peter    ps, I picked up some black sunglasses at John’s that I thought were Mary Lou’s let me know if they are yours.