AYC WNR Series 3 Number 3 on 10 August 2016

Date: 10 August 2016 18:00 till 10 August 2016 20:30
Endpoints: Muller Marine to Muller Marine
Purpose: Racing
Complement: TC, Jacquelin, and Austin Williams, Rick and Annabelle Chambers, Hank Greene, Mark Kostes, and Jonathan Bresler
Weather: S Force 3, Tide flooding. WU
Chart: 12282 Chesapeake Bay Severn and Magothy Rivers

Late leaving the dock. Little time to set up the boat.

Course B3. Ran down the line on port past the boat. As we tacked, Wicked squeezed Laughing Gull up and forced her to tack around. We got under Wicked and tried to force her over early but to no avail. Started close by Wicked a bit to leeward and a bit behind.

Wicked, Skybird, and Second-2-Nun held on starboard tack out to the layline or thereabouts. Laughing Gull got clear of the line, then tacked to port and went far to the right. Argo went up the middle, as we often do. Laughing Gull, Wicked, Skybird, Argo at the first mark. After rounding the first mark, Laughing Gull lost their spinnaker halyard up the mast and had to single-halyard the rest of the race. Took them a remarkably long time to straighten this out. During the operation, Laughing Gull was about dead in the water for an extended period of time.

Messed up the path of the spinnaker guy. Could not raised the spinnaker completely; guy would not come round properly. Had run the guy inside the bow pulpit on starboard, as it should be, but on port ran the guy through the opening between the two port bow pulpit supports. Was able to free the guy from the sail, but required Rick Chamber help to reconnect. Could not hold the sail and operate the shackle both. Rick took the sail while I reconnected. At this point Wicked and Skybird had gained a substantial lead. Neither were flying their spinnakers. Were able to close the gap some on the way out to "B". Rounded "B", and began tacking to fetch "E". Lumpy water kicking the bow far out the water as we rode over some wave crests. Wind was not high, few whitecaps, but had been blowing from the south long enough to create a meaningful sea.

Rounded "E" well ahead of Skybird and Laughing Gull, but well behind Wicked. Messed up the spinnaker again. This time attaching both the guy and the halyard to the clew. Fixed that. Chased Wicked towards the R "8", closing somewhat. TLE'ed just shy of the Chart House.

Finishing order: Wicked, Argo, Skybird, Laughing Gull. Second-2-Nun must have retired at some point.

GPX formatted Track distance: 9.95nm, average speed: 4.8kts, duration: 2:03