AYC WNR Series 1 Number 1 on 24 April 2019

Date: 24 April 2019 18:00 till 24 April 2019 20:30
Endpoints: Yacht Haven Annapolis to Yacht Haven Annapolis
Purpose: Racing
Complement: Dave Butta, Rick Chambers, and Jonathan Bresler
Weather: Force 2 from the NW, fading and dying. Slack water turning to flood. High 70's
Engine Hours: 194.6 to 195.5
Chart: 12282 Chesapeake Bay Severn and Magothy Rivers

Course: A2.
Time limit: 2020.
Sails: Interrupt mainsail, Tatus II genoa and spinnaker. Light tension on main outhual, main halyard, vang, and genoa halyard. Upwind main sheeted in well and traveler to windward.

Spinnaker start uncontested. Able to sail freely back and forth above the line, timing runs and waiting to start. LinGin under motor well after preparatory signal trying to reach the starting area. Saw Erik and Shannon Dahl on their Alerion 28 hanging around the start area, once they called out to me.

Started with spinnaker up on starboard tack near the pin. About 15(?) seconds late to start. Rick said that we timed the start well, that due to the flukey air it was difficult to time well. Whitecap and Ronin (both Cal 25's) crossed the starting line markedly ahead. LinGin started about 40(?) yards behind. Headed downwind to the "A" mark, aiming about 10 degrees high of the mark. Moving around 3.0kts per GPS. Showing four or five knots of apparent wind nearly aft. Ronin and Whitecap both choose higher (hotter?) angles for their downwind runs. LinGin choose to fly jib and main, no spinnaker. Made distance on LinGin continuously despite (because of?) the light winds.

Passed Ronin about or before the "A". Nearly caught up to Whitecap at the turning mark "D". Flooding current and nearly dead breeze resulted in us being set toward the mark. Was able to steer to miss the mark by kicking the stern around and away from the mark. Passed within two feet, perhaps a foot, of the mark. Bobby Frey and the Race Committee on Trig were watching closely to see what would happen. Rick rather impressed that we were able to avoid touching the mark.

LinGin did not make it to the leeward mark, retired early.

Slow sail at about 3.0kts upwind. Sailing close hauled at 40 degrees to the apparent wind. All weight(bodies) to leeward. Moving well considering the wind available. Finally, the wind died completely with us about 0.9nm from the end of the shortened course, R "8". Still 0.8nm to go and making less than 1.0kt at 8PM. Radioed the committee that Constance was retiring.

Finishing order: None finished due to dying breeze. Constance and LinGin started. Laughing Gull, Second-2-Nun, and Skybird did not start.

GPX formatted Track None estimated distance: 3.26nm