Course: A1.
Time limit: 2020.
Interrupt genoa, Interrupt mainsail.
Started at the boat end about five lengths behind LinGin. Mistimed the start. Above, but behind Laughing Gull and Skybird.
Sailed the first leg of the three of the beat on starboard tack. Appeared to be faster though a bit slower than LinGin. At the first tack, both Laughing Gull and Skybird crossed ahead. Don't know if LinGin needed to tack to make the mark or not. Saw as much as 16kts apparent on the this leg.
Cleared the layline while Skybird continued past the layline and Laughing Gull well past. Tacked back to starboard and fell off a bit to close reach to the mark. Skybird crossed close ahead of us, close enough that we altered course a bit to windward to make sure of clearance.
Set spinnaker immediately after the mark rounding. Perhaps should have gybed to port first. Gybed the spinnaker to port and started chasing Skybird to the R"8". Laughing Gull was behind and below our line. Held off Laughing Gull, but failed to catch Skybird at the R"8". Dropped the spinnaker smoothly, a bit early, without drama, before the R"8".
Immediately hardened up well to close reach into the harbor, sailing above Skybird with a Viper 640 (PHRF 99) Hauling Asp between us, and Laughing Gull trailing behind. Both Skybird and Laughing Gull were slower to drop spinnaker. Our earlier douse may have been to our advantage. The speed loss going above a beam reach was negligible and we were able to sail a higher course to keep clear to windward of both Hauling Asp and Skybird. Took about 2/3rds of the reach to SC"1" for Hauling Asp to move clear ahead. She may have passed to windward of SC"1". In the last couple boat lengths before the mark, fell off a bit to leave SC"1" to port as required by the sailing instructions as noted by the crew. At the point, Laughing Gull was quite close behind, less than boat length, perhaps half a length. Hit speeds of 5+kts on this leg.
Sailed directly through the mooring field to the clear water beyond while Laughing Gull tacked to starboard earlier. Upon reaching the mid-point of the clear water beyond the mooring field, tacked to starboard, carried that tack all the way to the docks on the Eastport side of Spa Creek, crossing ahead of the fleet.
Tacked back to port to head for the line. Moving slowly now in much diminished winds in this area of the harbor. More than ghosting, perhaps force 2 at this point. A Harbor 20 (PHRF 210), Yellow Jacket on port tack ahead of us finished, as did we. Yellow Jacket was running out of room at the pier, in part due to the committee boat being tied up at the end of the pier in place of entering a slip or positioning itself off the course. Yellow Jacket tacked to starboard directly in front of us after we finished. Seeing that they would not clear, Yellow Jacket tacked back to port, now moving quite slowly due to the two tacks. Attempted to fall off due to her attempted cross, gently collided with Yellow Jacket's stern just inboard of the portside corner. Moving at 1.7kts at this time per the GPX file at time 19:10:39. Or perhaps at 2.7kts in the timestamp just before. Should have been driving from the low side. Rich Wyles on Laughing Gull asked what was Yellow Jacket doing. They had tacked directly in front of Laughing Gull earlier in the harbor.
Crossed the line ahead of the rest of the fleet, winning the race and the series.
Finishing order: Constance, Laughing Gull, Skybird, Kawahai, and LinGin . Evidently, LinGin missed the announcement of the race committee changing course from A2 to A1. All other fleets sailed A2, this night.
GPX formatted Track . Estimate distance: 2.96nm, estimated average speed: 4.5kts , estimated duration: 0:39