Pandora mainsail, EP Sails genoa and spinnaker.
TC reports: nothing broken. No collisions. Foot too long. Outhaul two-blocked. Unable to flatten main. Bilge pump running too often and too long. Finished 3rd out of 4.
We had four (4) Alberg 30s racing – Mike Nikolich’s Skybird, Lanny Helm’s Windswept, Pat Seidel’s Laughing Gull and Constance being sailed by T.C. Williams. For the first three (3) hours we averaged 1.4 knots. Around 1100 the powerboaters shook off their Friday night hangovers and came out in force. The Bay was a washing machine with all the wakes. We were all doing 360 degree turns. Sailing? … sure … spent more time trying to doge the wildly swinging boom but there were several times the boom won.
Around noon, Constance and Skybird went left towards the Eastern Shore and Windswept and Laughing Gull went right to Thomas Point. It became clear that going to the Eastern Shore was a winner with Constance making a big gainer by crossing Laughing Gull and Windswept by a half mile. The breeze filled in around 1230 from the south/southeast with a beat to the first mark, R "84". The wind was oscillating 20 degrees which allowed Windswept and Laughing Gull to close Constance. At R "84" all three boats were within boat lengths of each other. The breeze built to 15 knots with a sizeable chop from the south.
The race was won from R "84" to R "80A". Laughing Gull was able to power through the chop while also continuing to point. By the time the fleet got to Black Walnut Point (G 7) the boats were: Laughing Gull, Windswept, Constance and Skybird. We raced up the Choptank and Tred Avon Rivers with spinakers flying. It was a great spinnaker run and reach with the finish at the doorstep of the Tred Avon Yacht Club.
Finishing order: Laughing Gull, Windswept, Constance, Skybird