Course: A3
Current: As much as 0.4kts of ebbing current during the race at the Annapolis (8575512) Naval Academy.
Sails: Elliott/Pattison Sailmakers 169LP genoa and Interrupt main. EP Sails spinnaker. Backstay at 3.

All new crew. No crew aboard that knows how to do bow. I was late in deciding to use this race to start teaching Eric how to do bow. As a result, I lost track of time, while on the bow setting up spinnaker sheets and bag with him, and we were well away from the line at the start. Had to sail upwind and tack twice to reach the pin. Started far behind Argo and the Cal 25's.

Albe to setup and raise the spinnaker without drama, albeit somewhat slowly due to the time between the individual steps and lack of familiarity. Ran downwind chasing Argo and the Cal 25's while looking for Mark "E" on a broad reaching course. Constant trimming was proving a bit more demanding than Eric anticipated; he was flagging a bit at the end of the run, sitting while trimming.

There was a mark to port, more so than expected. Scanned the horizon carefully and repeatedly for another mark, but there was none thereby confirming that the single mark had to be Mark "E", out turning mark. Watched as the Cal 25's ahead of us gybed to fetch the mark. Argo continued on towards the channel. We gybed after talking through the manuever three times...no drama. After our gybe, Argo as well. Our course to the mark was a broad reach with the Windex on the tab, while for Argo, the course was a beam reach or a bit tighter. Reached Mark "E" just behind Argo and overlapped with Ronin, a Cal 25. Dropped the spinnaker on the way into the mark after talking through the process three times. A bit of drama as Fred tied to haul in on the sheet by hauling in the bitter end rather than the working end, and as he tried to bring the spinnaker down aft of his body at the aft end of the cabin. Got those two errors straightened out easily enough.

Hauled in the mainsheet to turn the boat upwind at the turning mark with Ronin hot on our tail, indeed only a couple feet off the stern. Dropped the pole on the deck after some discussion. I failed to cover the pole in the take down instructions. Mea culpa. Rolled out the genoa, trimmed in and started the beat back on port tack, somewhat behind Argo and several boat lengths to leeward. On the port board, we had speed on Argo, moving into a bow-out position and a bit closer. Expect that this was due to feathering up in the gusts, trading excess wind energy for distance to windward by luffing the telltails (not the sail) shed energy and climbing to windward before heading off as the wind gust eased. Crossed by four J/30 's on way to R"4", including Mondial, the of the four.

Tacked over to starboard with Argo covering. Headed for the southwestern shore of the Severn till the wind started to head us and become a bit lighter.

Tacked back to port, unfortunately and unintentionally into a covering position over a Annapolis Sailing School Tartan 245 . Argo tacked to cover at some point. Don't know when. Driving from the low side. Very good visibility of the genao telltails and able to look up the main at its telltails as well. Only the luff of the main hidden from view. Need to experiment with this driving position more. Was able to feather up and clear R"4" by less than a boat length, on the way into the mark, it was looking rather doubtful. Carried port tack well into the Naval Academy mooring field. iNavX proved valuable in reassuring us of sufficient depth of water. Between R"4" and most of the way to R"8", till we started to enter the mooring field at the Academy, we were able to sail just as fast as the J/30 Mondial (PHRF 144).

Tacked to starboard and able to clear to R"8". Wind getting shifty and more so as we closed Eastport. Met up with the Annapolis Sailing School Tartan 245 at R"8", as well a Mondial, and perhaps a few more J/30 's as well including Suzie Q. Tacked to port just before hitting shoal water off Eastport and headed for the Academy faced with very shift winds. Argo went all the way to the seawall before tacking to starboard, sailed out of the breeze a bit, or at least that was the consensus aboard Constance. So we tacked earlier, right after crossing an unidentified J/30 . (Mondial? One Love?).

Able to clear SC"1" but not by much, "near able to lick that buoy like an ice cream cone" (less than a yard), with Ronin immediately to weather of us. Ended up faster than Ronin finishing ahead of them. Near closehauled all the way to the finish. Wind headed us about 10* a couple boats lengths before the finish causing us to close the docks on the Eastport side a bit more than preferred. Finished second, about 100 yards behind Argo, about the same distance as the port tack board from Eastport to the seawall.

Finishing order: 247, 262. Did not compete: 158, 272, 550.

T2P.tv video.

GPX formatted track Distance: 5.43+nm, estimated average speed: 4.3kts, estimated duration: 1:15+