Sails: Pandora mainsail and new 169LP genoa and EP Sails spinnaker.
Event: 2023 NASS Race to Oxford
Course: 19.1nm R"2" start; R"14" to starboard; R"10" to port; G"9" to starboard; R"80A" to starboard; finish at R"84"
Results: Constance, Skybird, Laughing Gull. Did not complete: Argo, Firestorm.
Left the house at 0530. Switched cars to Lisa Finney's at Butler's Marina in Annapolis. Arrived at 0735 in Oxford for 0800 dock time.
After yesterday's very challenging race, Firestorm and Argo chose to skip the day, particularly as the forecast was stated to be thunderstorms all day. In the end, there were none. Laughing Gull started behind Constance and Skybird just to have three start so that it would be possible to have a CBYRA High Point race, repeating the actions of Laughing Gull in the 20126 Race to Rock Hall.
Very nice start on starboard. Headed away from the line, tacked at ~2:20 to the start, slowed the boat, accelerated at ~0:20 and started just a few seconds after the gun at the boat end. Skybird started at the pin end.
Some discussion aboard about whether or not the Choptank River Light was a mark of the course. Crew clear that it was not; I was under the impression that it was in prior years. Either way we left the light to starboard. The crew was right. Skybird was considerably upstream, perhaps as much as 600 yards. We were able to open distance on Skybird from the start to the light by sailing a lower faster course. Began raining on the way to the light, full foul weather gear. After the light, hardened up 20*, as we were both the lead boat of the fleet and the leeward boat of the fleet. The new course took us to R"14", as required. In doing so, rode each wind shift up as much as possible while trying not to pinch when the wind clocked a bit southward. In the end, we were able to make the mark, R"14", without problems, particularly as we had both a shift in our favor and a modeest increase in strength in the final 200 yards to the mark. Rounded the the mark with Orion, a Hanse 371 immediately below us, between us and the mark. ~50 minutes for the 3.1nm to R"14".
Rounded R"14" and continued a bit under genoa and main for a bit. Raised spinnaker immediately after Skybird, some ten lenghts behind us, did so. Had the spinnaker prepared and ready to go, waiting for their action. In the light wind, now force 2 clocking southward and veering back to the east, we sailed the 6nm to R"10". Wind dropped out 1nm before R"10" about 1106, as it does in the late mornings in the Bay. Ghosted along to R"10", rounding an hour later, after switching to genoa, to spinnaker, to genoa, to spinnaker, trying to take the best advantage of the slight breezes that arose from a variety of directions from east to southwest. Rounded in the vicinity of Orion. A US Navy, J/105, Constellation was able to catch us, sail over us to windward and sail away in these very light breezes despite our best efforts. J/105's have PHRF handicap rating ~90. Great patience and perservence exhibited by everyone aboard to keep racing and to do so cheerfully despite the conditions and the memory of 2019 Hammond. By now the sun had come out and we vere cooking, nonetheless, folks remained cheerful, exchaning banter with the crew aboard Orion and Contellation as Contellation passed us by.
Course was shortened to G"9".
The next 1.6nm from R"10" to G"9" took another two hours. Five hours into the race, the mark boat at G"9" called over VHF to the Alberg 30 fleet, the only fleet with no boat finishing so far. Time limit for the first boat to finish was 6 hours. We responded that "we're still racing and 0.8nm out". Our lead over Skybird grew and shrank, ending up at about 1nm or some 20 minutes. In the couple hundred yards we were able to draw ahead and finish a few boat lengths ahead of Orion despite their PHRF rating of ~130 vs ours of ~230. Finished at 1354. Skybird finished 1421.
The softer the wind got, the more we would pull ahead of Skybird. Attributing a significant portion of this performance to the difference in the bottoms of Constance and Skybird. Skybird's bottom is rolled bottom paint without any sanding afterward. (Verified on 2023-12-07 with Skybird hauled out at Whitehall Marina.)
Motored back from G"9" to Yacht Haven Annapolis arriving about 1830, about 23nm in 4.5 hours.
GPX formatted track Distance: 11.96nm, estimated average speed: 2.15kts, estimated duration: 5:33