Course: 080*; 0.8nm from 38* 57.9787N x -076* 25.9945W. Two laps with windward offset and gate...same configuration as the NOODs.
Sails: Elliott/Pattison Sailmakers 169LP genoa and Pandora main. Backstay at 3.
Strong current flowing down the Bay.

Arrived at the start early enough to perform a number of practice tacks and to set, gybe and douse the spinnaker. Practice well needed, as Del is accustomed to doing bow on a J/30 with quite different procedures (!?)

Start delayed from 1100 to 1200 due to lack of wind. Ended up being the wrong choice as the winds weakened from 1100 to 1500. The delay allowed more time for the power boats to surge out of and into Annapolis creating a intense, unsettled sea state, with wakes coming from all directions in quick sucession. These wakes dominated the racing.

Might have been better for the race committee to setup south of Tolly Point as was the case last year. Doing so would have distanced us from the source of the wakes and forced the wakes to cross the shoal to reach the race course.

Two boats, Carnival Lady, 17, and Laughing Gull, 197, got away from the starting line before a series of wakes rolled in from the north. That series, prevented 562, 272, 247, and 262 from starting in reasonable form. Boats were forced to tack at each end of the line to make the start. Both the current and wakes pushed boats down the Bay, away from the line. The lack of wind prevented boats from building enough momentum to counter these effects. We had to tack at the pin end and again at the boat, coming rather close to the boat, in order to clear the line. Windswept, 562, was pushed down onto the pin. We started dead last on starboard tack, after Windswept on port tack.

Windswept tacked to starboard and we started chasing from a position about one boat behind and half a boat above. We were able to sail significantly higher than Windswept without losing much in the way of speed. Given the light winds, we should have footed more. Both Carnival Lady and Laughing Gull were well ahead of the rest of the fleet, sailing on starboard tack, heading for North Shoal off Hackett Point, to flee the current coursing down the Bay. For reasons unknown, Argo and Rinn Duin chose to head out into the Bay, into the thick of the current. Perhaps trying to flee the wakes? Unknown.

Windswept tacked to port early, well before reaching the line upon whicih Carnival Lady and Laughing Gull had tacked to port. We continued to the left, seeking to get onto the line of Carnival Lady and Laughing Gull and find a bit of flatter water in which to tack. While on this tack, took the opportunity to introduce Fred to the Vion Mini Morin 2000 hand bearing compass to take a bearing on the windward mark and compare that to our heading.

Tacked over to port after more than 20 minutes on starboard tack headed for North Shoal off Hackett Point. Overstood; misjudged the amount that we would be swept down the Bay by the current. Overstood the windward mark deliberately, not tacking till the mark was 10 yards off, abeam the port quarter, in an attempt to ensure that we would be able to fetch the mark. Needed nearly all the extra room overstanding provided. Arrived at the mark well ahead of both Windswept and Argo.

Delayed furling the genoa and spinnaker work till we rounded the offset mark. Needed all the power that could be gained from the wind to fetch the offset.

Rounded the offset and headed down Bay. Took a while to get the spinnaker hoisted. Del is accustomed to doing bow on a J/30 and needed to consider each move in order to handle spinnaker on Constance. Once set, we gybed quite soon onto port tack. Bounced our way to the Bay to the gate that had been set up. Committee choose to end the race at the gate, thank goodness.

Very difficult and trying to sail downwind. Spinnaker was continually starting to fill with what little wind there was and being emptied by the violence of the wakes. Mainsail was going from fully ahead of the boom (normal position) to fully behind the boom in mirror image of the desired shape. Had Zeus leaning against the boom to prevent it from being thrown toward the cockpit.

Finished in third, having passed Windswept, Argo and Rinn Duin with no chance of catching either Carnival Lady or Laughing Gull.

Carnival Lady sailed with the new EP Sails genoa purchased by RJ Bay for the 2023 Hammond Memorial Race and a new(?) spinnaker.

Track started late by 0.2nm.
GPX formatted track Distance: 7.81nm, estimated average speed: 4.2kts, estimated duration: 1:51