Course:A2
Sails: Elliott/Pattison Sailmakers
169LP genoa, Interrupt spinnaker, and Pandora main. Backstay at 3.
Started at the boat end of the line. Slightly late to start. Eric suggested that we keep the speed up. I should have, as we started about ten seconds late. Immediately prior to the start, came up on Ronin from astern and past her to weeward, sailing right through her lee, within a boat length or less, on momentum. Rinn Duin started at the pin end.
Held starboard tack to within a few boat lengths of R"4", then tacked to port. Threaded the ORC1 fleet returning under spinnaker from their turning mark on course A5. Next up where the J/105's, under spinnaker, returning from the windward mark of R"2". At this time, Ronin was to leeward, about 5 boat lengths and moving a bit more slowly. Rinn Duin was considerably farther away on the starboard quarter.
On the way to the turning mark, we either lost some height on the mark or were forced to a slightly lower line by the changing breeze. Either way, we arrived at the turning mark about two boatlengths (per the GPX track) low of the mark. Turned up and shot the mark (22 seconds upwind!) with less than five feet to spare, turning and pivoting the stern away from the mark. Good lead over Ronin, a quarter mile or more.
No experienced bow aboard. We had talked through the spinnaker setup before the start. Put the plan into action over the course of about six minutes (based on boat speed changing from ~3.5kts to 5.0+). Clean hoist. No drama. I forgot to mention placing the guy in the outboard end of the spinnaker pole. Caught the error as we started to prefeed the spinnaker.
Good run to R"8". Ronin under spinnaker the entire way, no appreciable delay in their hoist, was unable to close the gap between us. Quiet, controlled douse. Came up to course for the next mark, "1SC" and rolled out the genoa. A bit off the wind so that the genoa trimmer had to trim the genoa rather than me steering to a genoa fixed in close hauled position.
Skittish winds in the creek. Sailed to the finish, six minutes ahead of Ronin and thirteen minutes ahead of Rinn Duin. Corrected over the Annapolis School of Sailing Tartan 245 from four minutes behind to 53 seconds ahead. The other two boats, a BC27 and a Frers 33, remain a minute and four minutes ahead on corrected time.
Crew did a wonderful job of shifting weight from the rail to the cabin top centerline and back, as needed, based upon the heel of the boat.
GPX formatted track . Distance: 3.52nm, average speed: 4.0kts, duration: 0:53