Endurance Contest

(aka EYC One Design Classic 2007)

The weather forecast said it would blow..  and blow it did!  The wind was quite variable though.  Direction oscillated all day from 345 to 025 degrees and strength varied from 8 to 20 knots.  Current was not a factor, being either slack or flooding slightly.

When Ducks arrived at the rendezvous, the wind was blowing 14 to 16 knots.  We put up the #2, sailed upwind for awhile and decided that would be our headsail.  However, as it got closer to start time, the wind laid down to 11 to 13 knots.  We agonized for awhile but eventually made the switch to the #1 genoa.

EYC banged off 3 races in rapid succession, each one identical; twice around, windward leeward, with ¾ mile legs.  They did shift a weather mark on the second beat of one race, though they probably didn’t really need to.  It seemed that the key in each race was to get right as soon as you could.  The left side paid off a few times but it was mostly the right side that worked.  There was also a consistent starboard tack lift just below the weather mark, which made it very easy to overstand on port tack.  Ducks overstood both times in the first race and John Anderson, on Swell, did not.  So even though we set the chute on both downwinds and John did not, we couldn’t quite reel him in.  John did have a scare right before the finish of the first race, however, when a J24 took him up hard, slowing him down enough so that Ducks almost caught him.  First race; Swell, Ducks then Jolly Mon.

In the second race Ducks concentrated on not overstanding.  Most of this race Jolly Mon and Ducks were very, very close.  After the second windward mark rounding Julian was leading but Ducks had a smoother chute set and managed to squeak barely ahead.  With about 200 yards to the finish Jolly Mon found a burst of speed and pulled back ahead by ¾ of a boatlength.  Then, with 50 yards to go, disaster struck!  Jolly Mon’s spin sheet snapshackle popped open after snagging on a shroud. Ducks couldn’t believe their luck as we pulled back even.  Jolly Mon’s jib flew up the forestay to regain the power lost by the flapping spinnaker.  On Ducks we could not tell who crossed first, it was that close!  The RC called “near boat”, which was us.  What a race!  Second race; Ducks, Jolly Mon and Swell.

Third race, more of the same.  Ducks got ahead early and stayed there.  No close work in this race.  Order of finish: Ducks, Jolly Mon and Finesse.

After the third race EYC was ready to send us back out for another race.  We polled all 8 boats, resulting in an almost unanimous consensus of “enough – we’re pooped”.  Unanimous, except for Julian, and he was quickly beaten into submission by his crew!

Crew work was key in these races.  We all know that it’s the crews that make the boats go.  On that note, I would like thank my crew of John, Scott and Dave for their clean, smooth execution of every tack, jibe, set and drop.