Rock and Roll

(aka Shearwater Twilight)

Well it started with nearly ideal racing conditions.   Wind out of the south at 14-15 at the start with a flood current.  Started at Tolly, then to ‘H’ off Thomas Pt, ‘E’ on the eastern shore, ‘B’ up by the bridge and back to Tolly.  Estimate about 15 miles total.

We started with the #1.  Swell changed down from the #1 to #2 with 5 minutes to go.  Didn’t seem to help them though.  Ducks went right on the first leg.  We skinned by the fish trap, sailed right up to and a little past the Fishing Creek daymark, tacked to port and had Thomas Pt light right in our sights.  Current pushed us a little left and, thanks to Scott and John, we tacked back to starboard exactly on the layline to ‘H’.  Lazy Ethel had gone left with great speed and crossed Swell just before Thomas Pt.  The rounding at ‘H’ and ‘E’ was Ducks, Ethel and Swell.  We set the chute on stbd pole at ‘E’ and headed north DDW.  Wind piped up to 20 plus, gusting to 26-28.  We changed down to the #2 on the run.  We jibed to get left to ‘B’.  Had a few near broaches as we got close .  When we had less than ¼ mile to go to ‘B’ we got smashed with a wicked gust and rounded DOWN, broached, jibed the main and had a real @#%&* mess.   We let the guy run, pulled the chute in, jibed the main back and made our  rounding at ‘B’. 

Ethel did not set a chute.  Swell did and passed them easily.  It was a one tack beat on port from ‘B’ to the finish at Tolly.  Very bumpy and WET.  Scott and Richard got soaked on the rail but hung in like troopers.  We blasted with the #2, logging high 5s and low 6s on the speedo. 

It was a GREAT race, even though conditions went from near ideal to a little gnarly.  Swell was second, then Ethel – followed by Finesse and Pussycat.  Somewhere along the course Catawampus bailed and took a DNF.