Governor's Cup 2023!!! Always a major highlight of my sailing year.
Delivered the boat up to Annapolis under heavy downwind conditions and following seas. Flew a spin 3/4 of the way there until we broached and sucked a little water into the cockpit. Consistent 7kts and the fastest trip to Annapolis I've ever done by boat.
After a restful night at a friend's house in Edgewater and a last-minute electrical repair and bottom cleaning we set out for our big adventure. After fretting about heavy upwind conditions forecasted all week we were instead met with light conditions at the start. We just barely drifted to the line, and set about making the most of light and shifty winds. We favored the western shore for the first few hours of the race to avoid a significant adverse current. We hung close to our main rival Diablo, and eventually passed them. We traded a couple tacks to cover until night fell. After the adverse current never materialized, we made for the rhumb line and sailed down the middle of the Bay around Cove Point. Conditions became very light around midnight in the vicinity of Cedar Point, and we worked hard to keep the boat trimmed correctly and moving. Our work in this part of the race helped us put some distance on our competition. A major shift south of Cedar Point allowed us to carry a spin all the way to our rounding of Point Lookout at sunrise. It was champagne sailing for the rest of the race, with plenty of breeze up the St. Mary's, and an elapsed time just over 18 hours.
Our efforts were rewarded with a second in the PHRF B/C class. I couldn't be happier with the way every member of the crew worked together and talked strategy the whole race and stayed laser-focused on our goal.
Dewey and I delivered the boat back to Solomons Saturday evening and got in during the wee hours of Sunday morning.
I'm already looking forward to next year!
The race crew