Out on Dangerous for the SMSA Summer Invitational. A pretty experienced crew of 3 for light-ish conditions. RC set up two W/L races out in the Bay. A tight start line made for tight, action-packed starts for both races. Austin coached Dewey and I on some light air tactics and we kept the boat moving pretty well in the conditions. I earned my keep on the bow with four sets and douses. Learned a lot about how to get through that process and managed to do it successfully all four times. We all put in a ton of work getting the boat around the course on two tight, action-packed races. 10th out of 13 so not particularly impressive results but we sailed very well together and got the boat around the course clean and we were all happy with the results.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Tight racing today (Ours is the yellow kite)
Went out with John on the Interlake for Thursday night racing, but once we got out there there was heavy wind and steep chop so John decided to head back in to preserve the borrowed boat. We got the boat up on plane on the way back in.
Returning from my last paddle of the trip
Took my paddleboard with me to Ocean City and was able to log a few days. Windy conditions persisted for much of the trip which made for some interesting trips. On the first night out it was blowing about 20kts and I was able to get the board to surf at tremendous speed downwind. Other trips were slightly more sedate but still pretty sporty. Nice to have a change of scenery and get some days in while I was out of town.
At the helm on the way in
Showed up for Thursday racing with John & Dewey on the Interlake, but once we got out on the course I saw that Steve was without crew and I hopped on with him. Light conditions for the evening, and we got two races in. Reasonable upwind legs, but without a kite we struggled on the downwind legs. I drove for the second race and had fun being back on the helm of one of Steve's boats in the mix of a race.
Look for the yellow kite in the middle of the fleet...
Celebrated my birthday today onboard Dangerous for the first race in Wednesday Night Series B. A crew of 3 and a single W/L lap up to K and back on account of the poor air quality and light-ish wind. Tacked through the middle of the course all the way up to K and had a few interesting crossings. Got established downwind and slowly set a kite. A small hourglass at the beginning but it worked itself out nicely. I worked with Josiah on spin trim, managed a gybe, and we got involved in a tight finish with Diablo and a couple J/70s. Nice to finally get a spin up and get a feel for how well the boat moves downwind under the kite.
Today's route
Took a paddle today off SMSA with Ruby. Showed them the Barba Roja & friends fleet and had a nice chat off Zanheiser's. Followed our paddle with a great dinner at Bugeye Grill & a walk around the island.
Today's route
A sunset paddle this evening to get my mind off things. Calm conditions allowed me to venture out into the river, where I headed north for the first time on a board up to Greenwell State Park. Got to sneak a glance at lots of pretty houses along the river - I picked out my favorite for when I win the lotto! Saw several rays and caught a rather strange hazy sunset due to the wildfires. Great to get my body moving and get out in nature to try and de-stress.
Today's route
Dropped in off SMSA for a paddle around the harbor after showing a perspective member around the club. Took a meandering lap all the way up Back Creek and Mill Creek. Did lots of boat watching, including a close-up look at Pursuit and a brief inspection of a little boat I'd like to buy.
A Dangerous sandwich
Light-to-moderate conditions for the fleet building night. After our recent string of late starts we headed to the line with the mission of within 30 seconds or OCS. We started 35 seconds late so close to goal, but quickly found ourselves sandwiched between two big cruisng boats. We hung with them for a bit until we could get enough clearance to get into fresh breeze. We lured one of them into a hole and tacked back into good air. A nice mark rounding and a tight close reaching leg where we reeled in our rival J/29. A nice beat to the finish and a solid race all around. Jason and I are working better and better together and we're getting into the nitty gritty of what the boat wants for sail trim. Hoping to finish the spin hardware and put a kite up next week!
Today's route
A cool and breezy paddle off Clarke's Landing. Went out towards Myrtle Point to get out of the breeze and did some sightseeing up in the back of the creeks. Spotted a pair of gorgeous Tartan sailboats, plus some herons, osprey, and rays. A good workout heading upwind on the return trip. Glad I chanced it and got out there.