Took one of my turns on RC and helped with the mark boat on account of the persistently heavy conditions and not wanting to race in heavy air for the fourth race in a row. Enjoyed a great view of the fleet and a relaxing evening helping out with the race.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Moving out under spinnaker
Great breeze for tonight's race, and RC set an appropriately long course to take advantage. The highlight of the race was a long, fast spinnaker run to the bridge, where we were able to make headway on much of the fleet. Our performance suffered going back upwind, and despite a nice second spinnaker run to the finish we managed a 4th.
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
After several days of extraordinary breeze, conditions settled finally and I had a relaxing evening paddle in near-glass conditions out to Drum Point and back.
Monday, June 10, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route (no picture of the sheep, sadly)
A relaxing Monday night paddle off Clarke's Landing. We explored some coves, and met a goat farmer at the back of a cove, who introduced us to her little flock of hair sheep. Not an experience I expected to have on the water!
Sunday, June 9, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Full send on the Meatball
Yesterday's wind stuck around for the Dinghy Distance Race, and for some reason I decided to race it anyway... Conditions around 20 and sea state to match. RC used the river course, which while better overall resulted in a 7mi beat upwind to the turning mark. I feathered and played the main the whole way north, but it was a challenge balancing speed, likelihood of capsize, and wear on the rigging and sails. Things seemingly settled down on the downwind mark, and after some encouraging from Dewey we decided to set a spin. I was pretty aggressive on the helm, but we still almost capsized in a round up, so close the whole centerboard was out of the water. Dewey heroically saved it somehow, and we went without a spin for a while. Things settled down towards the bridge and we set the spin again for a fast run to the finish. We spun out again about 100 yards from the finish line, and finished under main alone. A wet, physical, demanding day on the water, and not really very much fun, but we survived to sail another day.
Saturday, June 8, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Headed upwind before the breeze got heavy
Sailed the Meatball in the SMSA Spring Smallboat Invitational. The day started moderate, with pleasant breeze and promise of great racing conditions. Most of the first race went off without a hitch, and I was able to get moderate performance out of the boat. At the windward mark on the second leg, the wind kicked up tremendously. I had to really fight to get the nose of the boat down, and after a brief discussion we decided to set a spin, immediately putting the boat on a very hairy plane. I got close to spinning out a couple times, but Dewey kept things just barely in check and I was able to keep the boat upright. Conditions held on the second race, and we were conservative with our calls but did set a spin on both downwind legs. We kept it tight on the second leg and finished within seconds of the top of the fleet in a tight bunch of Buccs. During the second race a Flying Scot went over and was unrecoverable without significant outside help, so RC called off racing for the day. Since we were out anyway we sailed up to the bridge and back.
Friday, June 7, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Sun rays around the Cove Point Lighthouse
Out for a fun sail on Dangerous to celebrate my birthday. Light breeze at the start so we headed out to the Bay and up towards Cove Point to find some wind. We found enough to coast along comfortably, and when we got out realized we could see the Annapolis to Bermuda fleet headed south. After a peek at the Cove Point lighthouse we headed south again, and found big gusty winds as we got towards the river. We took the jib down and sailed in under surprisingly heavy conditions with just the main up. A nice relaxing evening on the water.
Thursday, June 6, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
The meatball powered up
A bit of a challenging day on the water. We got off to a late start after waiting for some storms to clear, and set a short course to get several races in. A big fleet and reasonably big, puffy air made for packed starts, and I had to work hard to keep the boat on a decent course and upright. After a hairy maneuver to avoid a boat that fouled me at the line on the second race, many boats were over early (not me) and a general recall was issued. A better start the next time around, but I just didn't feel like I could put it together today, and our results reflected that. Hoping to put on a better showing at the weekend's events.
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
A nice spinnaker reach
Headed out for the Wednesday night race under the possible threat of storms. Made it to Molly's Leg, before getting a good weather tip from J Ray. High-tailed it back to the harbor, and watched the line of downpour arrive at us just before we got the boat tied up. It lasted about 5 mintues and then cleared right out. We got the boat re-rigged and made it out just in time to start the race. A strange start line setup resulted in a funky start, but we got going and made good progress upwind. We suffered on the reach as a result of our choice of the #3 given variability to the forecast, but made do and set a spin on the downwind. The second upwind went similarly well, and we finished on a slow reach. 4/4 B fleet boats today so not a great finish but nice to be back out there after a bit of a hiatus and much better conditions than we expected to see.
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
A quick sunset paddle from SMSA to Zanheiser's after an evening of trailer work. Got to check out a few competitor boats and enjoy the view.