Running the boat pretty light with a crew of 4 today for the SMSA Spring Invitational. Conditions weren't horrific like they were yesterday, but were still strong, and RC decided to run races in the Bay. The first race was a triangle course around government marks. We started with a broad reach under spinnaker, and worked hard to keep the boat composed and going fast. We responded quickly in the gusts and saved her from rounding up several times. The upwind leg started out somewhat reasonable but built to pretty mighty conditions and 5 foot swells by the time we rounded the next mark. Our run back to the finish was very quick despite our deciding not to put up the spinnaker, and we surfed the boat to over 12 knots on one wave. We hung around for a while as RC set up the second race, and conditions continued to be very stiff. By the time we started, conditions were so heavy we had to pull down the #3 to maneuver to the start, and after a brief consideration of retiring I convinced Dewey to stick it out and run the race. We got on course, got the headsail back up, and got back in the game. Puffy conditions prevailed as we got into the river, and it was a real fight to keep the boat under control and making good speed. The crew was pretty tired by the time we rounded the last mark, so we kept the spin down going to the finish. We managed a strong third place of 8 boats. The whole crew definitely had to earn it today! Glad we stuck it out and finished the second race.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Powered way up on a broad reach
Working hard out on the Bay
Draped over the rail like laundry and still not holding her down!
Reaching under spinnkaker
Tonight's crew
SMSA Wednesday Night Race A-1. Glad to be back out here on weeknights. Conditions started off moderate, and RC set us up for a 3 lap W/L race. Got off a relatively decent start, and sailed a clean upwind leg. Rounded and got started setting the spin, and had to skirt the shallows to avoid running aground. The wind fell off significantly during the downwind leg, and we had a slow douse and rounding. RC shortened course to 3 legs, and we slowly finished upwind. A mid-pack finish, but a good learning day for all our newer crew and a nice pleasant evening on the water.
Spotted the "Laser Bros" out for an afternoon sail
Out on Dangerous for some skill building before the start of Wednesday nights. Ran all around the river and did a bunch of sets and douses to tighten up our spin work and get a new foredeck started. I worked the mast and did a little coaching to get him up to speed. Great weather and a great day on the water to get tuned up as the racing season gets going.
Obligatory picture with Hooper's in the background
Out on Dangerous for a practice day to do some spin work with my brother and some newer crew. Very light conditions to start built nicely into 10-12 on the Bay. Sailed a couple long upwind tacks, then realized we were close enough that we might as well sail to Hooper's. Did our usual rounding and set up for a spinnaker run back. Rounded the lighthouse again, put in a couple gybes, and rode the spin most of the way back up to the Patuxent. Found our friend on Lexicon heading in at the same time as us and flew by for some pictures of each other. A great day out on the water and some good practice to get ready for Wednesday nights.
Getting ready for the start
Got a last-minute invite to take the helm of Elysium, a friend's J/33 and probably my favorite boat, for SMSA Frostbites #4. With a pretty light crew and winds in the high teens we started with a reefed main and old Dacron #2. Sailed a strong downwind leg, followed by a long and relatively unsuccessful beat. Despite my best efforts, my lack of helm time on the boat and the tired sail plan led to a pretty slow upwind leg. We shook out the reef and did our best to catch up on the next downwind leg, followed by another beat to the finish. Caught an awful 90 degree shift right at the end and dunked half the crew's shoes in the water, but recovered quickly and finished the race. Not my best effort on the helm, but I still had a ton of fun running the boat and getting some more experience.
Powered up at the start
St. Patrick's Day and SMSA Frostbites #3. Out on the BR, where the always-intrepid Steve thought to bring bagpipes to play at the start. Nice racing conditions, and I trimmed headsails for a largely upwind course. We rolled across the finish line with Steve playing "Low Rider" on the bagpipes for entertainment. A great way to celebrate the holiday.
The Saturday crew
Afternoon sail on the Barba Roja after finishing up at SMSA clean-up day. Consistent good breeze led us to a course out towards the Bay, but after a little while beating into chilly sea breeze got less appealing so we turned around to sail to the bridge instead. A great daysail, followed by a great evening of people watching on a friend's boat that's currently on the hard.
Heading back into Solomons
A quick after-work cruise on Knot Enuf to enjoy the beautiful weather. Took a casual course out in front of Solomons and back. I drove for much of the outing, and we all had a nice picnic dinner and a relaxing sail. Looking forward to more of this!
The Dangerous crew getting it done!
A fantastic spring-like day out on the water out on Dangerous for SMSA Frostbites #1. The forecast ended up being a bit better than anticipated in terms of wind, with 5-8kts all afternoon. We got out early to get some practice in and get dialed before the race. We ran the boat with 6 today, which worked very well and is someting to continue to experiment with this season. RC put us on a nice course, with a couple reaching legs and a beat. We did well with the details and managed to squeeze out a third-place finish, our best result in a frostbites race to date. Looking forward to another great season ahead!
Working out the cobwebs on Dangerous
Evening cruise on Barba Roja
Out for two sails today, a pretty good way to spend my Saturday if I do say so myself.
First sail was on Dangerous for a tune-up prior to the first frostbites race next week. We put up both of the headsails and did lots of practice tacks and maneuvers to get a feel for the boat and shake off the cobwebs. Shifty conditions allowed for lots of tweaks and tuning. We tried having me as a main trimmer which had some merit, but does crowd the already very busy cockpit. Further experimentation required.
Second sail was on Barba Roja. We took a quick cruise out to the Bay and up to the bridge. On the way back we inadvertently knocked a cup overboard, which led to an impromptu, and ultimately unsuccessful, retrieval effort. Good MOB practice!
A great, full day out on the water, hopefully one of many more to come this year.