Century Club: Jonathan Nepini

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Thursday, April 28, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Thursday Night Racing on Hydra Beast
  • Last upwind leg of the night
  • Doing our best to hold the boat down
  • Had great downwind legs all night

First successful Thursday night of the season (got rained out a couple weeks ago). Crewed on Tommy Birchfield's Mutineer for the first time and had a blast. 15kts of breeze and 180lbs combined crew weight made things pretty interesting for the first two races, but the wind died down a bit for the third and we had our best results of the evening. I've only been out on small boats a few times so I did lots of learning & getting up to speed with the boat. Looking forward to crewing again & pushing the boat faster.

(Photos courtesy of Steven Birchfield)

Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Wednesday Night Race A-3
  • Tonight's crew
  • Pre-start

Another Wednesday in the books. RC put us on a long course, with a reaching start & long upwind & downwind legs. A full crew meant we could carry full sail into the low 20s in the gusts. Our downwind run was a bit tricky, and we had to put in a gybe and an early douse due to shifting winds. We had a few problems & equipment glitches, but still managed a win in our class. Overall a good race.

(Photos courtesy of Steven Birchfield)

Sunday, April 24, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Back Creek Paddle
  • Today's route

Took a quick lap around Back Creek before the SpinSheet crew party to enjoy the summer-like weather.

Friday, April 22, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
First Paddle of the Season
  • Pretty sunset afterwards
  • The vehicle
  • Today's route

Decided to celebrate Earth Day and the gorgeous spring evening by breaking out my paddleboard for the first time this season. First ever solo paddle too. I launched off Leonardtown Wharf and took a quick lap around the top of Breton Bay. Low tide meant super shallow water upstream of the Wharf, so I circled back and stopped by the docks at my alma mater. Treated myself to an ice cream cone afterwards. A fantastic start to my weekend!

Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Smooth Racing, Torn Spinnaker
  • The crew hard at work
  • Pre-start, a nice evening on the water

Today's race was a mix of highs and lows. Much more breeze than was forecasted made for ideal conditions. We worked together well as a crew today and pulled off some clean tacks and mark roundings. We carried a kite on two reaching-ish legs & I got rounded up on one of them due to a lack of communication between myself and one of our trimmers. Still need to work on my driving under spinnaker. Our kite got a small hole at some point, and blew out spectacularly on the hoist for the last leg. A costly race for our skipper...

(Photos courtesy of Steven Birchfield & Polly Traynham)

Friday, April 15, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Friday Evening J/33 Cruise
  • Great sunset colors back at the dock
  • Yours truly taking a turn at the helm

Went out on a friend's J/33 for a relaxing evening cruise. The air was pretty heavy and we sailed the boat conservatively. I got to take a turn at the tiller and I must say I'm a little jealous - it really is a great boat. 

Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Wednesday Night A-1
  • Big crew
  • Drag race to the finish

First Wednesday night race of the season. We had a very full boat, including a few talented newcomers. Our rival boat was out and we had some close, action-packed racing. We just missed beating them boat for boat, but still won our class on corrected time. I drove and Steve called tactics and handled foredeck. Continuing to work on crew coordination & speeding up tacks and mark roundings.

(Photos courtesy of Steven Birchfield & Polly Traynham)

Sunday, April 10, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Spring Invitational - Big Breeze
  • Running under a reefed main & genoa
  • Flying downwind to the finish

Right back out on the water on the heels of Saturday's distance race. Heavy air resulted in few competitors, and sticking around for a second race let us snag a win for the day. Steve helmed and I trimmed headsails, and we performed pretty well despite the conditions. Hoping for some warmer weather soon!

(Photos courtesy of Polly Traynham)

Saturday, April 9, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Little Choptank Race
  • Great Saturday on the bay
  • Floating along in almost no breeze

First distance race of the season. A true tour of all points of sail and wind conditions, from ghosting along in nearly no breeze to a brief 18kt blow. I was at the helm and got lots of practice stringing together wind lines in light air. A little chilly to be out all day, but still a great way to spend a Saturday. 

(Photos courtesy of Steven Birchfield)

Sunday, April 3, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Heavy Air Frostbites #4
  • Just before reefing
  • Things got a little sporty at times

SMSA Frostbites #4, the final race in the series. Some strange shifts caught the fleet at the start, followed by heavy air conditions for the rest of the race. The crew managed to put in a reef while underway after my helm became unmanageable for the upwind leg, and we pulled off some of the best speeds I've seen from the boat recently. We had a couple of brand new sailors out for their first ever ride on a sailboat and they certainly got an adventure!

We ended up taking 7th overall for the series, which did come as a bit of a disappointment, but I'm hoping we can work together as a team better and improve as the season progresses.

(Photos courtesy of Steven Birchfield & Polly Traynham)

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