Hard to believe there's only a month left in the Wednesday night season. Light and fluky conditions today, and RC set a short course to accomodate. Very tidy racing but we found ourselves on the wrong side of the course on the upwind leg. A perfect spin set and gybe by our foredeck Wulfe. Now we're getting into the territory where the boat handling is going well and its the big-picture strategy that will require more of our attention.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
A huge fleet of spin boats descending on the finish
Monday, August 21, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
The Monday night fleet
A smaller group today for the Monday night paddle, but pleasant conditions nonetheless. Joe, Jess, and Ben joined. A nice ride up towards McIntosh Run and back.
Sunday, August 20, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Took a quick morning sail to show my brother the new boat. Light but puffy conditions made for a lot of work for me to keep the boat going. Sailed out to Mattapany and flew a spin back to Solomons. Michael really enjoyed the boat and I'm sure we'll get to spend lots of time on it together.
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
The meatball on course
Out racing today on my boat, which through a line of joking around has picked up the name "Spicy Meatball". Heavy conditions to start made for a sporty first race, and I kept it conservative with the start and focused on keeping the boat on her feet. Conditions let off as time went on and we were able to fly a spin in the second race. Not remotely competitive yet but I had a blast and I'm looking forward to learning as time goes on.
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
The fleet reaching back under spinnakers
Light-ish conditions set us up for a triangle course today. Stayed in the mix on the upwind leg, but lost ground to the asymmetric boats on the two reaching legs. 5/6 so not a fantastic finish but nonetheless a beautiful day to be out there getting it done!
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
No pictures, but a big day in my sailing life. On Sunday I purchased my first boat, a 1977 Chrysler Buccaneer. I bought the boat from local Bucc expert Jimmy Yurko, and while the hull is old it has lots of great custom upgrades and usability improvements.
Took her out for a quick shakedown in almost no wind. Spent some time learning how to rig the boat and making a punch list of immediate needs before racing her Thursday.
I'm so excited to get her out racing and to be able to go sailing on my own terms in addition to my frequent keelboat sailing!
Saturday, August 12, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Sunbeams at sunset
Out with some friends this evening on Knot Enuf. Happened upon the Barba Roja and swung by to say hi to Steve & Ana. Took a long close reach out into the Bay and back. I got seasick which is unusual for me, but exhaustion and 3-5ft rollers on the beam weren't doing me any favors. Felt better when we got back into the river and caught a beautiful sunset. Nice way to extend my leisure time after getting home from vacation.
Thursday, August 10, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Paddling into the sunset
Took a quick paddle at sunset while in OC on vacation this week.
Thursday, August 3, 2023 to Sunday, August 6, 2023
Number of days:
4 days
The race crew
In the pre-start
Yours truly taking a turn at the helm
Moonrise over the Bay
Dewey and I collecting the silver on behalf of the crew
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!
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Flying a spin at the finish
A nice light Wednesday race. Sailed the boat 3 up, and had a pleasant race to a mid-pack finish. Got to practice a spin gybe after the race. Getting tuned up for Gov Cup this weekend.