Sailing into the storm
Chasing down our competition
Due to a last-minute first aid issue on the race committee boat I was placed in charge of Barba Roja for the evening. We had to tack into the start and bled a lot of speed, and light conditions made it difficult to make up for lost time. The wind shut off almost completely at the windward mark, and we debated retiring due to the impending weather. We stuck it out, and the wind finally filled in. Had to gybe at the mark to negotiate a right of way situation, and very briefly got a spinnaker up before the wind clocked too far forward. The wind continued to clock over the course of the final leg, until we were pushed slightly below the mark by the time we got there. Put in two quick tacks, crossed the line, and got the boat put away quickly before the storm really hit. We also managed to beat the boat that boxed us out at the windward mark.
The crew did a great job of correcting mistakes and working together to manage boat speed in difficult conditions.
(Photos courtesy of Steven Birchfield)