Running to the finish
After Dion cancelled racing on Red Baron due to an unfavorable forecast, John H put out a call to assemble a pirate crew and race on Harm's Way. I joined, along with a mix of Red Baron and new sailors, and we put the boat around the course in heavy conditions, with gusts to 20. With a Naval Academy offshore team alumnus on board calling tactics, we managed a great start and led the fleet to the windward mark. We set a jib top for the ride downhill, and worked hard to defend our position. We decided late in the leg to shake a reef, and experienced some trouble that cost us time and hurt our mark rounding. We clawed some back on the upwind leg, but had additional trouble setting the jib top for the second downwind. Ultimately we pulled off a third place finish despite our setbacks, not bad at all given the circumstances and most of us being very new to the boat.