Well, Wednesday for me was just another day of safe guarding the appropriate use of the federal taxpayers’ funds. Hmmm, does that sound just a little overblown? Okay, the reality is I’m just another faux government hack keeping tabs on the transportation economic stimulus spending program. But Wednesday afternoon about quarter to four I get out of a meeting in Dundee and am faced with the choice of either driving back to downtown Toledo for the last few minutes of the day or heading straight to the boat. Easy choice. So I climb into the car, roll down all the windows and my Subie tells me the outside air temp is 100. I haven’t seen that number show up on the dash display in a while. Once I get moving and a little air flows under the hood the reading drops all the way to 95. At the boat there is barely a breath of air stirring the leaves and the inside of the boat is doing its best impression of a toaster oven. Oh oh, this has the potential to get ugly today. So, what’s to do on a sultry windless day of a race while waiting to see if there are other mad dogs and Englishmen about? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdEnxNog56E Might as well go jogging. On the return leg of my three mile run Jerry Porter slows his truck and asks “Are you feeling okay?” (Nice to know that I appear to be the perfect vision of health when I’m running.) “Well, perhaps a wee bit touched in the head. Do you have a cold beer you can spare?” “No, but I could give you a ride back to the club.” “Thanks, but I’ll make it.” Once back in the shade sitting at the picnic table it’s obvious that the rest of those who have wandered out to the club early aren’t too eager to induce any sweat-related activities. It’s a slow wind-up to the evening’s race. The wind speed gauge on the boat is trying to decide whether it should read 1.6 or 2.4. Ouch! On the upside it doesn’t look like I will need last week’s light fleece and foul-weather bottoms. Summer has put in an appearance in southeast Michigan.
But about 40 boats eventually all find our way out to the water and what to our wondering eyes should appear but: breeze! Out by the west mark there really is some wind to be found. Eventually we find ourselves in 8 or 9 knots out of about 145 degrees. The boys from Clowns ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5yG1Dy5b4A ) are handling RC duties this evening (thanks guys, it was the most easily readable result sheet of the season so far!), and course #4 is called for, a beat to the South mark, an offwind leg to the North (or Center if you are Jamming it) and then a headsail reach (for most of the right-thinking among the PHRF fleet anyway) back to the West mark finish. Even the Jammers opt to go with headsails on their last leg. (Okay, think about it.)
So once again, in spite of our best laid plans, another nice race ensued. A good weather leg, an offwind leg with the choice of whether to heat up a tad for boat speed or soak down for the best course to the mark (we opted to go as deep as anyone in the fleet and at least got that decision right, using our relatively big chute to catch and/or pass some boats in our class by the North mark) and then there was that reach to the finish. Our decision was not so good there: most of the fleet made the better choice of a headsail soon after the jibe. We opted to hang on to the chute, we were only about 8 or 9 degrees low and with seemingly better boat speed than some of the others early in that leg. The rationale (man I hate rationalizations!) was that we would carry the chute for a while at good speed and then change to the #1 and come up to finish. Eventually the wind lifted just slightly and we were sucked into the (mistaken!) impression that we would be able to carry our chute right up to the committee boat. Sitting on the low side and steering to the breaking luff of the chute, it looked for a while like we might pull it off. However at some point up that leg the break even point was crossed where the headsails started to perform as well as (and even better than) the chutes and our hopes evaporated with that development. Time Machine rolled up from the stern with their big red chute bearing down on us and the two of us entertained ourselves for a while with seeing who could outlast the other on a tight chute reach. We eventually persuaded them that we could hold on as tightly as they could in this particular circumstance and prevented them from rolling us, but I don’t think either one of us did ourselves any large favors in the end.
The first three boats and four of the first five to finish all got guns. Splash Dance led the PHRF C contingent home, followed by Full Tilt in B and Abracadabra in A. Team I Ball snuck in next, sans gun (but with better honors once corrected), and then Rocket Science was the first of the Jammers to lead their pack home. Corrected time results showed that in PHRF, Team I Ball took the overalls with Orange Crate matching suit in JAM. Phrf A went to Fupastank (who?) in 1st with Natural High 2nd and Abra in 3rd. In PHRF B, Team I Ball (the boat is obviously much faster now that there are numbers on the mainsail!) took the win in a fairly handy fashion from Full Tilt in 2nd and the Group on Therapy in 3rd. PHRF C found Splash Dance leading the way with Flak-Bait and Wildcat filling out the podium spots. In JAM A, it was the aforementioned Orange Crate showing their light air prowess with Rocket Science and Breakaway close behind. In JAM B, Aftermath2 showed that school was out for the summer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbNEOJMGFAo&feature=fvst :when I grow up I want to be just like Alice!) with La Chiva and Full Ride in 2nd and 3rd. I wonder if FR had to race with that keg of Blue Moon aboard?
For those of you looking to get away a little this weekend, Saturday is Ford Yacht Club’s and Monroe Boat Club’s annual Port-to-Port Race. This race alternates directions every year and, this being an odd-numbered year, the fleet will gather at MBC to race from our North Mark to FYC. I have attached the Sailing Instructions. If you have never been to Ford, give it some thought. It’s a great and friendly club in a nice remote spot on Grosse Isle. Good restaurant, good bar, and good times! The will provide free overnight dockage for you on Saturday. Give it a try.
So we have had another successful evening rescued from what looked to be less than optimal conditions. Thanks everyone for continuing to participate in our little get togethers that are Wednesday nights at North Cape.
Next week Sandy and I will be away on a family vacation. Hopefully Dar or Michelle or someone will be able to step in to help the scoring program perform its magic and perhaps we can solicit the vocal stylings of Duane (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nd2QK6BIVU ) to announce the results. With luck Foghorn may be out there anyway in the more capable hands of the crew. If they win I probably won’t be allowed back on the boat. Have fun everyone. Sail safe.
Kent
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