Zzzzzz, snort, zzzzzzzzz, mmmmmmm, zzzzzzzzz, huh?, wha?, yeah I’m awake, just let me grab another five minutes and I’ll be right with you, zzzzzzzzz. Still catching up from last weekend’s sleep deprivation.
So I’ve been dreaming that I was sailing on a big lake with a group of strangers, going hull speed on course straight to the fudge island. Yeah, definitely was a dream.
So anyway, I’m just a tad bit tardy with the report of last Wednesday’s race. I think I remember last Wednesday’s race. I was there, operating on a few hours sleep after the Chicago Mackinac Race, so I should be able to fabricate something to write about. I figure nobody ever reads this stuff anyway so whether what I write is true or not is pretty irrelevant. In fact, I could probably just fill these reports with some mindless prattle (what do you mean, that’s what you thought it was?) and nobody will notice. Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
So on to Wednesday in a bit but first allow me to prattle a little about my Mac experience. (Skip ahead to the next paragraph if you don’t have the time or inclination for this). I originally intended to take Foghorn back to the Bayview Mackinac this year. Last year was fast and wet and yet lots of fun. A return trip sounds like a good idea but unfortunately for a variety of reasons it just wasn’t in the cards for 2009. We’ll hope for better in 2010. But a month or so ago, a little too much time spent on the internet’s Sailing Anarchy developed into an opportunity to join a crew from southwest Michigan on a Schock 41. Quick Silver is a 20-year-old IOR boat that the current owner was going to take on his second Mac with the boat. A crew was coming together, Gint(aras), the owner, his two teenage sons, Aras and Vytenis, his good friend and dentist, Vidas (all of the afore are Lithuanians originally from Chicago) formed the regular core and six more of us were joining up for the race: Kevin Lemonds (owner of Say Uncle from Grosse Isle Yacht Club) and his son Matt, Jim Bougault (owner of Gus from GIYC), Mike from north of New York City, Craig (a cruiser from suburban Chicago), and me. It was a varied mix of talents and personalities that melded well and meshed into a nice crew that succeeded in pushing the boat hard for four days. We met at the boat on Friday, sat through the skippers meeting and weather briefing (if you think this stuff I write is fiction, you should check out what the race forecasters were passing off), and sat down to Greek food for dinner and race strategy. Eventually a plan emerged. We would hot foot it across the lake and work our way north in the eastern half of Lake Michigan. Not sure that Gint was completely sold on this strategy, he said that traditionally nothing good comes of going east of the rum line, but based on the forecasts it seemed our best shot. Saturday morning we were out early to try to figure out a brand new #1 and nearly new main. Our practice sailing went well but the wind was taking its leave from the area. By our start at 1:20, it was pretty well gone. So, 7 hours into the race we had managed 9 miles up the course. Hmmm, should I call my boss now and see if I can get my vacation extended to October? The good news, we weren’t alone in our suffering. Finally about 8:30 the wind filled in and we were off for a great night of sailing (actually the best sailing was at night all three nights). Sunday morning found us approaching Little Sable Pont and the wind departing. Another parking lot and test of patience. A lot of short tacking up the Michigan shore got us near Big Sable Point as the evening made its appearance. We had positioned ourselves inside the fleet and as the wind filled from shore we were reaching up the coast much nicer than the boats outside. Monday morning found us closing on the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Very pretty in the daylight from the lake. Next time I don’t need to see them so long. Continuing effort eventually brought us to a big time parking lot (remember how the Jeep parking lot used to look with all the unsold inventory sitting around waiting for shipment? We were that blue Cherokee with the aluminum wheels, 58th car over in the 63rd row, lost in a sea of similar looking cars) east of the Manitou Islands. This proved to be the turning point of our race. The fleet (including most of the five or six faster classes in front of us) was sitting there in the calm waiting for wind just beyond a very distinct wind line. We decided that just because everyone else had stopped didn’t mean we needed to. We worked the westerly side of the pack and just kept battling to keep the chute going when all around us were sitting. We ultimately worked about a half mile or more ahead of just about everyone before we also succumbed to the wind’s ennui. But, we were in front and as it turned out situated perfectly for the northwesterly that crept in on cat’s feet ever so gently in later in the evening. We jumped out while almost all the fleet sat with bated breath. As it turned out it ultimately took twelve full hours before the faster boats could run us down on Tuesday morning on the final approach into Grey’s Reef. One final parking lot just at Grey’s Reef for an hour or to before the wind built to a solid 15 on the nose for a 25 mile beat under the bridge and into Mackinac Island. At the start of the weather leg we knew that two boats in our section had gotten away in the various light spots and would have the battle for the win to themselves. Another boat in section (“class” for us on Lake Erie) had us by about 4 miles and then the rest of our 19 boat section were pretty close together. So it was a full on weather leg. As one of the slower rated boats in our section we were being passed by quicker boats but we knew we were in good shape to save our time on most of them. The slowest boat, however, had one helluva weather leg and came from well behind in the light stuff of Grey’s Reef to catch and pass us. Oh well, we aren’t going to beat them. So coming into the finish we knew at least four boats had beaten us and perhaps another. 72 and a half hours after the start our odyssey was complete and 5th or 6th out of nineteen isn’t so bad and would have been the best the owner had done on a Mac. Close but no cigar in a class where 4 flags would be given. But a surprise was in store. Later Tuesday evening after appropriate consumption of beers and Mount Gay, we got around to wandering down to the finish line tent to check the results. 4th! No way, check it again! 4th in section! All right! High fives all around. Where’s the skipper? We gotta let him know about the awards ceremony at 10:00 tonight! Back to the Pink Pony for some more celebratory alcohol. So, leaving the island on the last ferry Tuesday night was a great feeling. We were part of seeing our skipper earn his first Chicago Mackinac flag. Definitely a worthwhile expenditure of time and effort over those four days. Thanks to Sandy and Helene for making the meandering drive up (ask them about their Thelma and Louise trip) to fetch me and Bill Kellner, to Duane for the company and stories on the train ride to Chicago and to Dar for picking him up, and to Jeff Maludy and the crew of Adrenalin and Bruce Geffen, Gary Hall and the crew of Nice Pair for representing North Cape in the ChiMac fleet. Adrenalin got a 6th in their section and Nice Pair continued to demonstrate that it is a force to be reckoned with in the multihull ranks by winning their fleet and then continuing on to a 2nd place in the SuperMac Race which extended from Chicago clear around to Port Huron. As I write this, the Pair is racing back to Mackinac in the Bayview Race and nicely placed for another potential win.
So, back to the subject at hand. Wednesday. The Highlanders were at North Cape this week for their national championship and Ernie Dieball had recruited a number of them to crew on our Wednesday night race. We were fortunate to get Jon, his (approximately 12-year-old) daughter Ellie and their friend Boyd to come aboard Foghorn. A drizzly afternoon managed to shut off the spigot before the race started and the wind had put in an appearance, 12 or so knots worth from the southeast. Boyd drew jib winch duties with Barb and Helene there to coach in him anything that didn’t measure up to their standards (they are never shy about letting the guys on the crew know whatfor!) and Jon trimmed the main on the weather leg. Ellie spent the first leg on the rail. We rounded South and set the chute for the leg to the north followed by a jibe and the leg back to the West finish. Ellie joined me at the helm and did a great job steering a wheel boat having only ever steered tiller one-designs before. Hopefully the rest of the fleet and their visiting Highlanders had as much fun as we did.
The weather leg started square and then the boats on the left benefited from a nice shift that took them to the mark. That made the second leg a little tighter than expected for the chutes but the last leg was a fun ride. In PHRF A, it was Abracadabra’s turn to take the measure of the Hobies with Fupastank and Holy Toledo in 2nd and 3rd. PHRf B went to Wizard with Ernie Dieball on the helm and Mike D’Arcangelo and crew on Consigliere showing good legs to bring home 2nd ahead of Send in the Clowns 3rd. PHRF C went to Wildcat with Rob Fox’s J22, Defender in 2nd and Flak-Bait in 3rd. JAM A belonged to Blaine Little and Tom Corey’s J Bird followed by Breakaway and Mega in 2nd and 3rd. In JAM B, Dick Hamilton’s La Chiva led the way over Aftermath2 and Full Ride.
The overalls in JAM were J Bird, Breakaway and La Chiva respectively. In PHRF, the “W” in their names proved that Wildcat and Wizard would be the appropriate choices to tie for the win and Consigliere was a close 3rd.
Thanks everybody for coming out. See you this Wednesday!
Kent
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