on Shaw and set his spinnaker for the drift up Wasp Passage with the pesky Hobie 18 now at his side. The other multihulls along with the only finisher from last years race Tir na Nog, were by now charging up Upright Channel and the entire fleet met at the halfway point in Harney Channel. More than a few crews contemplated
inverting their course, figuring two halves make a whole, as the winds surprisingly went light as the temperature rose. The counterclockwise crowd faced the daunting task of battling Wasp Passage against the current while the clockwise boats caught a south westerly and were done within the hour. Eric Moulton of Ptolemy stated,
“Betsy and I developed a plan and stuck to it. What way was tide flowing through Wasp pass. And wind. The tide was favorable in the Pass for most of the day going clockwise. And, most importantly there was north wind in West Sound in the morning of race day; which means the southerly/westerly was going to have trouble filling the islands. If it does fill on a typical summer day, then counter clockwise is favored because of the better sailing angles.
Eric Moulton of ”Ptolemy,“ an Express 37, take first in PHRF-A division. Photo by Sarah Drues.
What eventually made the difference
was the southerly that did fill was a pure thermal, which means it filled Upright Channel and not San Juan Channel. The little things are: stay close to Orcas at halfway point for better wind and get the puff and port tack lift off Flat point. We almost blew it at the finish by sailing too close to Brown Island.” According to Lloyd Bacon, winner of
Division PHRF-B, “My crew, average age of 70 years, sailed even with the Santa Cruz 27, Wild Rumpus, for sometime, and it looked like an exciting finish. Andy Schwenk had a surprise for us - a spinnaker! With a crew (average age of
40) a spinnaker was set on a tight reach and they finished 88 seconds ahead of us. The last 20 minutes of the race, in good wind, was exciting for us. We started 15 minutes behind!” This is a special race and SJIYC are
not only terrific hosts with a mountain of lasagna and cool libations at a bar that has the best view in the state, but they will also provide you with a a cool t-shirt and a chance to cheer for the winner. This year it was Lloydd Bacon in his Laser 28, Corrida. Good boat to watch if you're wondering which way to go next year!
by Andy & Stephanie Schwenk
48° NORTH, SEPTEMBER 2011 PAGE 69
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106