Association Forum - Victory in just finishing sometimes

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Victory in just finishing sometimes - LONG

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

takokichi
Captain

Member Avatar

USA
321 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/12/2004 : 09:30:40

This weekend was the PHRF championship regatta for the Gulf of Maine fleet. We got soundly smacked but had one of the best races I've ever had nonetheless. One designs raced inside the bay but the Perf fleet was out in the ocean. Three fleets - A, B, and cruising on a six mile windward leward, twice around. Four races planned over two days. We wound up doing one on a shortened course on Saturday, one long and one shortened on Sunday. All three fleets on the same course at six minute intervals so the big boats run over the small boats, sometimes repeatedly. Serious hardware in the A and B fleets - including several one-offs, a Farr 30, 35, and 39, a Mumm 30, Frers 33, Frers, 40, Kiwi 35 - hardcore. Cruising fleet was weak because most of the cruising fleet skippers don't like to race outside in the ocean - three boats, us, a Pearson 30, and J30.

Day one - six miles out to sea to find dead, flat, calm conditions with severe thunderstorm forecast. Went out to blazing blue skies and two hour delay while we waited for wind. Finally the breeze came up to ~2 knots and the put us into the sequence. Tako kichi is equipped with a Catalina loft 135 and a budget bottom job. We don't do light air. 2.5 miles to windward at an average speed under two knots. We're dying. My girlfriend and normal talented crew is studying for the bar exam. My replacement crew is enthused by inexperienced. Normally Jessica would be up with the whisker pole pulling shape into the headsail on a light air beat (Jessica forward, pole pointing almost aft) - not yesterday. I knew that if the beat was that terrible the run was going to suck - no chute for us unless we want to be in the same class as the J35's.

Halfway down the run the western horizon started getting creepy.

I took that picture about 15:30 on Saturday. There's no strobe. The deck is as light as it is b/c my boat is still in the sun. The squall that was coming beat the snot out of us. Spent almost an hour hove to under double reefeed main. Then back to no wind. Half an hour later we rounded the leward mark and started back up a six mile beat in 2 knots in the puffs. After two more hours of fighting for every inch we got to within 60 yards of the windward mark/shortened finish line - and timed out. We went home dejected.

Day two: Tom decided he's had enough the day before, though he was gracious enough to claim work that had to be done by Monday. Nicki - my other novice crew is back amazingly enough. We go out in 15 knots of westerly. Perfect for us. Our number is impossible to hit in light air but in 15 we're on. Six miles out and - you could shave in your reflection off the sea. That calm. 90 minute delay and the RC puts us in the sequence but decides crusing will be off first - great, the big boats will roll us and kill whatever wind we'd been able to find. There are 60 boats between the A and B fleets.

We start - wind is less than 5 but at least its consistent. Retuned the rig Sat night and the boat feels good. Make the windward mark in the race and start the run. 60 spinakers get between us and the wind. We actually get turned 90 degrees to our CMG at one point b/c we're just drifting. No flow over the rudder means no steerage. We hit the leward mark 20 minutes after the other boats in our class and head up. And, miracle of miracles the wind comes up! 2 minutes later we're making 6.1 on the beat and smoking. Pinching up to make distance to weather the boat falls down to 5.3. We pass a very confused looking Quest 30 from fleet B. Then BAM - we fall to 2 knots - and there's a terrible scrape sound from the right side of the boat. I look over. We've hit a submereged deadlog. It appears to be a piling drifting around. Damage assement - we don't appear to be sinking, on we go. We finish that race 8 minutes after the boats ahead - having made up 12 minutes or so on that last beat. I think we're done - and I'm ready to go home.

RC gets on the radio - stand by for race two. A and B fleets off first and second, crusing last. Thanks for that at least. The wind is now honking. Perfect start and the P30 and J30 are gone - but that's ok. I know I can get them in these conditions if I can just sail my own race. As long as the wind stays up this is going to work out. I've already lost the regatta but . . .

We make the weather mark well within the difference in our handicaps at that distance. Pole to port, main to starboard. Chop's up around 3 feet. Nicki's at the mast. Crap on board moved aft. I'm sitting on the aft rail to get the bow out of the water and the windward corner of the transom in the water. We see 7.8 surfing down wind. We make huge gains on the other boats b/c the waves aren't big enough for them to really surf - but they are for us. And - the wind dies. Gone. We make way for while just on the waves until they die. We make the mark 4 corrected minutes late. But at least we finished both races.

Back at the yacht club skippers off the big boats are coming up congratulating us for getting our there in our little boat - let alone finishing. Several big boats went home in the squall on day one. I didn't let on that I would have gone home if I felt I could safely try to make way

.

So - when there are only three boats in your class, you get a prize for DFL.

We also got the biggest cheers of all the boats that placed. The racing community out here is incredibly supportive.

So - after 5 days of racing we're in second place in the cruising fleet overall (of 9 boats). We're ahead of a different Pearson 30, a Catalina 310, a J30, and a J42. Not bad for our first season, I think.

I love this stuff.

jwa

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

3072 Posts

Response Posted - 07/12/2004 : 09:41:10

"Not bad for our first season..."

I think so too....

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 07/12/2004 : 09:45:33

Congrats Justin and thanks for taking the time to share.

Brings back good memories . . .

Edited by - on

takokichi
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
321 Posts

Response Posted - 07/12/2004 : 12:20:26

Thanks guys - man, its fun

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 07/12/2004 : 12:39:47

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by takokichi
 Thanks guys - man, its fun

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Awesome trophy! You summed up racing; thanking others and having a ball with the boat you love. You sound like a great guy, your attitude is exactly right. Remember to ALWAYS thank the committee boat crew as you cross the finish line and the marks/rescue boat crew at the awards.

Edited by - on

John G-
Admiral

Members Avatar

793 Posts

Response Posted - 07/12/2004 : 13:09:09

Justin,
I think this would make a nice, short article about perseverance and the quality of our boats. I’m not sure I can get it into the Mainsheet but maybe Jim would allow it into the next TellTale.
Would send me a copy of the post and be willing to do a little work on it?
Do you have any more photos of the day?
Thanks
[url="jg949@hotmail.com"]John Gisondi[/url]
Mainsheet Contributing Editor
C25/C250 National Association

Underlined words are a HOT link.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.