Lightning North American Championship 2008
Regatta Day One - It was about 10:30 by the time I caught the launch out to Calusa and we got out of the mooring field. The wind was mild underneath cloudy skies that looked a little threatening but no rain was in the forecast. The freighter in the photo was pretty interesting. It was anchored right by the entrance to the harbor. We saw it lower itself on Thursday in order to load more boats - it submerges all the way to the top of where you 'Dockwise Yacht Transport'.
It took us a good 20 minutes or so (including dealing with a barge coming upriver) to get the race course which was set up on the north side of the bridge. Race one was already under way. I had no idea of which group the juniors were among the fifty or so lightnings out there - it's called the wait for the spinnakers to come up. We basically just motored around and I shot video of whoever was nearby (see Race One video).
By the start of Race Two, we figured out that the juniors were going off first followed by the women and then the masters. The wind was about eight knots out of the North and we slowly followed the juniors to the upwind mark. I'll take the comfort of videoing off a 32 foot sailboat over a little chase boat any day of the week. The sun started to peak through at times and it was a jacket off, jacket on kind of day. As the juniors rounded the mark and headed downwind, you could feel the wind start to die. By the time the first boats got to the leeward mark, it was very slow going. The wind (what was left of it) shifted and the rest of the pack were in slow motion. Just as I saw Paul and crew painfully approach the mark, the race committee abandoned the race. Good move.
Now, it was just a matter of hanging out and waiting for more wind and it deciding what direction it was going to take. Finally, it shifted all the way around to the South and the course had to be totally reset. A steady 10 knot breeze kicked in and racing was on. Paul wound up over early and was out about 15 boat lengths before he was able to maneuver around and back to the starting line. He went back to what seemed to be safely behind the line only to find out later it wasn’t far enough and was OCS. Bummer cause he had a great comeback on the last leg.
By Race three, the sea breeze filled in nicely and with the cloud cover, it was actually a bit chilly at times. Paul was sailing really well. Both Gary and I were so excited to see our son with his sister as forward end up first around the windward mark. I never thought I’d see the day when the two of them would be sailing together and now they’re competing in a national regatta. Dad went into running commentary mode the whole downwind. They had a little problem nearing the downwind mark and fell into second behind Taylor Lutz. I was on my second battery and it was running low (these things always seem to happen at the least convenient times). Still in second place around the windward mark, we thought it would be an upwind finish figuring it was the third and last race of the day and upwind was the closest to the harbor. So we hung around up there and I thought I’d have just enough battery to get the finish. Wrong. It was a downwind finish – so no video. Paul ended up second.
By then it was almost 4:30 but the race committee decided to have another race for the juniors. What? They’d been out for over seven hours. After about ten minutes they changed their minds and the kids headed in. I think there should be a rule that no males on committee boats or competing boats be allowed to pee when they’re out there and maybe they’d get an idea what it’s like to be a female during some of these regattas.
We got back to the NYYC and called Crissy Van Siclen who came up that day with Sandy Huntsman. Sandy was off to see some friends while we met up with Crissy, had some beverages up on the seventh floor terrace at the Marriot and then headed over to the Red Parrot for a casual dinner.
Next up - Day two.
Doreen
