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June 16, 17, & 18: Down River & Summer One Design

If you don’t like the weather, change your App, was a common quip over the weekend. Or to put it in weather parlance, there was about a 20% chance that any App might be right about the weather. But it was the unsettle weather that created a dramatic Down River Race and Rock Hall Summer One Design regatta which was the USWA Nationals Regatta as well.

Arriving at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club on Friday Morning for the Down River Race we were advised to hold, on rigging until we get an official OK to go. There was no word by 10:00 but the weather remained tenuous. At 10:30 at the skippers meeting, we were told the start was at 11:00 as scheduled, which put several of us in a bind. As the gun went off, there was one Wayfarer still launching, one just leaving the docks, dark blue clouds covering the river, and thunder rumbling. All other boats were on their way down the river. One Wayfarer radioed the race committee about the gathering storm. The RC replied that they did not hear thunder and the storm would pass to the north. Twenty minutes later, there were 6 boats over, one Wayfarer anchored, and several others hunkered down under a lee shore. Sirocco ( John and Mary Driver) made it to a point in the river where they could feather their way to weather in the storm without stopping. By the end they found that they along with one Windmill had opened a considerable lead over the mono-hull fleet. But after the initial blast the storm moved on and the the rest of the day could not have been more pleasant. Sirocco crossed the finish line as the 2nd mono-hull, 5th place after 4 A-cats and 6th place on corrected time.

Anansi ( Uwe Heine and Nancy Collins) and No Name(Yet) ( Jim Heffernan and Claire Heffernan) match raced down the river while the rest of us enjoyed a pleasant sail.

Saturday dawned gently, with a very pleasant NOAA forecast of 12-14 from the North West. However Windy, the day prior was calling for gusts into the mid 20’s. The tide was flowing out with slack tide at 1:00pm. The Race Committee stated that if they could get in 5 races, they would. In the first race, Shades ( Uncle Al and Mike Codd) got a good start, and finished first. Sirocco ( John and Mary Driver) followed in second. Blue By You ( Peggy Menzies and daughter Maggie) were shaking off travel lag and came in third.

The wind was increasing in the second race. The pin end of the starting line was favored as well as a port approach to the weather mark. Combined with the current it made for a complicated rounding requiring in some instances a double tack. Sirocco got caught is just that scenario, caught the main sheet on the corner on the second tack and capsized. Blew By You rounded first with Piffle ( JP Mann) behind. They had a fair lead and that is how they finished. JP Mann is a new member of the fleet from the Boston area. He bought the Wayfarer Mk IV during covid, and although the fleet does not have a strong showing in his area it checked off many of his requirements. He proved to be a very capable sailor. JP and his crew Scott were like the missing pieces to our jigsaw fleet and look forward to sailing with them more.

In the third race the winds continued to build. Setting changed and the puffs and wind lines were distinct on the water. Careful boat handling was required. Peggy reported alternating lifts and headers with fuzzy squirrely edges which could dump or auto tack the boat. Leach tight, pointing and pinching to gain height and distance, Blew By you finished first followed by Fetch chased by Piffle. The wind were now whistling in the rig.

Pictures never do justice for the wind and waves and memory exaggerates but I do remember the whistling in the rigging during the puffs. So it was now windy. Rig bent, bailers open, and the spray at the bow making the very cool loop as it blows over the edge. Our goal for the race was to be on time at the line, keep the boat flat, pointing, and upright. Simple enough, but the runs had that on the edge feeling. We flew the spinnaker on the first run, and much to Michele’s relief not on the second run. But she did an excellent job on the first run. But at the end of it, Piffle had sailed very well and won first. Blew By You second with Shades sliding into third. With the wind continuing the build, the fleet called it a day, had spectacular sail in.

Sunday was forecast as a wind void. But once again the weather defied the forecast and we had pleasant sailable wind. It always a little tough shifting gears back down to lighter air. The wind direction had gone west which then put the current sweeping across the course from right to left. Also the wind was predicted to continue to shift west. In the first race on Sunday, Blew By You to a flier to the far right hand corner of the course to ride the current back down to round the windward mark first. Blew By You rounded the left hand mark of the gate. JP Mann spotted the wind settling in from the west, rounded the right hand mark and sailed into second place, just behind Blew By You.

In the last race, the course had to be reset to the westward shift and yet that was not enough. The wind continued to shift west. I had made a terrible mistake in the prior race and failed to recognize the persistent shift and went to the left mark at the gate instead of the right. This time I was determined to not be out “Lefted”. We started mid line, under some traffic which cleared then went to the left hand side. Once everyone else had tacked, we followed. We were on port with a direct line to the mark. Blew By You had was slightly ahead to leeward but we were still able to round the windward mark before then. On the run the fleet started to close in behind us, shut off our air as we all converged on the mark. We stuck with the right mark and got away before the fleet had a meet up at the leeward mark, none to social. We had left the mark on starboard tack, as soon as the Blew By You rounded, we tacked back onto port. Halfway up the leg, these huge rolling wake came in behind us. We were on port tack with a good line to the windward line, surfing huge rollers to windward, and had current nudging us to the mark. How perfect is that? We rounded the windward mark, onto a starboard broad reach. Blew By Your made attempts to cover us but Michele, kept the chute full and back and we were able to stay in clear air to the finish. Michele refused to take the chute down until we were well past the committee boat and boats finishing behind us were taking their chutes down.

It was an intense regatta. Everyone was spent. It had been well run, it was great to have access to the club, the bar and restaurant at the end of the day. Fantastic camping and the best bunch of fleet mates one could ask for.