SCA Challenge and fun with old friends

Bruce Hood (bhood@sunset.net)
Sat, 13 Nov 1999 00:11:01 -0800


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Kathryn and I have certainly enjoyed the reports on the SCA challenge by

Judy, Harry, Larry, Dave and all.. here's our version ( and we're
sticking to
it!)... We had a smooth three and a half hour drive to Alameda on
Friday, helped
by the restoration of the Oakland Freeway section destroyed in the
earthquake, and
by surprisingly light traffic. Found Judy B., Bill Boyer, and a number
of the
other Potters rigging and launching at Grand Street ramp, and soon we
were
in the water sailing up the estuary to overnight at the yacht basin.
Saturday morning it was fun to socialize and watch the various
Montgomerys,
Potters, Compacs arriving at the dock. Dory Taylor and Jerry Barrileaux

did a great job, as did Judy Blumhorst helping everyone get organized.
Skippers met at 1:00pm and
shortly thereafter everyone was sailing down to Grand street for the
shape and
start. Kathryn gave me the option of leaving her behind to lighten
"Aillte",but
I am really glad that she has become quite interested in learning how to
sail well,
and I assured her that she could help a great deal by helping trim and
by poling
out the jib. I also suspected that the wind might come up a good deal
more by
the 2 O'clock gun and we would be glad to have weight in the boat. (
this was to
turn out to be a bad guess!) We left the
motor on the transom mount, and had our sleeping bags, cooler,
anchors,etc
so we really were in cruising mode. I think this ultimately worked to
our advantage
on the run to the windward mark, keeping Aillte on her leeward chines,
and biting nicely on either tack. At the shape, the P-19's were
milling about
agressively, as they needed to in the light and fluky air we were
continuing to
experience. I watched Tod, as I have watched he and his Dad in
previous races
over the years, and knew he would time things well, lurking below the
Port line
marker, and shave as close to the pin end as he could, for, given the
wind out of the Northwest which is typical most of the time there, the
Port tack is very
much the favored tack on the Estuary, and if you cross the line on the
left end
you may get hundreds of yards further up the right side of the estuary
before
you bear off on starboard tack as briefly as possible before going for
another
long leg upwind on Port. The horn sounded and the 19's made their
start, we bore
off to the right timing two minutes, slightly below and parallel to
the line, then turned
back left two minutes, aiming to arrive at the Pin just at a half
minute or so left, suddenly got hit
by a gust that brought us on much faster than we wanted... we're now
thirty seconds
early although right where we had wanted to bear off and tack for the
line.. what to do..
Kill off some time.. Jibe off to the left, thinking about doing a full
circle.. we lose
enough speed.. back right on to Port headed for the line, Tod and
"Breezy" whiz by
as "Aillte's" sails fill, the horn sounds, and Tod is on up the estuary
about
fifty yards ahead of us, but I can see that each of us has gotten the
angle for a good
first Leg. I am astonished at how fast "Breezy" is , as "Aillte" is
going quite well and
we are passing some 19's, but Tod is pulling away.
I start to concentrate hard on making our boat go the best
I can, pleased to note we are pointing as well as "Breezy", and managing
to keep him
firmly in our sights, although Tod still is slowly pulling away. A
thousand yards
from where we would have been forced to tack away from the estuary's
east bank,
suddenly , some really great gusts and an enormous five degree lift.
What a thrill!
We are going like the hammers! Tod doesn't miss it either, and we are
both gaining
a lot of ground on some of the P-19's who started five minutes before
us.. The wind
shift holds and we continue to move fast up the estuary on a long leg
with the wind
oscillating back to the left permitting us to stay on the same tack.
Finally we get
in close to the pilings on the bank of the east side, and turn onto the
first starboard
tack right on a line with Tod in Breezy but still losing ground to him,
and we are
both now above several 19's . Starboard is definitely not good, now
driving us
a bit away from the upwind mark, so we must stay on it only long enough
to
buy room to try and hit the layline for the mark... we spin back onto
Port tack,
Kathryn carefully perching her weight on the centerboard trunk while
spotting
the mark for me with her small binoculars.. we just make it, and turn
downwind,
in front of the 19 that is there with us and yell hi to Larry Costa,
and get busy,
Kathryn poles out the jib, and I pull up the centerboard almost all the
way.
Behind us the wind is rapidly becoming very light and fluky, at times
almost
disappearing entirely. Behind us by only twenty or thirty yards, Dave
and Tilly
Lucy, Larry on the 19, and Harry Gordon and Manatee are closing on us,
and
we are getting blanketed by them. Ever so slowly the two small boats
come
up even with us, Dave on our left and Harry on our right.. it is so calm
we are
having friendly conversations with one another from boat to boat, as we
proceed downwind, conjecturing on what might get an ounce more of speed
in the light air.
The 19 moves out toward the center of the estuary finds some wind and
slowly
leaves us behind as they make for the windward mark. In the clearer
air, Dave
now pulls away and leaves us ever so slowly, as Harry bears off a bit to
the right
and does the same. We finally make the downwind mark, and as we take in
the
pole, and lower the centerboard, starting to beat for the finish line,
we close on
two 19's and drive in above them on starboard tack, go almost to the
seawall on
the west bank, spin back to the right and onto port and a minute later
sail across
the line... Kathryn looked back at me and said, " Now I see why you
like this
so much!" We had had an absolutely wonderful day, delighted that we
had sailed our boat well, and had enjoyed the pleasure of watching
others sail well too...
and later that evening more fun, potter talk, food and drink with all
the other
friends and Potter sailors at the Meridian. Lots of fond memories
dancing
in our brains as we made the long drive home on Sunday through grey
rain,
and heavy cloud formations rolling up from the South.