Winner's Perspective

2005 PRSA Spring Series Number 2

By Rick Welch
4/12/05

I guess when conditions are so bad that none of the rules apply, guys like me can get lucky. Strong current and light air were the order of the day.

The forecast and early indications were for wind out of the north east.  The course was set for winds from the southeast so I and apparently everyone else wanted to start at the pin and go left anticipating a shift to the east.  Coming down the line with strong current it was very had to go slow without drifting over the line so I got to the pin with about 9 seconds early and was forced to do a fast jibe and come back on port.  It was a solid line of starboard tackers and with such light air, rather than duck in below I took everyone's transom, sailed to clear air and then tacked over. To everyone's surprise and my good fortune the wind filled in from the southeast, which meant I got it first and I ended up 4th around the windward mark.

The three lead boats took each other high and I dropped down with Steve Greg inside me and tried to stay clear and keep moving.  With the current taking us downstream most of us ended up well above the mark (upwind but down river) and aiming dead downwind as Bob Wilbur went way outside and had the clearest air and rounded first and Steve Greg had inside rights on me so I was third.

The upwind was even lighter than the first time.  The current meant that unless you tacked over onto starboard immediately after rounding the leeward mark you were gong to be overstanding the windward mark, and we rounded third or fourth by heading almost dead downwind.  This time I went way low, jibed and aimed at over standing by 20 boat lengths but with the current managed to round on a broad reach, while everyone else was pushed above the mark (upwind but down river) by the current and had to turn dead down and fight to get to the mark.  A short no tack beat to the finish got us the horn.

Race 2 was even lighter and I made sure not to get to the pin early. However I was below Jeff and took him up and later was told that the RC called two boats over early so went back and restarted.  Still don't know if I was the second OCS but didn't want to risk it.  A real light air drifter.  We tried pulling the board way up to minimize the effect of the current and also increase leeway so we would not drift downstream and overstand the mark.  I guess it worked because we were third or fourth around the windward mark and second around the leeward but missed a 40 degree shift just as we rounded that let Steve Greg get inside and take us at the finish.

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