Spring Series #7 Results

05/20/2001

Submitted by William Carnell

Most human beings would complain about the wet and chilly weather that prevailed on Sunday, May 21. But those conditions proved nearly ideal for two peculiar life forms that inhabit the Washington Sailing Marina: sailors and ducks.

PRSA Spring Series Number 7 saw steady winds from the southeast at about 8-12 knots, with periods of sustained breeze somewhat above that level. Maximum wind speed was 17.26 (recorded at 1:50 pm); median was 9.21. Despite its relative strength, the wind remained remarkably free of sudden gusts and shifts. Without doubt the steadiest and most user-friendly breeze we've seen all year.

But then, there was the rain. Off and on drizzle all day, with periods of gray in between. High temperature of 68. Fellow Hampton sailor Ian Twinn, who hails from U.K., commented that conditions reminded him of sailing back home on the lower Thames. The wetness was not without its advantages, though, as it kept down the natural chop, as well as the chop that would have been produced by powerboaters -- had they been out on the river.

It was the Hamptons' turn at RC. We set up the course upriver a bit where it opens up again past the airport. The wind direction might have favored the port tack very slightly, but we thought that was OK because a strong tide was pushing the boats downriver at all times (thus affording some advantage to starboard tack).

The races were slightly delayed by our desire to include some approaching sails, so the first class (Lightnings) started at about 11:35. The two Mobjacks and two Interlakes combined into a respectable handicap fleet, and Albacores got the last start so that the final straggler could make it. After the first race we combined Albacores into the handicap fleet.

Races lasted about 25-30 minutes for the competitors; maybe 40 minutes or so from first gun to last finish. With the aid of the steady wind (and because we ignored transient windshifts), we were able to leave the marks unchanged. And on the theory that no one wanted to remain idle on such a nasty day we started the new sequence immediately after the last finish. We therefore managed to squeeze in 4 races, and everyone was back at WSM by about 2:40.

Everything went smoothly. No capsizes or otherwise distressed sailboats, though there was a T-Boning incident in the Lightning fleet at the first leeward rounding during the last race (see time of maximum recorded wind speed, above), no help was required. And the only problem with the Committee boats was that the Glastron ran out of gas -- mea culpa, and it's a good thing we stuck an extra 5 gallon jug on the Robalo.

On returning to the marina we were treated to the sight of a big ol' sleep-aboard powerboat stuck deep in the sandbar, high and not-quite-dry at dead low tide. A tow boat was trying to assist its escape but appeared to be churning more mud than making way. I think tow boat and towed boat together may have ended up dredging their own little spur off the main channel. Personally, with a boat like that, I'd have waited 2 hours for another 18 inches of water to float me away. There's a moral in this somewhere, I think.

We were generally impressed by the sailors' performance. Starts were generally good, and within the various fleets there appeared to be very close competition. There were several photo finishes. Lightnings in particular were tightly clustered and highly competitive. As one would expect, there was a good bit of attrition as boats retired to escape the weather. But we were impressed by the fortitude and the seamanship of those who remained on the water.

Lightning Class Series Summary

Albacore Class Series Summary

Interlake Class Series Summary

Mobjack Class Series Summary