Sailing World's 2010 SF NOOD

by Mike Reed of Magic

What a weekend!  For the first time since 2003 the NOOD's returned to the SF Bay.  We had 12 express 27's on our line with typical SF conditions with a big flood maxing at 4 knots at noon.  Both days saw all boats starting with their #3's in 15 knots which built through out the day to the high twenty's.  By the end of the day the ebb was going strong creating 2-3 foot waves.

Race 1:  Got off cleanly but quickly got ugly at the first windward with one boat hitting the mark and another boats kite opening into Magic's rig.  Out of the mess, Get Happy and Witchy Woman leaped far ahead of the rest of the fleet leaving Magic to fend for her self being uncomfortably followed by Wile E. Coyote, El Raton and Peaches, which all finishing in that order. 

Race 2:  Another clean start for everyone, but right after, our main halyard cover parted, dropping the boom onto the deck.  We did a quick Macgyver on it but during that time Wile E. Coyote took a very strong lead and held on too it for a bullet with Magic, Get Happy, and Peaches next.      

Race 3: I don't remember too much but I do remember our wipe out.  It was a typical round up in 25 knots but the rail was well underwater obscuring the sheet which had accidentally locked itself in the cam.  As the crew was hanging from the rail, the ocean was pouring into the cockpit and starting to spill into the cabin when our tactician very calmly said "this boats gonna sink if we don't blow that halyard" which we promptly did, leaving us with out a kite for the next downwind leg.  We beat to weather ahead of Opa! and Wile E. Coyote, which quickly caught up to us after we rounded the windward mark.  Luckily at that time the wind was in the high twenty's so we did not lose a lot of distance to Opa! or the Coyote who had their kites up.  When we finished the fleet was very spread out and we really did not know how we did. 

At the end of Day 1, the racing was so close that we had the top 6 boats all within one point of each other.  Witchy Woman in 1st, followed by Get Happy, Magic, Wile E. Coyote, Peaches and El Raton.  It was anyone's regatta!

Race 4 Sunday:  Once again a clean start with the fleet splitting as Magic, Peaches and El Raton going left.  At the top mark, Peaches and Magic were within a boat length of each other but as Magic rounded the mark, Peaches was suddenly in the lead.  We both went Left at the leeward mark and somehow Magic managed to beat Peaches to the windward and then to finish.  Witchy Woman finished 4th and Get Happy taking 6th, which put Magic in 1st overall, but Witchy Woman had 2 bullets, so we knew that the regatta win would come down to the last race.  We needed to beat Witchy Woman, while finishing in the top 3 ahead of Peaches. 

Race 5 Sunday:  This one was no different then any of the others, but at about 2 minutes prior to the start gun, Witchy Woman and Get Happy suddenly appeared on our windward side.  We quickly fell off to put some distance between us and keep our speed up.  They both did the same.  We punched it to weather, they did the same.  It was clear that they were not going to go away.  The gun went off and the Magic crew hiked like never before...as did the rest of the fleet.  It was a starboard drag race for 15 minutes, bashing through 2-3 foot chop.  The life lines dug deeper into everyone's hips.  For the sailor's who need to pee, it was unbearable.  Then the tacking battles started, until, finally the windward mark was there, as was the rest of the fleet.  At this point it was anyone's regatta.  Rounding the mark, kites went up and the boats exploded with speed in the high teens.  Water was spraying above the boom from the bow and anyone with a forward hatch open was in trouble.  Crews moved aft to keep the bow up.  Get Happy clearly came out ahead of the fleet with Magic and Witchy Woman jousting for second.  As a few boats wiped out, the three lead boats put some distance between them and the rest of the fleet, but at the leeward mark, Magic was barely ahead of Witchy Woman with Get Happy very much in the lead.  The regatta win was now clearly between Witchy and Magic.  Which ever boat got to the finish first would win overall!

We both rounded flawlessly and started the dreadful bash again.  At the windward mark, Magic had gained 10 lengths on Witchy.  A well needed buffer.  Magic set the kite and the afterburners were on, increasing the lead to 15 lengths.  We were blasting off the tops and surfing the troughs...until at an 8th of a mile from the leeward mark, something went wrong.  Suddenly the kite was coming down at lightning speed.  Instinctively the bowman grabbed the spin halyard, handed it to the pit and jumped to the mast and started hoisting again...only to find that the cam had ripped out of the mast.  He managed to secure the halyard and the boat was back at speed again, but Witchy was within 4 lengths and bearing down on a regatta win.  Magic rounded to the left with Witchy right behind.  It was anyone's race.  Witchy went left and Magic stayed right.  As Magic neared the upwind finish on starboard, she passed Witchy by only a few lengths.  A quick tacking battle ensued with a lose cover on Witchy.  The boats separated again until the finish.  Magic came in on Starboard barely passing in front of Witchy on port who threw in a tack as Magic punched it up for the win!