Resin Regatta wrap up by Chimo

A word of advice for the next winner of a regatta; get the recap done early because the events of each race get muddled easily as time goes by. Thanks to Mike Bruzzone and Jason for their input.

Light winds and ebb tide on the first day and beginning of the second day. Pin end heavily favored with the first shift being a header going out on starboard tack. Winds were oscillating but the right side was hampered by the Richmond Hole. Important to keep an eye out for the bands of wind coming down the bay which lifted on port near the weather mark being on the north face of Treasure Island for the first race and Alacatraz for the following races.

The first race was a twice around sausage with leeward gate. Bessie Jay and Chimo were first to weather but Bessie Jay hit the pin and opened up a gap for us downwind. We failed to cover Exocet and El Raton on the final weather leg and they got by.

The ebb out of the north bay near the weather mark and finish line was moving North to South rather than East to West. This caught us in the second race where we were first to the finish line but tacked too early and got swept (like a river) into the finish pin. Peaches took advantage and finished first. This ebb also promoted over standing the weather mark when coming in from the left side of the course. We were happy to take second after ripping our spinnaker on the final downwind leg and taking a flyer out to port to take the lead. We were happy that Exocet and El Raton let Peaches and us go. Exocet may have lead on the final leg but dropped to fourth because of broken jib halyard.

At the end of the fist day, there was a four way tie for first on points with Exocet and El Raton each with a win and a fourth and Peaches and Chimo with a second and third.

Similar conditions on the second day but Peaches and El Raton found a westerly at the top right of the course on first weather leg of the third race. They rounded well ahead reaching into the mark. The ebb was now flowing heavy South to North so we stayed well below the leeward gate letting the current push us to it. We made up a lot of ground as Peaches and El Raton reached up then down later helping us get ahead of Peaches on the last leg.

Going into the last race had El Raton in the lead with Chimo second, Peaches third and Exocet in fourth due to a sixth in the third race.

For the first time, the right side of the course appeared favored by both the line and veer at the top of right side. Using the blade now in medium winds. We started at the boat end behind Exocet but tacked first to get to the veer which worked. We rounded the weather mark (now Olympic mark E) first but El Raton was right there. We needed to have at least one boat between El Raton and us for Chimo to win the regatta. Near the leeward gate, we mistakenly jibed into El Raton’s wind shadow and they pulled up along with Exocet. We were all close at the gate and El Raton, moving faster, clipped our stern quarter with nowhere to go. We went out to the port side while El Raton did their turns. Exocet and Peaches filled in to help us win the regatta.