It started with this:

Hello Bob, Good crossing tacks with you during that hellish beat up the city front. I was glad to wave you across. It's the corinthian thing to do.

Any word about a boat on the rocks just east of the GGYC ?

SDK Steve Katzman

Bob replied with this:

That was Hedgehog, Dave Herrigel's boat.

Dave stopped by the club last night and told us what happened. He had just tacked out from shore and was on port, and a double-handed class boat (Express 27 or Moore) on starboard forced him to tack back in. The angles were such that he couldn't duck the boat and being singlehanded, Dave couldn't power back up quickly enough before he lost steerage and drifted into the rocks.

I had a couple incidents on that beat that could have ended the same way. Not all the double-handers were as accommodating as you, so thanks! Many of them don't understand what it takes to singlehand in those conditions or don't seem to care.

I purposely chose to make longer tacks out into the flood to reduce the port-starboard encounters, but this compromised my results on that leg. Similarly, when most of the fleet chose Raccoon Strait after rounding Southampton, I tacked and went back around the south side of Angel Island to avoid the majority of the fleet.

So what you have is the more experienced singlehanders purposely compromising their races to accommodate the large numbers of double-handers. This is pretty frustrating considering it's the Singlehanded Sailing Society.

Dave says he's done with racing against double-handers in these races, especially where they're class boats for whom the race is a season counter. I've been there too. SSS will have to change some things or it will lose the remaining single-handers who form the nucleus of the club, provide the leadership, etc.

Dave was hoping to do another Singlehanded Transpac this year, had entered the race and was well along in his preparations.

If you're willing, please pass this along to the Express 27 class. Dave doesn't know if it was an Express 27 who forced him into the rocks but given the numbers, it likely was.

Thanks again, Bob J.