Adam K

Race Report by Adam Thursday, Aug 6 Summer JAM 6 Does anyone trust the forecast anymore? Speaking on the dock, we reviewed what we'd heard: it might rain, it might be blowing 1 knot in a little bit, it might be better to use forecast A or B. Someone even asked if we should take the fenders off heading out, as we might be heading back in soon if a race was cancelled. But ultimately we let the RC worry about all that! After a course correction to Bravo course upriver instead of Alpha course by BYC (and many more driver shenanigans from yours truly to come), we motored our way to the start line in time for a coordinated strategy. We decided the right side appeared windier, despite the pin end typically being favoured in Luke's style of setting the line to spread the fleet. So we plotted to start on the boat end and tack early. At our final approach to the line, 1.5 minutes away, timed well, and with two boats to windward and overtaking (but not yet past our bow), TQ's proper course would shut them both out. But veteran sailors have a trick or two up their sleeve, and while Adam called "Up!" to push them into a collision course with the RC, the call back was an inquiring "I'm a little nervous about that anchor." We don't want collisions, and though in retrospect the boats didn't have rights and needed to back off, Adam solved their problem for them and opened up a lane for them to pass... allowing them to send us all the dirty air they could. Live and learn, as Stephen says! Not two seconds had passed since we crossed the start line when we heard a boat to our leeward with overlap calling for us to head up, which would have luffed our sails, but this time we held our course, hailing back that this rule only applies before the start and not after. Fool us once! We saw Azura peel off behind us (that's right, we were ahead of Azura on our start!), releasing us from a mild pin, so we tacked as well to follow our plan while most of the fleet headed left. The wind held at around 10 knots the first leg, making for a straightforward upwind, Stephen making the rounds and giving people in new roles the downlow on trimming and winching technique. We thought when we tacked back that we might meet the fleet in time to wreak havoc on port tack boats, but the fleet escaped unscathed and ahead of us rounding the first mark. Small adjustments to the main by Dorothy eked out half a knot or so as we made our way downwind. We went right on the second upwind as well to avoid the train of downwind boats. The wind by now was flagging, but didn't drop below 6 knots. Though we'd all noted that a new mark had been dropped to shorten the course and the mark-set boat had blasted everyone with horns galore at the downwind mark, your dear driver still managed to ignore the new upwind mark and tack too early, thinking he was working the middle of the course for the old upwind mark. Two more tacks later, the new upwind mark was made, and we eased into a comfortable finish, trimming the main tighter than one might expect and considering a longer jib pole setting to eke out once again a little more boatspeed. 6-10 knots isn't Tropical Quest's favourite wind speed, but we had a thoughtful debrief on sailing Tropical Quest fast nevertheless. Lessons learned: Point high on the gybe mark rather than at the mark to trace a straighter route to it. Communicate your thoughts out loud as strategist and driver so crew know what's coming. And let other boats figure their own problems out when collision is so far as to allow the other skipper time to play games and probe for people's confidence in the rules of racing.

A lovely sunny sail in 12-25-knot winds from WNW, anchoring just east of Shirley's Bay to swim. The water temperature was in the low to mid 20s!