It was a great day for sailing! The wind was strong from the southeast at about 10 mph then built to 12-14 from the south as the afternoon went on. Thank you to the race committee for setting up solid courses and on offset mark for olympic courses.
In the first two races I managed to get solid starts to be at or near the front of the fleet. The tide was flowing very strong down river all day. In the second race I cut the last mark too close and had to do a circle, which is a bummer of a way to lose three boats.
For the third and fourth race the wind was up in the 12-14 range and I managed to botch the start of the third race. I got too close to the pin end with too much time left and ended up over early. The windward mark had also been moved so I and a few others over stood the windward mark. The tide also drove me way past the lay line and I was almost reaching by the time I actually got to the windward mark. The second downwind leg of the triangle planing was possible which added a new challenge we don’t get too often. I managed to do OK and keep up with the boats around me.
For the fifth and final race the wind was somewhat lighter back closer to 10. I was better on the current situation so I managed to stay closer to the marks and lay lines. I tried to keep the boat flat and pointing while going upwind and upright while going downwind.
My lessons learned for the day were: don’t hit marks, know where the next mark is, and be aware of the current and lay lines. I’ve also waited a bit too long to do the write up and the races have blended together a bit in my memory. Thanks again to everyone for coming out to make this day fun!