1998-1999 InterClub Results - Series 1, Day 6

All of you chickens who got spooked by the morning rain missed some incredible sailing weather (Bugly has pictures to prove it). We had a classic NWer with winds from 10 to 20, gusty and shifty. It was sunny and pretty warm too! Bugly, for his amusement, put the weather mark about 10 feet from the south corner of the Naval Academy breakwater. With the mark so close, the wind would all but shut off at the mark allowing boats behind to close the gap. Spectators watched the action from the breakwater - always good press. As is typical of NWers and this course, you can't sail up the middle if you want to win - you have to choose a side. The current was ripping on the right (flooding) making it easy to overstand. The breeze on the right was generally more reliable, but less shifty coming down the river. The left (creek) side was very shift and gusty, with 30 degree shifts lurking - threatening to auto-tack you. Both sides paid off depending on the timing.

Aden and Phebe pretty much dominated, but capsized in the last race. Rhett and Celeste, sailing just behind Aden & Phebe, waited for the leader to attempt the gybe. When they saw the leader take a swim, a chicken gybe was all that was needed to round the mark and win the race. Jesse and Peter had a good run until a capsize (shut up Alex) forced them out of two races and the start of the last. Ross and Fiona had a few good races at the end. Matt Cotrell, fearing that capsizing was contagious, headed in after race 4. Jervis and Ian also came in early to do some boat work.

Come down and sail!

Jesse