Severn River Challenge
SSA was invited to participate in the Severn River Challenge, a match race event hosted by Eastport Yacht Club in it's second year. Team SSA (made up of Ashley Love, Geoff Becker and son Josh) competed against five other local teams that included 3 other SSA members (Tim Herzog & Trevor Perkins of Team MATRA and Sam Septembre on the EYC team). The teams competing were representing Eastport Yacht Club, Storm Trysail Club, MATRA (Match and Team Racing Addicts), Cambridge Yacht Club and Severna Park. EYC's J22 fleet was in great shape thanks to countless hours of work by the sailing committee and bosuns for the event. Umpires and race committee set up a race course at Triton point in, what started as, 15+ knots of breeze with cloudy skies. Starting with a full round robin, it didn't matter the skill and experience level, we were ALL put to the test in breezy and lumpy conditions! I learned quite a bit about driving a J22 upwind in confused seas with high winds, but it took a few races! In the first stage (the round robin), team SSA went 3-2, which put us in the semi-final knock-out round paired up with the Eastport Yacht Club.
Stage two would be a first to 2 points to get to the finals. We prepared for a port entry for the first race against Reed McLaughlin, Sam Setembre and Ben Komar. The pin was favored, so team SSA decided to enter and come up straight away. Doing this got us an escape "high" and as the breeze started to get wonky from the rain approaching up the Severn River, we kept boat speed up and managed to get underneath EYC with about 15 seconds to go for the start. At 5 seconds to go, SSA threw in a luff to force EYC over the line early, headed back down and started clean. EYC tacked, dipped and restarted eventually started and about 5 minutes later, the weather fronts coming in from the west started playing games with the breeze. On our way downwind to the leeward gate, the breeze started shifting to the left so far that we recognized that we needed raise the jib, drop the kite and reach to the marks. Then tacked around the right gate to reach back to the top mark and reach back again to the finish. 1 point to SSA. In the second race for the semis, SSA entered on starboard, EYC on port and typical dial up and playground pre-start ensued. The breeze started to shut off completely and at go, we were a split start. EYC on starboard sailing to course left and SSA on port toward course right in about 3 knots of wind. When the breeze went to 0 for SSA, EYC found a little something on the left to drift ahead and for the next 35 minutes (races were taking 10 minute each before this), we bobbed around each mark, me staring at the bubbles next to the boat to determine if we were going forward or backward so I knew where to aim the tiller. Eventually, we boat willed our way across the finish line with EYC ahead. That's the thing about match racing. They barely ever cancel a race, especially if the pre-start was fair. Everyone had the same chance! The other thing about match racing is you never know when racing will end for the day. It could be right in the middle of your semi-final, so there is no final match up. After the drift-fest, the race committee and umpires called it a day and since we split points with EYC and they beat us last, the tie breaker went to them for second. Team SSA finished 3rd and Tim Herzog sailing for MATRA won the event, having the better round robin score. Congrats to them!
The Eastport Yacht club is also hosting one of the US Match Racing Championship qualifiers this weekend and the Santa Maria Cup in a few weeks, so they have a major sailing committee and squad of busons working on the boats to ensure their evennes, umpires sharpening their skills and race committee perfecting running excellent matches. It is invigorating to see that kind of energy for match racing from them and from the teams this past weekend, the ones coming in from all over the country this coming weekend and from all over the WORLD for the Santa Maria Cup. Match racing is an incredibly dynamic discipline to exercise pand I'm so excited for the momentum toward other regattas, match, team and fleet racing events like this generate. SSA has also shared enthusiasm for supporting members representing our great association, so let's keep it going!
- Ashley Love.