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The crew on Ron Kell's Express 27 Abigail Morgan includes his son Oliver. ©2013 norcalsailing.com |
Great Vallejo Race
May 6, 2013 The weathermen must be singing the blues, as their dire predictions for the Great Vallejo Race on the weekend could be thrown overboard – luckily, fair winds prevailed. On Friday, owners worked on their boats in bright sun and heat and no breeze, and it was looking gloomy for Saturday's race to Vallejo with light winds predicted. "I'm prepping my anchor and bringing extra fuel," said Steve Katzman, owner of the Express 27 Dianne. "We may end up motoring to Vallejo." When Saturday dawned, a nice southwesterly was already building in the Slot, and it was breeze on by the time of the first gun at 1100. The fleets headed north expecting to find light air down the course. But it didn't happen. Except for a light spot by the Brothers, the wind followed the boats all the way to the Napa river and the finish just beyond the Vallejo ferry dock.
The crews who chose to head left at Red Rock, taking the island to starboard, skipped the slow-down at the Brothers, and, although they had to fight a stronger ebb current, the move paid off in the first passing lane. After Point Pinole the wind increased for a really fun wave-surfing spinnaker reach in 20-25 knots of wind. Passing lane #2 could be found in the shallow water of San Pablo Bay just beyond Pt. San Pablo, as some were able to pick off their competitors who stayed further out. Continuing on the course, those who peeled off to the rock wall across from the Chevron Pier gained more passing opportunities. The last chances to pass were grabbed in the river with the boats hugging the east shore eking out a little gains in the puffs and lulls. All of this in 20+ knots of wind the forecasters didn't predict.
After a windy night in the raft-up the talk at the dock was Sunday's forecast of up to 35 knots of south wind coming up from a low pressure system ready to hit the fleet in San Pablo Bay. Crews nervously looking into their smart phones saw 40 knots in Santa Cruz and winds already building on the Bay. But it was just hot air from the weather computer, as the race back was a gentle affair in no more than 15 knots of southwesterly. Pat Broderick on the Wyliecat 30 Nancy raced in the shorthanded division. "My old sailing friend Jane Piereth joined me for the doublehanded sail back down San Pablo. Jane and I have sailed together and against each other since our Coronado 25 days in the 1970s. Many years ago Jane organized Sailing Education Adventures (SEA) and continues to serve as SEA Treasurer, helping with their great young persons' Sail Training Program at Marin Yacht Club. "We decided to starboard tack the start line, since the wind angle allowed that tack to be a reach toward the center of the Mare Island Strait. We had to dodge a boat motoring through the starting area and several late-starting port-tacked non-spinnaker boats, and we forced the Moore 24 Cookie Jar to crash-tack with their pole up. But we made it and got free in the middle. From there it was more or less a run down the Strait with several jibes. We caught all of the boats ahead except the Santana 22 Oreo and the Cal 20 Can O'Whoopass by the entrance marker. The three of us decided to tack down the seawall, while the boats behind decided to cross over to the south side. They all decided to come back, but were caught out in the flood and appeared stalled. "We traded tacks with Oreo and the Can for awhile before pulling ahead. At about the east end of the Pt. Pinole Channel, we felt neutral current in the middle, so we continued on a long series of tacks across and down toward Pt. Pinole. We played the current lines, staying in darker water, and by Pt. Pinole we were able to tack all the way out to the shipping channel before turning back toward Pt. San Pablo. After Pt. Pinole we could see the larger boats begin to get larger, including the J/35 Pegasus that was in our Short Handed Division.
"It was fun and exciting to be leading the fleet down San Pablo, especially for Jane who hasn't competed in a Vallejo Race for 30 years – and then in her Coronado 25. Just before Pt. San Pablo a tanker coming down got in our way, so we tacked in closer to the point, while Pegasus stayed out in the middle. They passed us on the next tack; apparently there was more wind and ebb out there. We tacked down to the finish line behind them, crossing about two minutes behind, the second boat to cross the line. In a drag race, waterline length wins. But on the handicap leading the fleet for most of race paid off for us." And weathercasters be damned. "It was great weekend, with good wind, challenging currents, and great competition," was how Pat summed it up.
See results, still preliminary, at www.yra.org.
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