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Blakely Rock Benefit Race – Brisk but not Brutal – Hedrick Reports

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Blakely Rock Benefit Race – Brisk but not Brutal – Hedrick Reports

Nearly 100 boats were signed up for the Blakely Rock Benefit Race on Saturday, but a large number of skippers were scared away by the dire wind forecasts. A really healthy fleet still made the trip from Seattle to the Rock and back and while it blew hard, it wasn’t on the “really scary” side of windy. As Doug Frazer from OxoMoxo said, “We had one knock down, but the salt is good for the teak. I was a little disappointed we didn’t need to put in a reef.” The sailish.com weather guru Bruce called it correctly, however (and my apologies) the Brief didn’t get out until 1932 on Friday. For those who didn’t see the Brief, sorry I didn’t get it out sooner. No word yet on how much money was raised for The Sailing Foundation, but every bit of it will be well used. Results. 

Jan and Skip and Mocha Anderson were out and once again caught the mood of the day. Here’s a sampling, click on any image to enlarge. To see the rest of them, check out the full gallery. Jan credits the ferry captain for what I’d call not just considerate, but highly seamanlike, decision to go south of the Rock to avoid conflict with the fleet. If any of you know that captain, buy him a beer.

Here’s Jan’s thoughts: “There was certainly plenty of action at The Rock this weekend, with gusty conditions and rain squalls. The good news is that the potentially-race-canceling-gear-busting conditions forecasted for Saturday never arrived … hooray! That means we were left with a real race that challenged competitors, not a survival exercise that challenged logic. Well done, Mother Nature, and many thanks to Bruce for an accurate forecast that surely encouraged more boats to come out and play anyway. All in all, a win-win-win day! Enjoy the photos!” She added, “The ferry skipper was an absolute gentleman, that dissolved a potentially huge challenge in its interaction with the sailing fleet. Had he not done what he did, the result would have been an absolute mess. Bravo Zulu!!”

Bruce Hedrick’s Race Report from onboard Tahlequah

Once again, a great event. Too bad so many people got freaked out by the advertising-driven doom and gloom forecasters. I have to say that we pretty well nailed it and we had a great time. We agreed beforehand if that it was blowing 25+, we weren’t going. The riggers got down to the boat at 0930 and it was 8-10 with a puff to 14 from 147°M. By 1030 it was 5-8 from 190°M and we were putting on sunblock and sunglasses.

We left the dock at 1115 with the pole rigged and the #1 genoa on deck but with the caveat that we reserved the right to change our mind. The foredeck was shocked! By 1135 we were seeing puffs to 16 and signs that it was going to increase, ie the lower clouds were moving faster from the SW. So we decided to go to the #3. This was the right call. The baro had quit rising and when that happened the wind went back to ESE. So two starts in front of us boats were able to port tack start. The start in front of us no one figured that out so we decided the boat end, on port, was a winner. It was and we won the start and sailed easily into the lead holding off the Schock 35 and pinning them in our dirty air.

Wind speed vs Air Pressure at West Point

As usual, our main competition was the C&C115 Elusive who got a horrible start and ended up sailing low and slow off the line. We were able to hold port tack almost all the way to Bainbridge where we started to run into traffic from the slower starts ahead of us. We weren’t able to sail as far as we wanted into the Bainbridge shore so we tacked to starboard to stay in clear air and stay ahead of Elusive. In doing so we let the J-109 get ahead of us.

We rounded Blakely Rock in second place and knew that we could never hold the C&C 115 off going downwind: longer waterline, more sail area, etc etc. We held the port pole until we were about halfway to Winslow and then gybed to end up being aimed perfectly at West Point. The J-109 gybed and crossed ahead of us while Elusive gybed early and sailed about even with us until about ½ way to West Point when the breeze built and they just took off.

We knew the wind would go forward at West Point so we had everything rigged for the final run to Meadow Point. Elusive had to gybe and come out to us but they crossed us and went too far to the West. The other C&C 115 Fortuna was just sailing up our tail pipe but when the wind went forward at West Pt we were able to handle that better and just sailed directly to Meadow Point. In the meanwhile, Elusive who had gone too far to the West had to drop their kite and go to their headsail to make Meadow Point. So we were inside with the kite up, making the mark and you would think that would be an advantage. No such luck, bigger boats with more waterline and more sail area are simply faster.

We rounded Meadow Point in clear air with plenty of congestion behind us and when we could tack and get back into the beach we did. Elusive beat us, as they should, but we still had a great time.

Peak true wind speed as recorded on the Garmin was 22 knots, minimum wind speed was 12 knots. Peak boat speed was a very brief surf to 9.1 knots.

Those who believed the sailish.com forecast had a great time and anytime you can sail in those conditions, you learn something.

 

Carol Pearl and a Look Behind the scenes

Sloop Tavern Yacht Club Commodore Shannon Renner oversaw this great event and shared her thoughts. 

The Race Committee

I had a lot of requests from skippers to cancel this race based on the warnings.  It was tough as some folks were coming from other areas and had to get crew together.  Because it was a benefit regatta (beginners and experienced both racing) some crews (and skippers) had a lot of angst about participating.  Due to the fickle weather here there was no way I could make that call until the day of race. Turned out to be a great day.  An amazing day!

In the end, we had 100 boats register and 60 race. The committee boat was s/v Copacetic with Mike DeMan was the skipper.  Mike Cain (STYC Vice Commodore) and I headed up the committee boat with a crew of 10.  There were some pretty tight and competitive starts with a few near misses, but in the end we only had 1 over early. The finish was just as exciting and there were a lot of cheers from folks. Everyone was off the water in record time really. Even the vessel traffic was making way for the fleet as they rounded the rock and headed back north. 

We held the trophy awards and huge raffle event (all proceeds donated to The Sailing Foundation) at the Sloop Tavern after the race. The tavern was packed, as always, and lots of stories swapped for sure. I do not yet have the total amount raised as it usually takes us about a week to get all those numbers in, but  I will let you know once we get them.  

The Sloop Tavern (business) sponsored our breakfast as usual this year (they always do) and CYC provided the venue this year for both breakfast and the skipper meeting. This was a change for us this year as breakfast is usually held at the Sloop Tavern but CYC wanted to help The Sailing Foundation and offered the breakfast venue this year.

Carol Pearl is who we named the Blakely Rock Benefit after this year.  Carol was our club historian and had been a past commodore of STYC in the early 90’s.  She truly embodied the STYC spirit.  We had all of our board meetings at her home.  She passed away on 2/14/2018.  Carol is who usually managed the BRBR race each year. It was harder for her the last couple of years due to her health but she still had her organizational lists, etc to make sure all details were handled.

 

Wet Wednesday – Dieter Wins at RS Feva Worlds

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Update: I just spoke to Dieter’s dad Nate and he reports it’s Dieter’s 11th Birthday and his finishes were 3,1,1. Go the Dieter. Go the Conrad.

 

Well, no surprise here, but Seattle’s Dieter Creitz leads off this promo video for the RS Feva Worlds, which are going on this week. And it seems (from the Facebook livecasts that I briefly glanced) that he won Race 2 and 3 – on his birthday no less! Yep, he’s got an energy about him that doesn’t waver, win or lose. Creitz and Conrad Miller are sailing in the event with sponsorship from West Coast Sailing. RS Sailing is doing a great job with this video of creating the fun atmosphere kids are looking for in a boat that looks to be a lot of fun.

They’re livecasting some of the action from Clearwater. A little patchy at times.

Dieter Creitz Wins with a Smile

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world, Racing, Uncategorized, Youth Sailing 3 Comments
Dieter Creitz Wins with a Smile
Dieter Creitz at the Sunshine State Optimist Championships

There are a lot of reasons to highlight 10-year-old (soon to be 11) Dieter Creitz. Sure, he’s a really talented sailor. And he shares his love of the sport with other kids. As a parent, I can only imagine how cool it is to have him an enthusiastic and integral part of his family’s Olson 25 Three Ring Circus. He hasn’t let all his success go to his head, and loves to do other sports as well.

But most of all, he exudes happiness around the water. It’s great to be around. If we could just bottle that….

Right now Creitz is in the middle of a very busy racing season. He just won the White division of the Sunshine State Optimist Championship sailed from the US Sailing Center in Martin County. For all of you who thumb your nose at the boxy, underpowered and overpriced Opti, consider this – over 200 kids from all over the U.S. came to this event, many trying to qualify to go to the upcoming International Events including the Optimist Meeting on Lake Garda which will have 1000-1200 competitors.

Creitz, in fact, was getting a little bored with the Opti, but the Sunshine State Champs appears to have cured that. He’s excited to be going back to Florida for the United States Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA) for the US Team Trials in April. According to his dad Nate, Creitz is up against “professional” sailors. With program budgets exceeding $100K and multiple coaches for some kids, professional is a pretty apt description. This goes way beyond Mommy Boats, which can be bad enough.

But before the team trials, Creitz is headed to Florida with crew Conrad Miller to sail in the RS Feva World Championships. With sponsorship from West Coast Sailing, this team will be waving the PNW and West Coast Sailing flags for this up and coming youth class. The kids are even blogging about it here. Creitz loves going fast, and the RS Feva delivers, as you can see in this short video.

The Sunshine State Optimist Regatta

Creitz is no stranger to big regattas, and it’s a good thing because the logistics of them weren’t easy at this regatta. With over 200 boats, there were four fleets. There was a round-robin between the fleets, so everyone got to sail against everyone else at least some of the time. There were three races per day. There was no gold/silver fleet, the scores are simply tabulated. But within the entire fleet results, kids are scored in their respective age group fleets: White for 10 and under, Blue for 11-12 and Red for 13-14 year olds. Creitz handily won the white division (and was 51st overall) by 29 points over the second place boats.

Nate was just about giddy to watch as his son Dieter applied so many skills to the fleet racing that he’d been learning over the years. “Getting off the line in an Opti race is everything. It was so cool to see him open up the tool bag and use these tools to get off the line. It was the best regatta he’s ever sailed.” Dieter found the fleet a lot more challenging than he’s used to around here. And a key to his success in Florida – hiking harder!

But of course there’s more to the story than just starting and the results. Creitz and his dad arrived in Florida early for two days of practice with the Canadian team before the two-day regatta. And it blew 25 knots every day. Several of the “pro” kids could look forward to unending weeks of training following the regatta.

But our Dieter Creitz needed to make it back to the Pacific Northwest. For skiing. After all, he’s a member of the NW Freeride freeskiing team. Yes, Creitz does jumps and stunts with skis. He’s got the 360 down and is working on the 540. It’s no surprise that a Northwest kid both skis and sails, but to do both so well is a real accomplishment. Asked if he likes skiing or sailing, he says skiing. “I guess I like it better because I only get to do it part of the year. You can sail all year long.”

It all started….

Dieter grew up sailing with his dad and mom Wanda. Dad Nate is a very active sailor and was in his youth, having sailed the US Youth Champs several times and finishing as high as fourth.

One big key to Dieter’s sailing was the “big boat,” the Creitz Olson 25 Three Ring Circus. Anyone racing around Seattle has seen Dieter’s bright smile aboard Three Ring Circus for the last decade. Lately Nate has pared the crew to just the family, having his son drive (seems logical to me!) while he trims and Wanda does bow.

The upcoming Race to the Straits will be the first father and son effort. Dieter has done several, of course, starting when he was six months old. But at this point it seems only fair that he be considered a full half of a doublehanded team. And Wanda? “Well, she knew this day was coming,” Nate explains.

Not surprisingly, Dieter finds himself on other boats occasionally, including the TP52s Glory and Smoke. His days of grinding and calling tactics may still be ahead of him, but Dieter still finds things to do. “I help on the bow and with the hoists,” he explains. And of course he finds himself as the “squirrel” on takedowns, helping get the spinnaker down the forehatch.

Through it all, Dieter’s love of sailing continues. His thoughts on sailing to a non-sailing 10 year old: “It’s a good way to open up, be free, get to travel and hang out with friends.”

And the future?

When a kid like Creitz makes his mark so clearly on the race course, the question has to come up “What next? Olympics?” Nate Creitz knows that possibility is out there, but like his son he has his head on straight and feet on the ground. “We’ll see what he wants to do,” he says. Nate’s not pushing, and doesn’t see any $100K “program” for Dieter. (“I’m not in that tax bracket.”) but he’ll do everything possible to enable Dieter’s dreams as they come. It’s safe to say that Nate and Wanda’s supportive, not pushy, approach to Dieter is a big reason why Dieter’s smiling at regattas.

The PNW sailing community has rallied with support for Dieter. Seattle Yacht Club and West Coast Sailing have both teamed up with support for Dieter. The rest of us can and should just root him on.

 

 

Wet Wednesday: Nice Gybe, Everyone

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If you’re dying for some Blakely Rock videos, I shared several on sailish.com’s Facebook Page.

Here’s one from Malcolm MacNeil aboard Crossfire. A beautiful gybe should always be celebrated. If you haven’t read the race wrap on Blakely Rocks, here it is. Don’t forget to check out Bruce’s weather outlook when we post it Friday.

PHRF Meeting Notes

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PHRF Meeting Notes

PHRF-NW had a meeting on February 11, and I’m pleased to share the Chief Handicappers notes from that meeting (without comment!):

PHRF-NW update 2018 

The PHRF-NW Annual Handicapper’s Council meeting 2018 was graciously hosted by CYC Seattle on February 11, 2018. Chaired by Chief Handicapper Neil Bennett and Deputy Chief Handicapper Alan Grim, Handicappers from as far South as Portland, OR, North as Juneau, AK, west as Orcas Island and everywhere in between gathered for a morning and afternoon discussion about the state of PHRF sailboat racing in Puget Sound. And, to quote Mark Twain, ‘rumors of our death have been greatly exaggerated’. 

Each Handicapper gave an update on their club’s racing programs; without fail, each club handicapper reported increased participation and eager excitement to get back out on the water, racing in PHRF One Design and open keelboat and multihull fleets. We listened and learned from each other, again reinforcing the premise that the ‘whole is greater than the sum of its parts’. So look for some innovation at that next regatta or race. 

We also looked at how we stack up against other measurement methods such as ORC and IRC. We compared our PHRF-NW ratings against US Sailing National PHRF ratings and, not surprisingly, we differ from other areas of the country (for obvious reasons, we are unique); however we are consistent in our differences; against the other rating/measurement systems we are rock solidly consistent in how similar the time deltas between yachts are measured. 

Of course we are proud that our cost effective, friendly PHRF-NW method stacks up against the ‘bog boys’, and we welcome any and all to join us. 

We also reviewed member appeals and made some adjustments. In specific: 

Appeals 

Gray Wolf, XMART40-1, s/n 401 

A motion was made and carried to change the as-sailed rating to 57, and amended to reinstate the T designation. 

Occams Razor, ILC40, s/n 1997 

A motion was made and carried to change the as-sailed rating to 18, and amended to reinstate the T designation. 

Poke and Destroy, EVEL32-2, s/n 69061 

A motion was made and carried to change the as-sailed rating to 93. The motion passed. 

A motion was made and carried to create a JBOA105-ODR standard with a base/as-sailed rating of 93. 

Hoping to see you all out on the water in 2018. 

Neil Bennett, PHRF-NW Chief Handicapper

Wet Wednesday Video, a little 360 and a Trailer

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While we wait for what will surely (?) be a banner crop of videos coming off the Center Sound boats, here’s a good one from Hamachi laying down some serious miles on an “outside” leg of the Van Isle 360 last year:

And here’s a teaser. The movie Coyote: The Mike Plant Story is currently making the film festival rounds, and while it’s not in the PNW yet, director Thomas Simmons assures me that he’s looking hard for an opportunity to get it here. I, for one, am very anxious to see it – Mike Plant was a fascinating character, a great sailor and not as well known as he should be.

COYOTE: The Mike Plant Story | Official Trailer from Sparkplug Films on Vimeo.

Skeel and Storkman Honored by US Sailing

Kurt Hoehne Community, Uncategorized, Youth Sailing 0 Comment
Skeel and Storkman Honored by US Sailing

It’s that time of the year when US Sailing hands out awards and honors. This time around, two of our own PNW sailors received acknowledgment from the governing body. Here’s US Sailing’s announcement and the specifics on the community sailing work done by these two!

 

Community Sailing and National One-Design Award Winners
Announced by US Sailing

BRISTOL, R.I. (January 29, 2018) – US Sailing is proud to announce the 2017 Community Sailing and National One-Design Award winners for their contributions to the sport of sailing in the United States. To celebrate the accomplishments of these individuals and organizations responsible for advancing sailing forward in their respective areas of focus and within their communities, US Sailing will recognize them on Thursday, February 1, 2018 at the Awards Celebration to be held at the Sailing Leadership Forum in St. Pete Beach, Florida, hosted by the TradeWinds Island Grand Resort.

US Sailing will issue a second announcement following the Awards Celebration for the award winners who will be recognized live at the awards celebration.

The following 2017 Community Sailing and One-Design Award winners are:

  • Andrew Alletag (Tewksbury, Mass.) of Community Boating, Inc. in Boston, Mass. received the Jim Kilroy Outstanding Outreach & Inclusion Award.
  • Erik Skeel (Woodinville, Wash.) of Sail Sand Point in Seattle, Wash. received the award for Excellence in Instruction.
  • Jamie Jones (Westerville, Ohio) of the Hoover Sailing Club received the award for Outstanding Organizational Leader.
  • Joan Storkman (Gig Harbor, Wash.) was named Volunteer of the Year for her ongoing dedication as a volunteer at Gig Harbor Junior Sail Program.
  • Wayzata Community Sailing Center (Wayzata, Minn.) received the award for More than Ten Years of Hallmark Performance for their continued commitment to community sailing.
  • Sail Nauticus (Norfolk, Va.) received the award for Creative Innovations in Programming.
  • Delavan Lake Yacht Club (Delavan, Wis.) received a the National One-Design Regatta Award for excellence in development, promotion and management of the year’s most outstanding one-design regatta.
  • Jon VanderMolen (Richland, Mich.) and Don Parfet (Richland, Mich.) received the National One-Design Creativity Award for their inaugural Vintage Gold Cup.
  • San Diego Yacht Club (Calif.) received the National One-Design Club Award recognizing administrative excellence, fleet growth, creative programming, regatta support and member contributions.

 

 

Erik Skeel (with Laura Smit) at the singlehanded college nationals.

Erik Skeel – Excellence in Instruction

Erik Skeel (Woodinville, Wash.) of Sail Sand Point in Seattle, Wash. has been recognized for his superb leadership and extraordinary instruction. Providing highly technical feedback to sailors, his greatest strength is his leadership in group settings.

As a sophomore member of the University of Washington Sailing Team, Skeel’s enthusiasm and knowledge, regardless of his role on the boat, has made a positive impact on his teammates. As a summer camp instructor, he shares his love of sailing and amicable personality with everyone around him.

He is a truly remarkable instructor and valued member of Sail Sand Point.

Joan Storkman – Volunteer of the Year

Joan Storkman (Gig Harbor, Wash.) is a tireless volunteer with the Gig Harbor Junior Sail Program in Washington. She has been there since its inception and, in less than 10 years, this program has grown from a very small all-volunteer operation, to a fully-fledged program employing seasonal staff, while operating eight months a year. This year, the Gig Harbor Yacht Club (GHYC) Junior Sail “Learn to Sail” summer program recorded its highest enrollment ever, with 160 local youth participating in their weekly sailing camps, thanks to Storkman’s hard work.

She recruited and leads the 12-member Board of Directors, and works countless hours to ensure that the GHYC Junior Sail a well-run, organized and high-morale community asset.

Storkman’s high-energy leadership, attention to detail, as well as her endless team motivation and expressions of gratitude to all the volunteers and instructors has positioned the GHYC Junior Sail to be a successful program with a fantastic future.

Wet Wednesday – Olympic Classes Training

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world, Racing, Uncategorized, Youth Sailing 0 Comment
Wet Wednesday – Olympic Classes Training

World Cup Series Miami is happening this week, and it’s where all the Olympic hopefuls congregate to start racking up wins and gaining experience in all the relevant classes. I’ve gathered some training videos – a couple of them VERY short clips – of PNW women that are there competing. Looks challenging for 4 seconds. Imagine a whole day of racing. First up is Kate Shaner and Charlotte Mack doing some heavy air training in her 49erFX. Then comes a video of Helena Scutt (with skipper Bora Gulari) in a polished pr video sailing a Nacra 19 on foils. Finally, we have a few seconds of Hanne Weaver working the waves in her Laser Radial in some big wind. I’m hoping to get some first-hand accounts of how the series is going. And for the young sailors at home, here are some hometown heroes to root for and learn from!

Yesterday was the first day of racing, and I posted a little report earlier today.

 

Sensory Deprivation on the Cockpit Floor in the Six Meter Worlds

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world, Racing, Uncategorized 1 Comment
Sensory Deprivation on the Cockpit Floor in the Six Meter Worlds

There’s no doubt that the 6-Meter Worlds in Vancouver September 15-21 was an extraordinary, red-carpet affair and not really weekend sailor fare. Boats and luminaries were shipped from Europe, boats resuscitated and re-wardrobed, pros were lined up for most of the boats. It’s not often there’s real-life royalty on the start line.

But what’s it like to sail a 6-Meter? I gave a shout to Alex Simanis of Ballard Sails who was main trimmer aboard Bob Cadranell’s Arunga.

“In my spot it was like sailing with sensory deprivation,” he explains. “I didn’t see any of the beats. I was sitting on the floor of the open cockpit tending the mainsheet, runners, traveller and the trim tab. As soon as we’re doing 5 knots you used the trim tab, just a little to make the keel a bit assymetrial going upwind. As the main trimmer you get kicked in the face a few times because you share the space the owner.”

Click on these Nancii Bernard photos to enlarge. I’d highly recommend going to her web site to see the rest of her photos – they provide a great feel for the sailing part of the regatta.

Some of the other things Simanis explained were that there was a real issue with the boats trying to sink themselves when they got going downwind. It was more than the meter-type hull settling deep into displacement mode, it was more like self-destruction. The wing keels on some boats are actually aimed to drive the boat into the water. “We took on a lot of the water – it came over the floorboards. We were pumping with the biggest Whale pump they make!”

And Simanis added that these boats can be handful when it blows. “It’s physical,” he says. The boats usually sail with five. “Twenty knots is about the limit for these boats,” he adds, “After that it just gets stupid.”

Arunga was in the modern class, but the “classic” class was equally competitive. The royalty (HM the King of Spain) won the classic classic race, and the Swiss boat Junior defended her title, but not without controversy. Chris Winnard, who happened to be sailing on Arunga, laid out some of the controversies in this Sailing Anarchy post.

Simanis agreed that things smelled, at the very least, fishy when the hot local Canadian New Sweden was given some questionable redress. “18 boats filed protests, and eventually they just rolled it into one protest with 18 witnesses,” Simanis explained. He added that the program Ben Mumford and Don Marten had put together didn’t really need any help – the boat was well sorted and fast. In the end the redress was not given.

Of course, high falutin or not, it’s still a sailboat race and everyone tries to come away learning a thing or two. The Arunga team, for instance, learned a fair bit about mast rake. They learned they needed a lot more than they’d been using, though in the end had to moderate the change just a bit. The whole “bow down” thing to maximize speed isn’t necessarily the thing to do, as the fast boats were all sheeting in hard and pointing on the beats.

While the real competition is in Europe, this region has a proud history, and present, with 6-Meters. There are several boats in Port Madison, and they often turn up for Seattle buoy races. Then there are the Vancouver boats. With all these boats tuned up after the Worlds, there may be a renewed interest in the class around here.

It would be a great game to play, because while they’re sailed boat for boat, every one is different and needs it’s own customization. Optimizing the boat is certainly a big part of the game. And underway, who wouldn’t like to on that good looking a boat going to weather?

Few if any boats are more beautiful than the narrow, low slung meter boats. I grew up watching some of the ex-America’s Cup 12-Meters like Heritage charging upwind unmolested through those nasty boat-stopping lake waves. It was as sight to behold. And if you spend some time looking at the photos and squint a bit, you can see a bit of the “old” Cup racing.

“I’m a sailor who believes in planing boats, but it’s cool to be sailing part of history,” Simanis says. Even if it means you miss seeing where you are on the race course during the beat.

 

PSSR in the Books, Next Up Tri Island

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PSSR in the Books, Next Up Tri Island

The racing season continues this weekend with the first race of Seattle Yacht Club’s Tri-Island Series, the Protection Island race. Look for Bruce Hedrick’s weather report and race brief later today.

Last weekend 50 boats raced CYCs PSSR and Jan Anderson was on hand to catch the action with her lens. We didn’t get a lot of reports from the courses, but it’s noteworthy that there were four of the eight classes and well over half the fleet were one-design.

The largest among those classes was the resilient J/105 class, with eight boats. The 105s seem to turn out a class for nearly every event, and we’re going to take a closer look at why this fleet has maintained solid participation over the years. One key may be that a lot of them have ended up sharing P-dock at Shilshole, so post race connection is a natural extension of the competition.

While Erik Kristen’s More Jubilee won the event handily, the biggest moment in the regatta came as Tango and Inconceivable were tied going into race seven and were basically just racing each other. Going downwind on the 2nd leg they were neck and neck for the lead. They all gybed to starboard except for Inconceivable which continued out towards the middle of the Sound. It looked like they had taken a flyer and Tango would win the race – until Inconceivable showed up at the leeward mark ahead of everyone. Inconceivable went on to finish ahead of Tango in the last race, even putting a boat between them, to sew up second.

In other classes on the north course, Shrek won a tight class, the Sierra 26s ran away with Class 2 and Tom Greetham’s Distraction won the Melges 24s. On the south course the Here & Now and Zipper won their respective PHRF classes while Taj Mahal and Return won the J/80 and San Juan 24 fleets.

If you have some regatta stories or thoughts, please call me or email me and I’ll try to work them into the race reports. Thanks. In the meantime, here are some of Jan Anderson’s photos. Don’t forget to visit her site get some shots to adorn your wall (or your crews’).