the PMG CanAm CL16 Regatta
 Hilton Beach, August 12-13, 2006
Saturday: Race 2.2
photos by Jake Cormier (commentary by Uncle Al)
2006 CanAm Photography is available to purchase! Please note image numbers, then contact jake@hiltonbeach.com to order digital versions ($20 each) or professionally printed 8x10s ($35 each, includes postage).


While the tension mounts at the leeward mark, where Mike Codd (628) appears set to emerge at the front of this pack ...
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... Uncle Al gets to relax as he cruises along with enough wind to sit on the deck while Marc stays amidships. This close-up gives a reasonably good view of our bridle set-up. The fact that the blocks are moved closer together by the bridle, lets us get a more precise handle on mainsheet tension. We set the bridle up such that when there's enough wind to let both of us hike out, we should normally be able to sheet in block-to-block. Here, the wind is slightly lighter than that, and the two blocks are about six inches apart.
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When you're hot, you're hot: Having deliberately underlaid the mark in case a late lift should arrive, we get such a lift just before the mark. We are heeling the boat because that lets you (briefly!) pinch up better, a useful move where you're hoping to get around a mark without throwing in two more tacks!
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Jim and Alice round a lonely second.
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Starting the final beat to the finish: The wind has come up a bit more yet, letting both Marc and me sit up on the deck while ...
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... pulling the main in nearly block to block.
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On our port tacks, we were using exceptionally tall trees to judge lifts and headers, all the while making sure that
we stayed generally between our nearest competitors and the finish line on this, the final leg.
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The wind continues to increase slightly as we approach the line.
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Al thanks the committee as he and Marc get the beep. Note how we are now sheeted block-to-block what with Marc and me both leaning out a bit. The vang is just tight enough so that it won't fall off the boom - we don't want vang upwind until we have so much wind that we can no longer hike the boat as flat as is necessary - at which point, adding vang tension will let us flatten (and thus, reduce the power of) our mainsail.
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For Marc and Al. it's been one of those rare races where everything has gone right: a perfect start, the early lead, no memorable mistakes and one or two pretty smart moves. The kind of thing that is best celebrated with a beer! "As luck would have it," grins Marc, "I just happen to have packed a few cans ..." and the day reaches total perfection.
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Becky Sylvester and Kim Wood (2756) are about to put the capper on a truly amazing comeback as they have moved past Jim and Alice (1236) who had seemed to have 2nd place all sewn up after the second beat! But wait! Here come ...
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... Kipp and Anne Sylvester, headed for the favoured RC boat end of the line. In the end, it was indeed ...
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... Becky and Kim taking 2nd in a beep-beep finish just ahead of Kipp and Anne. Meanwhile, for Jim and Alice, this had to be one of their least-satisfying 4ths ever. Good thing there was another race coming right up to take their minds off this race! By contrast, Three Gawthrop and Craig Bouck had to be quite pleased with their 5th-place finish after their last in race 1. Sadly, there was no photo of them finishing, perhaps because Jake had to capture the celebration aboard Becky's boat?
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To say that Becky and Kim were happy would be an understatement!!
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Steve and Andrew Macklin (523) score an extremely narrow 6th over John and Laura Kupers.
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8th place for Dave Hansman with Andrew Haill in 282, just ahead of Charles McLaughlin and Bill Hibbard who scored a 9th, their second consecutive top-ten finish.
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Rounding out the top 10 were Mike Codd and Kirk Iredale followed by ...
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... Mac Thomas with his brother, Nick.
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12th were Peter and Peggy Foster ahead of clubmates ...
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... Jake Dann and son, Jesse.
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Next were Eric Kirby and Gary Gjos.
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Looking good but going inexplicably slowly were Colin Junkin and Heather Wood.
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And I believe this is John Hershey with Tom Godfrey?

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