the PMG CanAm CL16 Regatta
 Hilton Beach, August 12-13, 2006
Sunday: Race 4.1
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).

This was a morning very much like the previous day's: virtually no wind and then patches of ripples coming across from the north shore from a NE direction at perhaps 3 knots. The RC wasted no time in getting a triangular course set and the 5-minute countdown began. Marc and I kept the race plan very simple: stay very near the start line since the wind was coming and going, and could leave us sitting becalmed at any moment. Beyond that, we would just make it a priority to try to go where the best wind pressure seemed to be.

As luck would have it, our start time coincided with one of the morning's best puffs (note the wind streaks showing on the water). Al and Marc (3854) were very nearly over early, but lucked in and got off to the ...
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... best start, along with Colin Junkin and Heather Wood (929).
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Caught between the proverbial rock and the hard place, Colin needs to foot off for speed here as Al (3854) is doing, so that Al will not end up for enough ahead to take Colin's wind. But if Colin does foot off, he may well be sailing out of the wind. Apart from the fact that we were paranoid about sailing into dead spots and tacked accordingly, about all I recall from that beat is that Steve Macklin banged the left corner and got a huge lift. He looked like he would beat us around the mark easily. But that lift, his wind and his luck ultimately ran out and he rounded very near the end of the fleet.
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This was the only beat all weekend where Marc and I overlaid the windward mark but we could afford it since ...
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... our closest pursuers were well back, and had yet to ...
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... nurse their way through the soft patch surrounding the windward mark.
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Like yesterday morning, the wind veered near this shore and made the second-leg reach into run. Here, John Kupers (2136) and Kipp Sylvester (1336) are following Al's example. All three have gybed and are sailing about 60° high of the rhumb line in the quest for the only thing that matters: wind!!! You can tell by Al's and Kipp's masthead fly though, that the upper parts of their masts and sails have already reached the main wind once more and that in seconds, they should be able to gybe back and sail away - always provided that they don't get dumb and sail too high on the new tack and out of the wind once more!!
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Very near the windward mark: Looks like Mike (628) has tacked under Three in hopes he will survive until Becky (2756) and Jim (1236) round and get off his wind. By the way, assuming that neither 2756 nor 1236 completed a tack within two boatlengths of the mark, is Jim (1236) entitled to room at this windward mark? Yes. Rule 18 does not apply at a windward between boats on opposite tacks. But that is obviously not the case here!
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Some interesting sailing angles here, as the next group closes in on the windward mark. (l to r) Peter Foster, Charles McLaughlin, Colin Junkin (look at him point!), Jake Dann, Bob Tisdall (coming from the left side doldrums!)
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Also having gybed at the mark, Becky (2756) and Three struggle to reach the stronger wind.
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Jake is about to round just ahead of Peter.
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With agonizing slowness, Mike (l), Jim (1236) and Becky drift towards the wind belt.
No sign in the masthead flies yet, that they are about to reach it.
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But now they must be very close, judging by the nice breeze Andrew (523) is (finally!) getting.
Eric Kirby (r) also has his wind back at last.
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Dave Hansman (282), and Peter Foster edge closer to Jake Dann (r), while Charles McLaughlin (l) and
Mac Thomas with Aja finally near the end of what must have seemed an interminable beat.
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John Hershey (6738), trying to make his boat gybe onto port tack, is still protected by Rule 18 here since he has yet to pass the mark and remains within two lengths of it. Charles (1186) had no overlap on John when the latter reached the Two-Length Zone (one assumes), and so, will ...
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... inside John (6738) at his peril. Here, Colin (929) cleverly cuts inside both of them.
Still approaching the windward mark are Mac (I think, behind 6738) and Steve (523).
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Near the gybe mark, Three is closing in on John as both have already gybed,
which should warn them that the next reach will be a close one indeed.
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Sailing into a lonely but very aesthetically pleasing 2nd near the gybe mark are Kipp and Anne Sylvester.
Note the boat is flat and the crew weight well forward for these light airs.
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Colin (r) has the inside track for buoy room on John and Steve (l) who is closing in though.
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Dave (r) holds the slimmest of leads over Peter (1979) and Charles, as these three near the gybe mark. If Dave can reach the two-length zone clear ahead, he won't have to worry about gybing onto port right in front of these two.

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