Not every committee would have started a race in this non-breeze that has moreover, backed nearly 45° such that it has become impossible to cross the line on starboard. Still, we had a couple of minutes' warning, and so could make a race plan of sorts. High up on Al's list of priorities was to get onto port tack ...

... because we could virtually lay the windward mark on port from here so that any time spent on starboard might very well be wasted distance and time. Note the excellent tack made by Mark and Paul (7673) which has given them a slight edge over Al to leeward of Mark. Note also how Al is ...

... off in order to gain both speed and separation from the dreaded W7673 wind shadow. On this "one-tack" beat, it is especially crucial to retain clear air as the #1 priority. If Al can get his nose out in front of Mark's, then he might start thinking about trying to point. Actually, we never did try to point in this non-breeze, having discovered that by sailing lower, we were gaining more forward distance than we were losing in height.

The RC had decided to give us a bit of variety by adding an offset mark to our once-around windward/leeward course. Trying to make sure that the offset mark really kept the beating and the running boats separated, the RC put the offset mark a few hundred yards away from the windward mark on a beam reach. In this particular race, that had the unfortunate effect of making the third leg a virtual run, the great horror of all in these conditions. Above, you can see Al with the early lead over Mark, while Geoff (9483) and Colin get set to round 4-5 (behind Rob who is not visible here).