| the
2004
Wayfarer
North Americans Sunday pics: race 5 photos by Nick Seraphinoff |
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|
A
short start line saw
us scrambling for positions as the finale was about to
get underway in
a nicely strengthening breeze. At the start, Al lost
control while
sitting near the RC boat and began to go
backwards. He
was twice too eager, and tried to re-start normal
steering before
gaining forward
momentum: while
still going
backwards, he
attempted to bear away,
which only succeeded
in
putting him head to wind two more times with the
attendant backwards
progress.
By the time we finally started, we had pulled away
from the fleet in an
entirely unwanted direction and were a good hundred
yards in last
place.
... |
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| Brian (9235)
meanwhile
is going right early, while Roger and Joanne (7700) ... ... |
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| ... lead the
starboard
tackers who are heading left off the line. ... |
 |
| Mark Taylor
(7673) is
about to take Jennifer Princing's wind and force her to
tack - which may not be a bad thing since there is extra wind showing on the water nearer the Tawas Bay YC. ... |
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| Roger and Joanne
(r)
have already gone for that extra wind and will tack
across to the
windward mark with a lead they will not relinquish for
the rest of the
race. John (7351), Jennifer (864) and Geoff (9483) also
look well
placed here. ... |
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| John and Dolores
hit
the stronger breeze. ... |
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| Mark and Paul
Taylor
reach the new wind near the port layline. ... |
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| Near the windward
mark, Al (3854) has regained contact with the fleet,
e.g. Bob Frick
(3975). ... |
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| Roger leads the
way to
the first mark, with Brian and Mark following in 2nd and
3rd. ... |
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| Roger rounds just
ahead of ... ... |
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| ... Brian (9235)
and
Mark. ... |
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|
Al
has rounded just
behind Jennifer (864) but makes sure he doesn't get
trapped to windward
of her where he won't be able to bear away or gybe
freely - and
essential freedom to keep on the run where you want to
to able to go
down with the puffs and gybe to get to better wind, if
necessary.
... |
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|
Note
how, above, the
leeward mark is right off Bob Frick's (3975) bow. Only
he and Al (3854)
are sticking fairly close to the rhumbline (straight
line from mark to
mark). Both Bob and Al are about to get a puff, in
which they should
sail straight downwind in order to hold the puff
longer.
... |
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| Nick, the
photographer, gets a rare chance to photograph his
beloved W864: up the second beat with Joe and Jennifer both hiking, ... ... |
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| ... and down the
last
run. |