Seconds to go before the start of race 3. To the best of my recollection, Marc and I came up with the following race plan: Go far left at virtually all costs to hit the George Blanchard shift. Try to start in clear air but avoid the suicide squeeze right at the pin end (which I notice that Tommy [green deck] has also decided to avoid this time).  Note that Nick (864) is set for a great start this time. Some claimed that Nick had been over early yet again, but the photo below, taken just after the gun ...   

And they're off like a herd of screaming turtles! No sign of Uncle Al here, and no more start pics. I do recall that our own start was certainly no thing of beauty. But even through dirty air, we stuck to our plan, and finally the last of our competitors peeled off onto port. By this time, I was sure that we could lay the windward mark, but Marc, who has more experience with sailing the GB shift, suggested we hold on just a bit longer. By the time I got permission to tack, we were indeed overlaying the mark slightly, but we were getting a great breeze and none of the knocks that the guys further to leeward were getting: The George Blanchard shift was working as advertised! In the end, we rounded onto the run 2nd, not too far behind Nick Seraphinoff and Julie whose strength is breezes like this and who had sailed a great first beat.     

And how convenient it was for Marc and me (red spi) that Nick (pink spi) held starboard for a bit around the mark before he gybed, which left us free to gybe and hoist right around the mark so that we could defend the left (inside at the leeward mark!!) as we had planned while approaching the windward mark. You can pretty much bet that Marc and I are sailing the rhumbline here, so that Nick and Tommy (60) are seriously tacking downwind. The boat we were really keeping a worried eye on was Ab faB with Kit and David (1037) since we knew that we ourselves had gotten better breeze out there. But, to stay in that breeze we'd have had to sail at 45° to the rhumbline as we had done coming in closehauled on port, so that was not an option.

Still, we (red spi) were keeping a close eye on Kit (1037) in case he should show signs of getting consistently better pressure, in which case we would gybe to get over there and get our share of the goodies. Nick (pink spi) meanwhile is getting set to cut up across our transom. He hadn't felt comfortable off on the right side where it looked like his wind might be taken once he had gybed to port. Unfortunately, Nick's ...

... zig-zag course cost him distance along the rhumbline and he has now fallen to 3rd. Marc and Al (funny-looking spi due to wave bounce!) remain nose to nose with Kit and David (1037), and are nicely defending the left against arch-rivals, Heider and Tom. Note how the two veterans, Heider and Al continue to make every effort to sail the rhumbline, although we were more than willing to surf down any suitable wave. Note also how Al is looking astern to see if he can spot any juicy gusts coming - hard as that was in these waves. He should really stand up to look for wind on the water!

... Kit manages to limp around but will now have Heider (600) in close pursuit. A poorly planned rounding for Peter and Nick (off the end of Heider's boom) has left them wallowing and may well let Tommy (60) cut inside and pass them. Good news for Al is that the co-leader in the series, Mark (2nd from left) is well back in the fleet.

Busier than a one-armed paper hanger would describe Tommy Wharton and his crew, Stefan Larson,  who are having to do a last-second spi douse and an almost 180° turn at the mark. Right here, Tommy has a split second in which to judge whether he can sneak around the mark ahead of Nick and Peter (see previous photo) who probably don't have to give him room but who may not be able to get there in time to cut Tommy off!