the 2007 Wayfarer North Americans
Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club * August 18-19
Saturday: race 2 pics
by Rob Logan
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As I recall, I didn't need to be beaten over the head with the baseball bat twice, and we started the second race near the pin end with a view to defending the left. I seem to remember that Mark, Heider and I all did well out of this strategy and rounded 1-2-3 and very close together. The ensuing run ...
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... was much trickier in the lighter winds, a matter of keeping one's eyes open for the latest wind streak coming up from astern and making sure you were in front of it. Juding by apparent mast height, Al (3854) and Mark (r) seem to be about dead even here, with Heider (600) a close 3rd. (overall l to r) Al, Richard, John C., Heider, Nick, Fred, Mark   - for full-size pic, click here
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A closer view of Heider (600) and Al.
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Al is defending the far gate mark where he intends to repeat his first-race rounding strategy with a view to once more going left up the beat. (others l to r) Heider, John C., Richard, Mark, Alastair   - for full-size pic, click here
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The Heider (600) vs. Al duel continues.
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Heider gybes and thus confirms his intention to round the far gate mark.
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Beyond the top four, the fleet is very bunched up:
(l to r) John C., Richard, Fred, John de B., Andrew (with Nick right astern), Mike
- for full-size pic, click here
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A nice gybe and windward douse for SHADES. Al is not as close to the near gate mark as the zoom makes it appear.
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Al leads the three-boat cluster, and one assumes that Mark (far right) will be better off to round the near gate mark.
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Marc and Al are leaving themselves lots of time with an early douse to ensure that
they start their dash to the left in fully prepared form.
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Alastair is heading for the lonely right side of the beat in a lovely puff and port-tack lift. Holding port will now be advisable for some time in order to avoid the disturbed air and water created by the mass of running boats. The trouble with going right in these winds on Humber Bay, as Marc reminded me, is that you invariably get a glorious starboard lift about two thirds of the way up the beat and it looks like you have all the left-side boats whipped and a huge lead. But as you near the mark, you get a frustrating huge knock on starboard, and suddenly the left-side boats no longer look so bad as they get the huge lift on port.The running boats (l to r) are:  Fred, Richard, John de B., Nick, Andrew, Geoff Edwards, Ted Lacelle   - for full-size pic, click here
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Mike (CAN90) gybes towards the far gate mark as John Cawthorne will take the near one.
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In the end, Al, Heider and Mark finished a very close 1-2-3 while John and Dolores de Boer finally showed some of their US Championship form as they came from way back to nail a fine 4th. Alastair and Andrew then rounded out the top 5.
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