the 2007 Pumpkin Regatta
Fanshawe YC * Sept. 29-30
race pics: Saturday - Race 4.1
 by Carol Hansman
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Sunday morning: more warm sunshine and more wind - perhaps 3 to 5 knots out of the south.
As Dave and Kim head out you can see all too well that the ...
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... green slime is still with us. This shows another of those advantages that come with ...
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... having a green machine like SHADES (3854) - the green slime doesn't show as much.
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For John and Tony (l) ...    - for full-size pic, click here
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... this is a new day and a fresh start after ...
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... yesterday's forgettable DNF-DFL-DNC compilation.
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After a fine night's rest at the Château de Boer, Doug and Françoise look ready to go.
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As are (l to r) Jens, Dwight and John, of course.
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The course has been posted: buoys to port, an Olympic triangle of sorts:
start line A-B > Pumpkin > 1 > 4 > Pumpkin > A-B to the best of my recollection.
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Our countdown has begun and the ...
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...line checking begins.    - for full-size pic, click here
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Into the final minute: Al is slowly edging up towards a windward-end start, because ...    - for full-size pic, click here
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... in this wind direction, it usually pays to stay to the right, near the moorings.    - for full-size pic, click here
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They're off! Doug (r) has done very well off the leeward end, as has Dwight (4606). Not the greatest of starts for Al (3854), especially in light of the current starboard-tack knock. Still, starting at this end has, as planned, left Al with the freedom to tack towards the moorings, which he will do any second now, unless ...    - for full-size pic, click here
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... he gets lifted, as has happened here.    - for full-size pic, click here
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Doug (r) has chosen a nice starboard knock in which to tack, and is now rolling along with a lovely lead. Keeping their eye on the bigger picture, Al and Dave (3rd from right, and sitting with 3-1-1 scores) are above all, sailing not to lose to Sue and Steph (5th from left and counting 1-3-3 so far), and to this end are sailing to stay between Sue and the windward mark.    - for full-size pic, click here
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Somewhere along the line, Doug has fallen off the face of the earth or likely more accurately into a dead spot which abound on this day, which first-place Al (red spi) is about to experience his share of, as ...     - for full-size pic, click here
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... first Dwight (l) and then the spinnaker-less Steve Graff (2nd from left) toodle on past.   - for full-size pic, click here
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Now John and Tony (7351) make ...
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... their move while Steve's lack of spi begins to make itself felt.
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Just after the gybe: While Dave wrestles with his first go at a reach-to-reach gybe with SHADES' unfamiliar equipment, Al stays high to fight off John and Tony. Dwight and Pat continue to close-reach along nicely in the lead. With the point coming up after we pass Wye Creek, we all realize we have to stay high. Without a spinnaker to worry about, Steve is moving very nicely.  
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The aforementioned point is coming up. Mike and Kirk have now run down with a puff and passed Steve, but have now joined ...
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... Al (l) and John (7351) in a soft spot. Dave was the first crew to adjust his spinnaker to the run, only to ...
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... have to switch to reach mode a few seconds later. But we were ready, having seen what we'd be getting by watching Dwight.
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As photographer, Carol, ran out of space on the card, we got one last shot of the second reach:
(l to r) Dwight, Al, Mike, John, Steve
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And one more shot from near the end of the second beat: (l to r) Len, Jens, John, Doug, Mike, Steve
In the end, we finished Al, Dwight, Mike Steve and John in the top five places. Sue finished 11th and thus got her drop looked after!
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