| 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. ... |
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| 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. |