the 2004 Wayfarer North Americans
Sunday pics: race 5
photos by Nick Seraphinoff

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.
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the 2004 Wayfarer North Americans
results
report
shore pics
Saturday pre-race
Race 1 Part 1
Race 1 Part 2
Race 1 Part 3
Race 3 Part 1
Race 3 Part 2
Tim Dowling's Saturday race pics
Race 4 abandoned
Race 4
Race 5
Sunday post-race, awards

Past North Americans
2003
2002
1999-2001
1974

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