Crew:
Will Lanni
Amber Lanni
Jeff Swearingen
Taylor Daynes
Maggie Reece
Jamie & Sarah Reece
 

GPS Track For Race

GPS Track For Race
& Fun Sail

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Maggie (my mom) joined Sarah and me for the race including the delivery.  We arrived early at Shilshole and got out to the race course on time.  After setting up the boat and hoisting the sails, we got into start mode perhaps a couple minutes later than I'd hoped.  This lead despite our best efforts to us being about 30 seconds late for an ideal start - although we had a great position on the line.

Despite this being our first real sail together since October, the crew performed very well.  The entire fleet struggled to make it to the first mark at West Point in the dying breeze.  Most of us got stuck about a mile from the start.  We had to tack to keep from entering the off limits area of the Ship Canal and ended up pointed back towards the starting line for awhile.  Soon though, some of us felt a whisper of wind coming from behind and we called for the spinnaker, while others encouraged our efforts with cheers of 'Oh, we're going to hoist another, bigger sail that won't fill' ... all in the spirit of fun though.

Despite our cynical cheerleaders, we got the chute hoisted like pros and soon it was filled and we were moving again.  The great news is that we were in the heart of the fleet this entire time.  We sailed well to the West Point and the crew performed excellently during the very busy mark round where a total of 6 boats converged.  Sarah guided us through the rounding well despite two starboard tackers from a different race (PMYC's race) using the same mark at the same time.  She's grown so much in just a year!!  The takedown was beautiful and we were on our way upwind fast.

During the upwind leg we had great speed and pointing.  We worked the tide and the wind to make big gains on boats around us and found ourselves headed to the Meadow Point buoy in great shape, although in dying breeze.  The buoy and the committee boat who had shortened the course were directly in a wind hole, and now the incoming tide was beginning to take hold.  We nearly caught Allegro Vivace' who had been well ahead of us earlier - but they ghosted across the line ahead.

It was clear that we couldn't cross the line without tacking, so we sailed up the line a bit fighting the tide before tacking, however when we tacked the current caught us... dragging us below the pin end of the line in a near blink of an eye.  We gybe around and tried again... and once again the current caught us.  Finally on our third attempt after watching Delirium finish and another boat just abandon the race, and being surround by pre-teens and teenagers on 29er's - the wind filled in a bit and we crossed the finish line!

We spent the next 90 minutes enjoying a great sail and spinnaker practice before heading in for the day.

The return trip home was interesting as the wind built a bit and the waves built more.  When we started at Shilshole the waves were 1 foot.  When we got to Edmonds we were crashing through 4 foot waves and the deck was cleaned off with seawater.

What a great day of sailing!!  Wahoo!

Crew:
Jamie & Sarah Reece
Boca & Bella

GPS Track

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We brought the dogs along and enjoyed sailing under full main and the small jib.  The main worked great - Thanks Jeff!  And we enjoyed a wonderful sail in 10-15 knot winds.

When the breeze started to turn cold we headed for home.  Anyone watching me trying to flake and tie down the main in 15 knots of breeze and 4 foot waves had a good time.  The carbon main is super light and wants to fly even when it's been doused making it a bit of fun to stow shorthanded.  But it's sooo pretty when it's up!  I'll deal with it.

A great sail!   Looking forward to many, many more.

Crew:
Will Lanni
Amber Lanni
Jeff Swearingen
Taylor Daynes
Jamie & Sarah Reece

GPS Track

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Despite a forecast 15-25 Southerly, Sarah and I were greeted with a very light breeze when we took off from Edmonds to head to Shilshole.   As we headed South the breeze built steadily until as we approached Meadow Point it was blowing over 20 knots with gusts to 25.  We were running late since I had failed to factor in tide and wind into our travel time, so we picked up our crew just minutes before the first start warning.

We all hustled to get changed and out the race course.  The crew did a great job of getting the sails up - including hoisting the main with a reef for the first time.  Even with the reef we heeled heavily.  Just as we got the jib up and tried to tack to get headed to the start, I noticed that a batten had once again come loose and I called for the immediate drop of the main.  The crew did an excellent job rallying to get the main down and secure, then the jib down and below.

We headed in as the small fleet of 5 boats headed out to West Point for their first mark.  After docking we licked our wounds and enjoyed drinks at the CYC clubhouse while I vowed that the main would be in tip top shape for our next event.

After drinks and stories, Sarah, Amber and I headed back to the boat and took off for Edmonds.  This is where I got a bit optimistic... seeing that wind down to a breezy but manageable 15 knots or so, I encouraged the ladies to sail back to Edmonds under spinnaker.  It was all down wind... right?  It should be fun... right?

Well after taking 5 minutes to get everything ready, we hoisted the chute with the sock the opened the sock... it filled a moment later and I could immediately tell things weren't going to be good.  I yelled out 'HOLD ON' about 1 second before we fully broached - the boat spun to windward, the heeled violently to leeward with the mast nearing horizontal and the spinnaker luffing hard just above the water.  Sarah was a rock behind the wheel - keeping the boat under what control was possible despite the waves, and Amber was great working with me to douse the chute quickly before it or the boat was damaged.

After returning to the cockpit with the spinnaker stowed, and looking into the ashen faces of Sarah and Amber - Sarah told me that she saw the anemometer (wind speed indicator) hit 28 knots the moment we started to open the spinnaker sock.  Ouch!

It took a better part of 30-45 minutes for us to settle down, but we did.  An hour after the broach, and many surfed waves later we arrived in Edmonds - very glad to be tied up to a dock and on terra firma.