Dear Friend of CHARIAD:
Social Sail This Saturday
There is a small chance of a shower late Saturday so I am moving our On Dock Time from 11 AM to 10 AM.
There is some chance of a brief shower during the day so a good idea to bring a slicker just in case.
Hey Guys – Listen Up: Most of the people who have said they are coming out on Saturday are wonderful women. I know you guys wait until the last minute to commit to anything, but time to raise your hand and come out for a wonderful day on the water.
Our Last Race
CHARIAD’s last race of the 2013 season was last Sunday. Quite a memorable day. Eventually good racing and an encouraging end to our short season.
Sunday morning was very foggy. We left Marblehead harbor with almost no visibility – and no wind. During the previous race, the boat was very fast up wind and terrible downwind. Lots of discussion during the week about how to sail competitively downwind so we went out early to practice before the race.
There was no wind and no visibility for about an hour. The fog eventually pulled a little offshore so we were at the edge of the fog bank. See a couple of pictures taken during this visually interesting time. The Corinthian Yacht Club Race Committee was the race organizer and they waited for about two hours after the scheduled start of the racing until some wind come in. Boats gave up and went home. But not the mighty CHARIAD.
We finally got enough wind to get started for a four leg windward/leeward course with legs about 1.3 miles. Light 5 – 8 knot wind. CHARIAD again was fast upwind. We were OK downwind but not great – much better than the previous race. The communications on the boat were much better. The challenge of sailing downwind is that the crew is doing four or five quite complex tasks all at the same time. And they have to work closely with each other and the helm. Hard to get the right coordination and balance without doing this over and over again. That is what May sailing is for in New England.
We finished 3rd in this race out of nine boats. We are basically competing against the J 109’s plus Tom Linkas’ new Farr 30. The Farr 30 has two professional sailors on the 4 or 5 person crew. Great guys, but that is our competition.
The CYC started a very short 2nd race while people were still finishing the 1st race. Up and back once about ¾ mile leg. We were on the wrong side of a big wind shift with no time to recover and finished 6th. Our finish for the regatta was 4th.
After we finished drifting around for three hours, the sailing was great. I give the CYC a lot of credit for hanging in there and getting the boats some real racing.
I believe everyone on the boat felt good about our performance and the progress we have made over the last few weeks. The PHRF Class B in which CHARIAD races is the largest and most competitive of the racing fleets north of Newport. The boat has the potential to do well, but we have to succeed at a high level of competition. And that is where we want to be.
What Is Next
If we have a couple more good weekends, I will get more of us out for some relaxed Social Sails. Watch the weather. If we can go out, we will.
I hear people say, “You just want hard core sailors to come out.” Or “Aren’t you just inviting the racers to come out” If you are a Friend of CHARIAD and want to come out for a Social Sail, please come.
When we run out of good fall sailing, CHARIAD is going to Custom Fiberglass in Weymouth to have the painting done that the Dion’s yard did not complete. While this ordeal for getting the storm repairs completed will stretch over a year and a half, the boat will be in great condition next spring – and will also have an essentially new sail inventory. We are looking forward to a fun time on the water for the 2014 sailing season – and it will begin in May.
Hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather.
Rick
Special Treat
Allison Conboy took several of the pictures above. She tells me that my mouth is open in most of the pictures she takes. Perhaps I am talking all of the time or just catching flies. Alison was in Yellowstone Park last week and took some spectacular pictures. I am attaching two so you can partially experience what she saw. Thanks to Allison for sharing.
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