Dear Friend of CHARIAD:

CHARIAD won the Scituate Invitational Regatta yesterday on lumpy seas with 11 – 13 knot winds.

The race was a 2 mile windward/leeward twice around course in winds out of the NE. Something of a confusing start because we did not realized that the committee was starting the A & B classes together until a minute before what we thought was the A class start. We tacked onto starboard under the rest of the fleet approaching the line at the pin end and barely got around the pin. Once underway, the boat was sailed fast and smart. We “easily” beat the other boats in our class, B, across the finish line even those we owed time to. Nothing is easy!

Performing a Mexican spin takedown at leeward mark rounding was a highlight of the race. The Donald may have tweeted on our maneuver. The Mexican is when we drop the spinnaker and jibe the jib at the same time as you are rounding the leeward mark. The spin comes down on the new windward side of the jib. The take down was completed perfectly and we put 200 yards on a J 35 that rounded the mark just behind us.

The sun did not come out until we were back at the Satuit Boat Club. Here is most of our hardy crew receiving the 1st place trophy.

Please also note the new main sail cover. Situate was the first appearance of the new graphics.

Herb Loeffler Farewell at Sea

Herb requested that half of his ashes be turned back to the sea. There will be a farewell service for Herb off Marblehead harbor. Please put the date on your calendar.

Saturday August 22 at 5 PM.  (weather permitting)

Following the ceremony at sea, there will be a reception in Marblehead beginning about 6:30.

There will probably not be room for everyone to get out to the at sea ceremony. A number of boat owners have offered to take people out, but those logistics need to be worked out.

If you cannot get out on the water, please join others at Richard’s for a farewell to the wonderful guy Herb was and his enlivening so many of our lives.

Block Island Race Week

CHARIAD raced in the Block Island Race Week at the end of June. I don’t have time here to recount all of our adventures and mishaps. Just too much damn work work. I am a sailor with a working problem. I will try to get you a report later.

Of the ten crew member who went to Block, one was sick for the whole 5 days and did not go on the boat. Our bow woman was injured during the 1st race on Monday and we had to withdraw for the day. More of the same. The result of all this is that we did not do well from a finishes point of view, but it was a terrific learning experience for the folks on the boat. CHARIAD was among the smaller of the almost 200 boats doing the racing. We were the only boat from Marblehead.

The annual around the island race was on Tuesday with winds of 30 – 40 knots. The wind was out of the south so the leg on the east side of the island going south to north was a spin leg. We got the spinnaker ready to go up but did not put it up. We were doing 11 knots with the main and #3 jib. Boats were broaching all around us and spinnakers were being shredded in the high winds. And we did not have someone on the boat who was really proficient on the bow – and not injured.

There were several boats in the race with a Welsh connection flying battle flags with the Welsh griffin. Most of the crew from one boat were from Wales and staying at our hotel. Thursday night was Welsh night at the after party.

In addition to the high winds, another memory of the week was the after race tent party. “Free booze” for the racers. This is the Bernie Sanders version of free paid for by the boat owners. But lots of fun.

OK – enough to tell you that CHARIAD and her brave crew are doing well and thankful that the last pile of snow finally melted a couple of weeks ago.

I hope to catch up with you on or off the water soon.

Rick