2005 Sheridan Shore Race Weekend

Report by Tom Londrigan Jr. 

One race was scheduled for Friday.  The Notice of Race published a 1:00 pm start.  However, the Sailing Instructions noted that afternoon starts would be at 12:30 pm.  In fact, the RC Chairman stated to several teams, “if everyone is on the course, we may start you a little early.”  Four teams, including myself, Bill Allen, Hyde Perce and Todd Gay were preoccupied with tuning when the race was started!  I started about two minutes late.  The other three never made it back.

 It was the best sailing day of the year.  80 degrees, 15 knots of wind, some waves to surf, and of course, the Beck’s Beer truck looming in the background, watching and waiting, beckoning us home.  The mark was set at 45 degrees and since the RC boat was off-set to the right quite a bit, it was more like sailing to a 30 degree weather mark which was better suited to the wind direction.  Ross Adams/Stuart Schmitt-Hall sailed up the middle of the course to take the lead with Jack Rickard/John Corrigan close behind.  Chris Wallner and I were a distant third.  The run was a fetch to 225 degrees, sorry boys, no passing lanes. 

 The same would apply for the next windward; no passing lanes until about 2/3rds up the leg when the course squared up following a long port tack.  Interestingly, the boats that rounded a little tighter at the leeward mark made nice gains inside.  We were one of the boats that benefited from the fresher breeze and inside lift.  When Jack Rickard/John Corrigan came back on starboard after the course squared up, we were within a boat length and Ross Adams’ lead was cut in half.  At the mark, we were in second. 

 Again, the run was a fetch, sorry boys, no passing lanes.  Ross and Stuart arrived at the finish mark but there was no RC boat.  Emerging from a trough of a wave was a Boston Whaler; it threw up a flag, threw out an anchor, and blew a whistle.  Oddly, Ross and Stuart had already sailed through their imaginary line.  Does that make Ross and Stuart premature finishers? 

 Orson Wells, the rotund and pickled Paul Masson spokesman and little known RC Chairman always murmured, “We will start no race before its time, nor finish a race without a line.”

It was only 1:30 pm.  We all sailed around aimlessly for a while.  Nobody wanted to sail in on this beautiful day until the Soling spinnakers rose up, then it was time to hustle to the hoist and beat them to the Beck’s beer truck. 

 One Soling team wore Speedos and sailing boots while racing, ouch, and around the harbor.  The harbor employees were nauseated and complained.  Thereafter, the Harbor Master insisted that they put on shorts.  The next morning, one “Speedoed” crew decided to sit “Indian-style” in the middle of the filthy parking lot and blocked boats from launching while he brushed his teeth.  He liked to wear a two-foot bow tie as well.  His skipper carried a huge boom box on the boat and preferred to scrub his boat… three times, no less, while other boats are waiting to pull out of the water.  He took a chunk out his keel while launching, fell on his boat while waiting for the hoist and insisted that an ambulance take him away.  Wow, and I thought we had our share of characters.

 Once Rick Rundle had finished making sweet love to the tap on the beer truck, we all headed over to the Rickard’s house for a wonderful evening.  Bill Parks sang, Rick Rundle poured rum drinks, Tom Wysockey told implausible stories, Todd Gay never showed up, and John Corrigan never uttered a negative word… your typical 4^th District evening.  After a full stomach and a couple cocktails, we all agreed to give the three of the four boats that missed the start average points without the mess of filing a protest.  As a symbol of good will, I graciously accepted my finish (2^nd) instead of the average points.

 Saturday

 Saturday was light and lumpy, the crews, more lumpy than light, were sitting in the boat.  The weather mark was 135 degrees.  The line was offset to the right, so the mark was closer to 120 degrees.  I saw these conditions last year. 

 Hypothesis:  First boat to the right wins. 

 In the past, the first boat to barrel out to the right slowly squeezed out, while the other boats to windward fell in behind.  However, there was always a late left shift, so you had to be sure not to go to the starboard layline. 

 Time to apply the theory.  We tacked to port at the start. So did Jack Rickard/John Corrigan.  Jack and John sailed the boat high, so we decided to foot and take their stern, clear our air, and drive out to the right side.  Sure enough, over time we established a hundred yard lead on Jack and John, worked back to weather of them, all while still on port tack, and the others were well behind.  We avoided the layline and rounded with a substantial lead.  Todd Gay/TC Belco were second, Jack and John third, and Rob Maine fourth.  Theory proven, yes?

 The run was a fetch again.  We stayed slightly to leeward of the pack.  All was fine until 3/4ths down the leg.  The pack eliminated our lead in a few minutes.  It seemed that the boats that kept a few feet to weather enjoyed a little more breeze.  We rounded inside.  Todd Gay/TC Belco were outside. 

 Pavlov’s dog misses a meal.  For reasons unknown, I forgot what I learned from the last leg but Todd and TC did not.  They footed out and started to pull away, I tacked after a while, tacked back and began slipping into their wake.  Inexplicably, the learning curve had flattened out.  Todd and TC tacked and crossed us.  As we spotted the windward mark, the learned response kicked back in and Chris and I began salivating.  We made sure to take advantage of the late left shift and barely squeaked passed them at the weather mark.  This time, we kept slightly to weather of the pack, extended a little and held on to win with Todd and TC second, Rob Maine third, and Jack and John fourth. Again, no passing lanes, sorry boys.

 Theory debunked by Allen.  The third race was completely different. Bill Allen led at he weather mark by playing the left early and the right late. So much for the hypothesis!  Ross Adams/Stuart Schmitt-Hall were second, Hyde Perce/Chuck Nevel Third, Bill Parks fourth, and we were fifth.  Downwind the rules changed again, this time the leeward boats extended their lead.  The next beat sealed the deal; a 35-degree shift to the left.  I was again applying my theories on the right and now I was in last.  The last leg was again a fetch, sorry boys, no passing lanes.  In the distance, I could hear the steady hum of the refrigerator on the Beck’s truck; Chris was salivating like a Saint Bernard now, I eased the sheets, took a “Did Not Finish,” and abided its call.

Sunday

 Ross and Stuart won, Hyde and Chuck were second, Bill Allen/Brad Lichter third, and Bill Parks fourth.  Going into the final race with a throw out calculated, it was:  Ross and Stuart with 2 pts., we had 3 pts., and everyone else seemed to have 7-9 points.  The goal was clear, beat Ross and Stuart with a boat between us but we needed to finish better than fifth. 

 The wind was at 225 degrees with hiking conditions.  I saw these conditions last year too.  Time to apply some more theories.  

Hypothesis:  Race to the shore, protect the lake. 

 Sail towards shore (the right side) into the gusting zone then keep to the right (lake side) of the fleet off the wind and take advantage a little fresher breeze outside of the gusting zone.  We worked to the right, tacked to port, and looked to be ahead of the fleet.  However, Jeff Cozzens and his daughter went further and were well ahead.  Time for us to take another bite to the right but, apparently, you can go too far right.  Near the end of the beat the wind came in hard left, Cozzens had already crossed over to meet the shift and rounded in first, followed by Bill Allen/Brad Lichter, Hyde Perce/Chuck Nevel, Rob Maine, and we were fifth.  Ross and Stuart were in eighth. 

 Everything looked good as we kept to the lakeside downwind and passed the leaders but near the end the wind died and the fleet collapsed together as well.  We were ahead but overlapped at the mark.  Bill Allen and Todd Gay were inside.  Bill tacked at the mark.  Todd and I continued for a hundred yards and tacked.  We looked to be well ahead of the fleet and sailed on starboard in building breeze most of the leg.  We focused on covering Ross and Stuart who were still in eighth.  Near the end of the leg, Ross kept to the right and we did too.  Again, another left shift at the end allowed Hyde Perce/Chuck Nevel and Bill Allen/Brad Lichter to cross and take the lead.  We were third; Ross and Stuart were safely in eighth.  Whew, two more legs.

 Downwind, we adhered to the same principle; so did Bill Allen/Brad Lichter and Hyde Perce/Chuck Nevel and we all pulled away from the fleet until the end of the leg, just like the last downwind leg.  This time the wind shut down and I watched Ross and Stuart come from one hundred yards back and sail through my wind shadow.  We rounded in a pack, I was on the outside again and Ross and Stuart did a fine job covering up the weather leg.  By the finish, they were eighth but drove me back to ninth. 

 I have no idea what happened up the last leg but Bill Parks went from 10^th to first!  Jack and John were second.  I believe it was another long starboard lift with another strong left shift 2/3rds up.  As a result, there was a three way tie for first with Ross and Stuart winning the tie breaker, 83 year old Bill Parks in second and Jack Rickard and John Corrigan in third.  Bill Allen and Brad Lichter were fourth and we were fifth.  Nice job Bill Parks!

 In retrospect, there didn’t seem to be clear patterns. It was more like small lake sailing in that it was important to stay in the velocity and drive towards the next shift/velocity increase rather than play a particular side against another.

  Revolutionary New Hypothesis:  establish a lead, expand.