DSnell photo

Fall Series - Race Day 2    Make-up Race Day

Yeah!  We FINALLY got some racing in on Sunday.  The winds filled in about 1:30 pm and came and went long enough to get in one race.  Six boats raced and Conrad motored around on his Catalina 27 Sweet Haven taking pictures.  Wes Vaughn & Mary McCollum, Jerry & Debbie Snell, and Tim Lynch had their San Juan 21's out, Jeff Hanson came down from Pullman (again) with his Macgregor/Venture 25, Robbie Johnson & Wendy Geiger were out on her Newport 28, and the Littles (Tim, Renae & crew) came out to play with their Islander 36.

We had a clean start, with the Littles taking up the rear.  The light winds made getting the big Islander Spirit moving a bit of a challenge.  The windward leg down river to the first mark was a good one with the SJ21's rounding very close together after tacking down different sides of the river to get there.  Robbie was next to round followed by Jeff and the ever-improving Littles.

The 21's kept close company on the downwind run, with Jerry and Tim at times separated by just inches.  This allowed Wes and Mary to stretch out a lead.   Robbie, pretending he was an SJ21, kept in close contact, with several close crossings with Tim.  The wind started to wane about 50 minutes into the race. 

But the wind filled again from the west, to the benefit of the Littles.  With some on the water coaching from Conrad, they hoisted a HUGE spinnaker and started chasing down the fleet.  They closed on Jeff at the mark, but lost the inside at the rounding.  Then the spinnaker sock jammed on the way down leaving them stalled at the mark with no head sail.

Wes and Mary took line honors with Yellow Jacket.  Jerry and Debbie took second in Naiad with an amazing up wind leg, sailing fast and low under Lynch in Coir Jaot, and tacking clear in front to cross the line.  Lynch took third.  Robbie and Wendy crossed fourth in Pneuma, but not far enough ahead of Jeff in Vindr Knifr.  Jeff took fourth on handicap.

The Littles regained their composure after the spinnaker incident and, with the wind fading yet again, they ghosted Islander Spirit across the line to finish their first race a very respectable 10 minutes behind Jeff.  The light winds are not friendly to such a large boat.

-  Tim Lynch, LCSA Race Chair '08  EMail