Junuary

Full Moon sails behind Jedi in pre-start maneuvers.

Bright sunshine with temperatures in the mid-60s felt wonderful for Goosebump Race No. 3. The wind, unfortunately, was extremely light, though better than two weeks ago. Full Moon crew Michael “Moonie” Medina, Marcelle “Amber” van Houten, Allison “Stella” Bahe, and skipper John “Red Menace” Mengedoht hoped the pin end of the line would be less crowded (with better chance of catching the whispers of breeze) but ended up with plenty of company. Meanwhile, the Committee Boat end proved better for Nimble (Aerodyne 43?), Selchie (T-bird), Tipsy Gypsy (Soverel 33), Havoc (another T-bird), and speedy Scat (custom 25).

Nimble pulled into an early lead but apparently misunderstood the position of the “AGC” buoy, traveling several hundred yards past before turning around. Unfortunately, they never did properly round the buoy, earning a disqualification despite sailing much farther than anyone else. Full Moon, meanwhile, stayed away from blue giant Jedi (J145) and slowly pulled ahead of the 505 dinghy Quandary (subbing for the veteran 505 Cinco-O-Sink), and the J24 Fat Chance. The wind fortuitously clocked around to the west, allowing Full Moon to make the buoy without tacking, following not far behind Scat. Once around, Tipsy Gypsy appeared to be parked and Full Moon slowly passed by, a rare moment to be ahead of a very fast boat!

Full Moon (briefly) ahead of Tipsy Gypsy!

By now, the wind had continued shifting around into the north to provide an upwind crawl for the second leg. Full Moon slowly reeled in Havoc and made some gains on Scat. Scat then tacked to the west while Full Moon continued on port tack. Typsy Gypsy finally got moving and eased past to windward before tacking as well. With boats ahead to the northeast slowing down (not that they were ever moving fast), Full Moon elected to tack as well, hoping the center of the lake might provide more wind. Unfortunately, the right side paid off with Havoc, Flash Point (Hotfoot 27), Blue Jeans (C&C 27) and Blue Lullaby all moving ahead before jamming into a tight knot at the Freeway buoy with 41’ Surt, Scat, and tiny Quandary.

Heading slowly toward the finish line with the Equalizer.

Full Moon took a wider turn, rounding right behind Flash Point. In such light air, a spinnaker can be a waste of time but the mighty Equalizer was promptly hoisted and set up like a giant jib for the reach to the finish. Ever so slowly, the nylon monster took shape and Full Moon pulled ahead of Flash Point, Surt, and Scat. Blue Lullaby was next and then Blue Jeans just before the finish, allowing Full Moon to take an excellent eighth place.

Enjoying a cold one in January!

Race Cancelled

The Goosebump Race Committee elected to cancel Race #2 due to high wind warnings. This suited the Full Moon crew just fine since we'd already decided to watch the Seahawks game instead. (Good choice, given the amazing game!) We'll be out there for Race #3.

Slow Ride

Flying along on a broad reach toward the AGC buoy.

Full Moon crew Marcelle “Pole Dancer” Van Houten, “Muddy” Michael Medina, and skipper John “Different Wind” Mengedoht had a good start for the first Goosebump race of 2015 but in nearly non-existent wind. With no other available guide than the Windex atop the mast, Full Moon oozed off the start line on port tack, gaining maybe 30 yards before the second start five minutes later.

Unfortunately, the whispers of wind then shifted from southeast to north and filled in just a tiny bit, providing boats behind with the opportunity to close the gap, especially those closest to the middle of the lake. With a small crew and no spinnaker gear prepared in advance, Full Moon did fairly well with a poled-out genoa, legging out on a big Nordic 40 before jibing (eventually) toward the AGC buoy. The damage was done, though, with Tipsy Gypsy (Soverel 33), Jedi (J145), Surt (C&C 41), Selchie (T-bird), and even Zephyr (San Juan 28) well ahead. 

Still, the wind remained extremely light, fading often to zero, and Full Moon thrives in light air. Full Moon (very) slowly reeled in a number of boats, clawing into the back of the top ten before becoming mostly parked about two thirds of the way up the lake. At this point, it was becoming obvious that Full Moon might not even make the Freeway buoy, let alone complete the course (to the Aurora buoy and south to the finish) before the two hour time limit. Dropping the sails, Full Moon headed back south, just in time to watch Tipsy Gypsy cross the finish line to take first place, the only boat to make it all the way around. I am not sure how the race will be scored but at least Full Moon is in good company, tied with every boat but one for second place (or last place depending on how you want to look at it!).