Time Limit Challenge

Erin, Cap'n John, and Marcelle in prestart maneuvers.

The wind was once again extremely light for the start of Goosebumps Race No. 5 and the call for two laps (for first start boats) seemed ambitious with a 2 hour time limit. Full Moon crew Michael “Busy” Medina, Marcelle “Wrong Wrap” van Houten, Erin “Muddy” Osberg, and skipper John “Wrong Place” Mengedoht had a decent start near the middle of the line and quickly popped up the spinnaker to gain some sail area for the reach to the AGC buoy. This paid off in the short term but delays in dropping the nylon monster caused Full Moon to overshoot the buoy, allowing a few boats ample room to cut a tighter turn inside.

Full Moon is dead center heading to the AGC buoy on the first lap.

Meanwhile, the nearly non-existent westerly wind had rotated to a northerly, turning the second leg into a very slow upwind crawl. The position of other boats and the desire to avoid momentum-killing tacks as much as possible conspired to keep Full Moon near the middle of the lake rather than toward the Eastlake shore as desired. As suspected, boats farther east found more wind, though you certainly couldn’t tell it by looking at the water!

Second start boats flying across the starting line.

A late tack to make it around the Freeway buoy allowed another boat or two to get past and then it was time to set the spinnaker to head west to the Aurora buoy (the wind had clocked further around into the NE). With a gybe at the buoy, it was possible to hold a tight reach under spinnaker, though boats under jib challenged any boats trying to get by to windward.

Second start boats attempting to crawl around the AGC buoy.

The gybe left Full Moon with the jib on the wrong side approaching the AGC buoy to start the second lap and efforts to switch it over and bring down the spinnaker took some time, again leaving Full Moon on the outside with the San Juan 28 Zephyr slipping inside. After extending eastward for a while on port tack, Full Moon tacked behind Zephyr to head north, hoping the wind would hold.

Marcelle, Michael, and John on the long, slow, second leg.

By this time, the wind began filling in but with the stronger portion again toward the east. Full Moon had pulled ahead of Zephyr but had to tack to make the Freeway buoy, allowing Zephyr to cross behind and then take the inside position at the buoy. The good news was that Full Moon was then to windward under the spinnaker broad reach to the Aurora buoy, a position that allowed Full Moon to again pull ahead before gybing at the buoy.

Stella Blue takes Zephyr up to windward as Full Moon elects to duck behind and to leeward on the last leg of the first lap.

The final leg was a test to see who could keep a spinnaker flying on a very tight reach. Full Moon held her lead over Zephyr to finish at the back of the first start group but very happy to finish the race with 15 minutes to spare.

Full Moon holds off Zephyr approaching the finish line.