Speedy Beads

Pulling ahead from Flash Point on the first lap.

Sporting the requisite beads, Full Moon crew Michael “Pyrat” Medina, Chad “Flor de Cana” Harnish, Daniel “Mixer” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Risky Business” Mengedoht were held up briefly by some third (or fourth) start boats inexplicably cruising down the starting line but still managed a decent port tack start near the “pin” for the Mardi Gras Duck Dodge. Trading a little speed for a higher course to windward, Full Moon nailed the line to the Freeway buoy without needing to tack. A J-Boat to windward prevented a timely tack at the buoy but once they tacked away it was then an easy close reach to the Aurora buoy, which appeared a bit further south than “normal.”

The sun heads down early on the second lap.

With the pole already up at the buoy, the Equalizer was launched smoothly and Full Moon took off on a fast beam reach, gaining on some of the front runners and putting some distance on pursuers from behind. With a smaller crew than normal, a slightly early drop was called for and then Full Moon was around the AGC buoy and heading back upwind.

Looking back across the finish line at the moon and clouds.

Crossing the line to complete the first lap, Full Moon was in the top ten until speedy Flash Point (Hotfoot 27) and Gift Horse (?) finally got past. The rest of the second lap was mostly a repeat of the first apart from having the wind begin to fade on the final leg. Full Moon made it across the line in about twelfth place, well ahead of old rivals Ignitor and Zephyr as well as new rival Necessary Evil (Catalina 30).