Cluster Toot

Full Moon is dead center, still moving toward the AGC buoy and leading third start.

A port tack start near the middle of the line would have been ideal for the Skipper’s Choice Night Duck Dodge but Full Moon crew Michael “Big Toot” Medina, Marcelle “Lady Toot” Van Houten, Daniel “Little Toot” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Megatoot” Mengedoht ended up pinned by another starboard tacker cruising the line, delaying the desired tack. It took a while to get to a zone of relatively clear air but Full Moon was into the top ten boats rounding the Freeway buoy.

Slippery When Wet, left, eventual winner, Full Moon with red "S", and Freedom, eventual 3rd place boat, mid-cluster.

Heavy traffic suggested a tack soon after the buoy and this paid off extremely well, Full Moon nearly capturing the lead before rounding the Aurora buoy. A quick hoist of the Equalizer brought added speed, though the wind was often ahead of the beam and it was necessary to keep the pole low to stretch out the “luff” of the giant spinnaker. Full Moon kept going, though, passing into a solid lead.

Another view of the cluster.

A couple of hundred yards shy of the AGC buoy, the wind began shutting down, leading to a truly massive parking lot of bumper boats, Full Moon fending off on all four sides at once! Once around the buoy, Full Moon was still locked into position by surrounding boats as the wind began to sporadically fill back in. In the end, boats that had been behind lucked out by being in the best place as the wind came back and Full Moon finished about seventh in the dimming light.