Still Ducky!

Full Moon managed an adequate start with clear air for the Zombies Duck Dodge but not near enough the heavily advantaged “pin” end where Slippery When Wet (Santana 20) was perfectly positioned. Crew Michael “Pink Cans” Medina, Marcelle “Green Cans” Van Houten, Doug “Nikon” Schoemaker, Tina “Zombie Shoes” Hein, and skipper John “Silver Cans” Mengedoht gained on several boats on the first leg but a tack to westward was followed immediately by a big header, allowing the leaders to stay comfortably ahead. Another tack right at the “beach” led to a very tight line and a snug rounding of the AGC buoy.

Marcelle, Skippy, Tina, and Doug enjoy the sunny evening.

The Equalizer was soon launched and proved very helpful against any boats not flying a spinnaker. However, the wind was not quite strong enough to allow Full Moon to overtake Slippery When Wet before the Freeway buoy. The Equalizer came down smoothly, though, and the chase was on toward the Aurora buoy.

Aurora buoy moving hazard...

Unfortunately, the Aurora buoy became a moving target, having been snagged by a J22 from second start. In the confusion, Full Moon had to tack to avoid other boats and then luff hard to avoid hitting the J22, nearly coming to a halt. Meanwhile, Slippery When Wet as well as a bigger cruising boat, Solara, were able to clear the traffic on the outside before Full Moon could get back up to speed.

Fortunately, we just got the sticker, not the entire arm!

Full Moon gained some distance on the final leg but not nearly enough to catch Slippery When Wet or Solara. Fortunately, all the other boats in the vicinity proved to be in second start, allowing Full Moon to finish third for the bronze duck.

This is just June, right?