Invisible Mainsail

The Duck Dodge finale, “Martini Night” aboard Full Moon, had a challenging beginning as the main halyard parted ways with the mainsail at the top of the mast as it was being hoisted. Crew Randy “KJR” Olsen, Michael “Two Toots” Medina, Marcelle “Olives, Please” Van Houten, Adam “Ascot” Michalak, Katharina “Fancy Dress” Stoll, and skipper John “Captain Solo” Mengedoht swiftly decided to begin the race with just the jib. Unfortunately, Full Moon does not sail at all well without the mainsail, as prestart maneuvers clearly demonstrated.

The Invisible Mainsail deployed upwind.

It was then swiftly decided to make use of the “invisible mainsail” (outboard), to “sail” the course rather than just cruise the lake. The invisible sail proved highly effective as Full Moon easily passed all third start boats and moved up into the second start fleet. (Care was taken not to cause difficulty to other boats due to the wake, especially since the wind had faded to nearly zero.) After rounding the Freeway and Aurora buoys, the Equalizer was launched and the invisible mainsail was deactivated, though still dragging through the water, ready for quick redeployment.

It's much easier to see the spinnaker through the Invisible Mainsail!

Surprisingly, the Equalizer alone was sufficient for Full Moon to maintain pace with second start boats, including a Capri 25 and a J22, on the long reach/run to the AGC buoy. The jib was rehoisted and the Equalizer dropped cleanly to the deck just before rounding the buoy.

Full Moon's spinnaker is just visible at the far left. The wind was very light!

The invisible mainsail was again deployed for the final leg to the “finish,” where Full Moon was greeted with a siren and whooping from the Committee Boat. Martinis were soon dispensed to the thirsty crew as Full Moon continued “sailing” and enjoying a very pleasant evening on the lake.

Many stern lights are visible as quite a few boats struggled to finish in the dark.