Space Cadet

The Equalizer (masthead spinnaker) was nicely packed but forgotten at home by skipper John “Space Cadet” Mengedoht. Adding insult to injury, the skipper managed to position Full Moon poorly for the start of the “Onesie” Duck Dodge, crossing the line about 17^th. Fortunately, crew Randy “Chips” Olsen, Daniel “Trunk Monkey” Mengedoht, and Rob “Pack Up and Go” Lane were more adept and Full Moon began slowly picking off the competition on the first upwind leg to the Freeway buoy.

Full Moon continued to gain on the leg to the Aurora buoy. After rounding, the standard spinnaker was hoisted but the skipper had set things up to use the masthead (wrong) halyard, the result being a relatively small spinnaker high above the deck with the pole angled skyward. This still worked but Full Moon struggled to escape from being stuck in bad air with a boat to either side for half the leg.

That yellow and orange spinnaker looks funny....

Regardless, Full Moon managed to advance to seventh place just before the AGC buoy. Unfortunately, the jib sheet hung up during the jibe at the buoy and a T-bird got past during the chaos. The final leg was a tight reach in gusty conditions. A sleek old Kettenburg (Sommerfugl) managed to get by to windward and Full Moon dropped back to ninth, still remarkable given the start.