Superbowl Driftathon

Rocketing across the start line...

That duck is definitely gaining on The Black Knight.

Michael and Marcelle battle the freezing temperatures.

Marcelle, Sara, and John in dramatic sailing action.

"Low Rider" captures "Cozy" Daniel with the shoe's eye view.

Goosebump Race No. 3 on Superbowl Sunday finally offered up some glorious sunshine but, by the 1:00 start time, the lake was glassy smooth with no tangible signs of wind. Full Moon crew Michael “Low Rider” Medina, Marcelle “Nose Dive” Lynde, Sara “Anchor Aweigh” Skinner, Chuck “Prepared” Weldy, Daniel “Cozy” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Full Batten” Mengedoht positioned the boat pointing more or less toward the AGC buoy and slowly drifted across the start line in company with the entire fleet. In a feat not likely to be repeated any time soon, Full Moon somehow managed to float past The Black Knight for a little while until TBK’s taller mast and sails grabbed a little more “breeze” to pull back ahead.

After nearly 20 minutes, boats closest to the Westlake shore started to move, including a blue T-bird, Dash 34, and a couple of J24s, though there still was no evidence of wind to be seen on the water. With Full Moon too far from the mysterious Westlake breeze, we had to settle for oozing past the boom-box-blasting, techno-beat-loving T-bird Poco Mas and very slowly following The Black Knight to the first buoy.

Staying to the right after rounding to avoid the oncoming traffic allowed room for Poco Mas to sneak inside so Full Moon had to ooze past the white T-bird for a second time. Then, as traffic got a bit thicker, it was necessary to squeeze between the oncoming boats, right of way being tough to apply when boats are barely moving.

After just clearing Distance’s anchor (thanks, Sara!), Full Moon “tacked” toward some breeze slowly filling in from the north. The boats which had received the Westlake boost were, by this time, already in the stronger wind and long gone but Full Moon persevered to hold off one San Juan 24 and to try and pass Orca, which was dead ahead.

Orca swung a little wide around the Freeway buoy and Full Moon soon was in striking distance. The close reach to the finish was exhilarating after all the painful drifting and Full Moon slowly pulled above and past Orca to score what appeared to be a “lucky thirteenth” out of some thirty boats. As it turns out, though, three boats in the Westlake group were over the starting line early – so upgrade that to “terrific tenth!”

Bolero Dance

Goosebump Race No. 3 was on yet another rainy Sunday, though the forecast 15-25 knots winds proved to be more on the order of 5-10 with gusts to 15. Full Moon crew Randy “Layers” Olsen, Tammy “Squishy” Cross, Marcelle” Dribbles” Lynde, and skipper John “Rainman” Mengedoht opted for a port tack-pin end start in hopes of avoiding the inevitable pile-up of boats at the opposite end of the line. Despite having to duck behind a few starboard tack boats, this strategy worked pretty well and Full Moon rounded the AGC buoy about sixth.

Full Moon managed to roll one boat on the reach to the Cove buoy but a blue T-bird got by Full Moon on the inside right at the buoy. Once the mighty Equalizer was launched, though, Full Moon pulled back ahead and ended up mixing it up with relative giants Bolero (40’ +/-) and Surt (42’), neither of which were flying a spinnaker. Full Moon got past both big boats but got passed in turn by a J33 and 30' Tenacious just before the Freeway buoy.

On the tight reach to the Aurora buoy, first Surt and then Bolero roared past as expected but Full Moon managed to stay close to Bolero on the next long beat to start the second lap. On the second downwind run, Full Moon once again got past Bolero to move into seventh place, only to have Bolero return the favor one last time on the leg to the Aurora buoy.

Meanwhile, a red T-bird had been making some gains from behind. On the final leg to the finish, the T-bird tacked toward the Westlake shore, perhaps hoping for a better wind angle. Full Moon stayed toward the middle of the lake but with a close eye in case a tack to cover would be necessary. In the end, the T-bird wasn’t a threat and little Cinc-O-Sink beat the T-bird for ninth behind Full Moon in eighth. Old rival Ignitor finished fifteenth. It was great to beat all the Thunderbirds (there was also a white one - collectively they looked very patriotic!) and, for that matter, all boats under 30'. Congratulations also to our friends on The Black Knight who appeared to take first place!

Ignitor Returns!

Another balmy January day...             Michael Medina Photo

The black 30-footer looked very familiar and, sure enough, Full Moon’s old rival Ignitor appeared for the second Goosebump race, sporting new black topsides to replace the old red paint. Strong and gusty winds were threatening, favoring larger boats, so Full Moon would have to work hard to defeat Ignitor!

Crew Randy “To The Rescue” Olsen, Art “Mr. Kite” Teller, Michael “Kranken” Medina, Chuck “Black Butte” Weldy, and skipper John “Crazy Ivan” Mengedoht risked being overpowered with full sails for the start, planning to make changes on the fly if the wind continued to build. A delayed tack to avoid fouling Tenacious in the prestart maneuvers lead to a second-row start but tacking back to port to cross the line helped gain clear air. After clawing upwind to roll a struggling J24, Full Moon then made good speed to the AGC buoy.

Following a short reaching leg to the Cove buoy, it was time to launch the mighty Equalizer. All went well with the nylon monster until a gybe went awry and, during the effort to reattach the spinnaker pole, Full Moon briefly looked like a giant kite board with the Equalizer soaring skyward. Despite providing some entertainment for the rest of the fleet (especially the 505 dinghy Cinc-O-Sink surfing along nearby), the Equalizer helped Full Moon make some nice gains and Full Moon rounded the Freeway buoy in eighth.

The wind dropped quite a bit for the reach to the Aurora buoy and the final leg to the finish and, while Full Moon didn’t gain much on anybody, nobody could gain from behind, either, including (relative) giant Yankee III or the San Juan 28 Zephyr. In the end Full Moon retained eighth place with Ignitor a few hundred yards back in tenth. Good times in the cold and rain!

True Goosebumps!

Full Moon at the dock before the race.

Michael and Marcelle, after the snow stopped.

Randy looking a bit chilled.

Cap'n John can't feel his toes!

Snow coats the trees on Capitol Hill.

Full Moon crew Randy “Toxic Chocolate” Olsen, Michael “Slushballs” Medina, Marcelle “Hot Stuff” Lynde, and skipper John “Shiver Me Timbers” Mengedoht braved the snow Sunday for Goosebump Race No. 1. Heading out onto Lake Union, visibility was down to perhaps 150 yards as big fat snowflakes kept falling, continually covering the deck, lines, hardware, and sails. The snow lightened up a bit approaching the Committee Boat, though there were no visible signs of wind.

After a sneak snowball attack from our good friends on The Black Knight, Full Moon hoisted sails and tried to figure out where the best place would be for the start. When there was wind at all, it was mostly out of the north with the “pin” (west) end of the line closer to the Aurora buoy, so that was where Full Moon was positioned. This was good, in theory, but a tiny bit more wind filled in toward the other side of the line and boats on that side quickly pulled ahead. Rats!

After a painfully slow first leg, Full Moon rounded the Aurora buoy and headed “downwind” toward the AGC buoy. Hoisting a spinnaker ultimately would have paid off but that isn’t always the case in such light wind and Full Moon went without, choosing to try for more “speed” by sailing a hotter angle with the genoa.

Many crews didn’t read the sailing instructions and rounded both the red navigation buoy near the AGC building as well as the offset red ball buoy. However, what the other crews apparently knew – and Full Moon’s crew did not – was that the Race Committee had changed the course before the start to eliminate the “Cove” buoy at the southeast corner of the lake! Full Moon dutifully sailed the extra distance to round this buoy, losing a number of places in the process. (Note to self: Make sure to sail by the Committee Boat at 10 minutes to the start.) Ultimately, Full Moon was not last but certainly not in the top ten, either, a best guess being about 14^th place. On this day, though, the true challenge was just showing up. Hot Buttered Rum never tasted so good! (Thanks, Marcelle!)

Solid Gold

Early morning with fall colors under the Aurora Bridge. Tammy Cross photo.

Full Moon crew Tammy "Commodore" Cross, Marcelle "Hot Buttered Rum" Lynde, Michael "Sponge Butt" Medina, and skipper John "The Kraken" Mengedoht headed out on the Sound Saturday for the Duck Dodge Rum Run. The voyage out through the Ship Canal went fairly smoothly until Tipsy Gypsy cut in front of all the waiting boats at the locks. Fortunately, Full Moon still made it without having to wait for the next load of boats, though at least one other sailboat wasn’t so lucky.

With a little extra time before the start, Full Moon popped into Shilshole to rig for racing and hit the shore-side restrooms one last time. Heading out to the starting area off the breakwater showed a good-sized fleet of over 60 boats, including many boats that don’t often venture onto Lake Union for regular Duck Dodge races. Observing the lineup, it was clear that some seriously fast boats were going to race in the second start, cementing Full Moon’s place in third start (at least for the Rum Run).

Maneuvering for the start, Full Moon hoped to be about midway down the line on starboard tack but the already light wind faded a bit and Full Moon ended up crossing about a minute late. Rival Runner appeared to nail the start, though one of their crew confided later that they were actually in second start and were just massively late to the line!

Tammy, John, and Marcelle sailing upwind. Michael Medina photo.

Heading upwind to the West Point buoy, many boats stayed closer to shore to try and stay out of the ebb tide, while some headed out in hopes of stronger wind. Full Moon stayed in, but not so close as to risk losing the wind altogether, and focused on having a clear lane. A pesky Catalina tacked right onto “our” wind but a “stealth tack” put Full Moon back into undisturbed wind and allowed us to cross ahead when the boats next came close.

Approaching the buoy, Full Moon was following the San Juan 28 Zephyr in on starboard tack and hoping not to have to tack again as the current pushed us downwind. Two boats came in on port on a tighter line and tacked in front, making it even harder but Full Moon managed to squeak by the buoy with a foot to spare. Launching the mighty Equalizer, the Wavelength 21 Wild Honey ahead was lost to view under the nylon cloud until Full Moon very nearly piled into her stern. A loud hail from her skipper averted disaster, though, as Full Moon quickly turned away.

Full Moon (left), Slingshot (middle), and Fortis (right) under spinnaker.

The long broad reach to the Meadow Point buoy north of Shilshole saw Full Moon slowly reel in first Zephyr and then old rival Fortis (which had a five minute lead from second start). Meanwhile, Runner chose to sail a higher line in towards Shilshole, perhaps planning to gybe back out, but they ran into a zone of much lighter wind and appeared parked for a while.

With a quick hoist of the jib and a fairly clean drop of the spinnaker, Full Moon was around the buoy and off across the Sound for the finish in Port Madison at the northern tip of Bainbridge Island. This leg was all about boat speed as the rhumb line was a tight reach. A few boats chose a lower course in order to fly a spinnaker while Zephyr, Fortis, and Runner chose to sail higher (perhaps planning to fly spinnakers later), but Full Moon had good speed in a straight line to the finish and stayed with that plan.

Meanwhile, the J30 Slingshot and a gray-blue J24 had been slowly gaining on Full Moon, both finally getting past to leeward about 2/3 of the way across the Sound. Zephyr gained a little for a while and then fell back but Runner continued to make slow but steady gains from behind. The final two miles were tense as we really didn’t know which boats were in third start, except, we thought, for Runner. Approaching the finish line, we queried the Committee Boat, “How did we do?!?” The magnificent answer was a toot on the air horn and a single raised (index) finger – Full Moon was first!!!

Thanks for the Duck!

Applying the coveted Gold Duck sticker! Tammy Cross photo.

Full Moon lowered the jib and fired up the iron sail to swing back by the Committee Boat and pick up the highly prized Gold Duck sticker. Then it was time to join the giant raft-up of boats in the sheltered waters of Port Madison. Always a great party, rum and beer were flowing, grills were cooking, and sun-drenched racers, many in costume for Halloween, hopped from boat to boat. A few brave (or drunken) sailors even took a dip in the 50 degree water.

Michael, Marcelle, Tammy, and Cap'n John enjoying the late afternoon sun.

The raft-up of over 40 boats in Port Madison. Tammy Cross photo.

Sunset over the Sound. Tammy Cross photo.

All too soon, it was time to head back to Seattle. Motoring back across the Sound, who should appear but Tipsy Gypsy. It appeared we were fated to share the locks once again. Arriving at the locks, the valiant Committee Boat Dux was first in line, tied to the timber wall past the railroad bridge and waiting for the next opening. Full Moon’s relatively short mast fit under the bridge (which was closed) and we proceeded to tie up behind Dux. Then, incredibly, as the bridge opened, Tipsy Gypsy went ahead of Dux to grab a spot in front of the line! Great rudeness generates a lot of bad karma, though, and, as the lock opened, Tipsy Gypsy had a mooring line stuck on the wall. Several boats, including Dux, Zephyr and Full Moon, motored on ahead before Tipsy Gypsy finally got free to take up the very back end of the lock. Then a slim Thunderbird, which had patiently waited their turn, was ushered ahead of them to squeeze next to Full Moon in the middle of the lock. Tipsy Gypsy’s skipper was clearly not pleased to be last but we rather enjoyed the irony of the situation!

Full Moon Sandwich



Marcelle, Randy, Cap'n John, Grace, and Michael in the pre-start maneuvers.

Grace and Art, looking good.

Michael and Marcelle soak up the late summer sun.



Upwind concentration.

Marcelle is ready to fend off!

Beginning to escape the Freeway parking lot.

Our escape is complete!

Go, Equalizer!



Russian Standard = Full Moon fuel?

The final Duck Dodge of the summer is always Martini Night aboard Full Moon and so it was this last Tuesday, the galley resplendent with choice Vodkas, olives, lemon peels, and some great food. Crew Randy “Low Headroom” Olsen, Art “Big Sausage” Teller, Michael “Russian Standard” Medina, Dave “Garbanzo Buns” Pulsifer, Marcelle “Pimento, Please” Lynde, Grace “Potty Run” Teller and skipper John “Push ‘em Back” Mengedoht managed an excellent start if, once again, in close quarters with several boats. Eventually breaking free into clear air, Full Moon accelerated away from the pack but the wind ahead was fading and it was apparent that the “Freeway” buoy was going to be a parking lot.

Approaching on port tack with a bunch of boats attempting to complete their rounding on starboard indeed made for a large mess but Full Moon found a good spot to tack inside a Catalina 36. Unfortunately, Runner (Ranger 26) came in with no overlap rights and tacked inside Full Moon, hoping to also make it around the buoy. This made a Full Moon sandwich between the Catalina and Runner and there was no option but to fend off both boats in hopes of preventing any damage.

Eventually ejected from the drifting mass of boats, Full Moon found a little wind and headed for the Aurora buoy. After a clean rounding there, the mighty Equalizer was launched but the wind remained light and the Equalizer was unable to provide any big gains. After a long reach/run down the lake, the wind began to fade again, just in time to provide another parking lot at the AGC buoy! Once again, Full Moon was inside a sandwich with Runner inside and a much larger boat outside, though careful maneuvering all around prevented any contact.

The final “upwind” leg to the finish was painfully slow with little to no wind and rapidly descending darkness. While many boats gave up and fired up their motors, Full Moon persevered to the end, though not without the benefit of a few Martinis! As usual, Full Moon elected to continue sailing rather than join what appeared to be an epic 46-boat raft-up.

It has been a great season of fun on the lake and it is hard to believe it is over, especially when real summer weather has only so recently arrived. Full Moon did pretty well overall with two Bronze Ducks, three fourths and an average of 5th place (in third start).

Magic Nylon

Yes, that is a fresh duck sticker being applied to the boom!

Full Moon crew Randy “Danish” Olsen, Michael “Chips” Medina, Debra “Duck Luck” Ricard, Fernand “Airflow” Ricard, and skipper John “Wind Wizard” Mengedoht hit the start line right on time for the “Tarts and Vicars” Duck Dodge but were once again closely surrounded by other boats and had to work hard to poke out ahead of the pack. Meanwhile, boats to leeward with clear air took off on a tight reach to the “Freeway” buoy to take the lead spots.

A tight and crowded rounding just behind the Ranger 23 True Blue left a bigger boat close to windward and Full Moon again struggled for clear air. Once free, Full Moon made back some distance but it was clear that boats closer to Gasworks had slightly stronger breeze and a better wind angle – Full Moon was right back with True Blue again at the “Aurora” buoy.

In fairly light wind, the mighty Equalizer doesn’t always shine so brightly and for the first third of the downwind leg, Full Moon mainly just kept pace with other boats. Then boats ahead began to lose steam. Full Moon threaded carefully through the fleet, somehow just keeping the Equalizer full while boats to the left and right struggled with collapsing sails. Old rivals Shogun and Ignitor (from the previous start) fell behind and Fortis was nearly caught as well. At the AGC buoy, the only third start boat in plain view was the San Juan 24 Orca, just behind us!

Pinching off Orca and then forging ahead, Full Moon headed for the finish line. A few horns sounded ahead – were they from first start (two laps but some extremely fast boats), second start (one lap, 5 minutes head start), or Full Moon’s third start? Crossing the line right next to the Committee Boat, Full Moon got the toot for third place and the Bronze Duck!

Finishing not too far behind was the Santana 20 Hot Cookies. Upon learning that Full Moon scored third, her skipper suggested Full Moon really belongs in second start with a faster group of boats (second start is for “half-fast” boats, compared to “fast boats” in first start and “cruising and slower” boats in third). I couldn’t agree more, at least in theory. Full Moon raced second start for many years until invited to switch to third start this summer by the Race Committee. However, when there are boats like Olson 30s allowed in second start, boats like Full Moon can’t hope to be competitive, unlike around 2000 or so when Full Moon would occasionally manage to beat Scat or Dreams to score a duck. Now even Dreams has apparently moved to third start!

Boys Weekend

Daniel and Ian in Poulsbo getting ready to play Trouble in the cockpit.

Daniel, Ian, and I took Full Moon out for an end-of-summer mini-vacation this last weekend, cruising through the locks and across the Sound to Poulsbo. Daniel slept most of the way over, recuperating from an overnight with his pre-teen buddies at the Community Center. Ian and I, though, got to enjoy a terrific reach across to Port Madison, cranking at over six knots for much of the way with bright sun and a cloudless sky.

The wind faded for the run through Agate Pass so the jib came down and the iron sail was fired up. The passage into Liberty Bay brought some more wind, though, and we sailed a good part of that leg as well. The wind was still blowing nicely right in front of the Port of Poulsbo Marina but with no slip reserved, we dropped the sails to claim one near the end of the dock.

Time to head to Mora Ice Cream for an afternoon treat! A slow walk through town yielded two good book stores and several likely dinner options. Daniel found a new book he's been waiting for and Ian and I were tempted by some interesting used books. After a trip back to the boat to play several rounds of Trouble, we headed to J. J's Fishhouse for dinner, which had a good dinner for Ian but not so good for Daniel and I. We both had fish and chips with tough and not especially tasty fish. The cold beer was perfect, though!

Back to the boat to shift gear around for sleeping. A few more games and it was lights out until morning. Up reasonably early, we headed for the showers and a big breakfast at Sheila's, hoping the thick fog would burn off quickly. It thinned a bit so we headed out, hoping not to have to rely on the GPS to find our way home. Sure enough, it got a bit worse turning into Port Orchard but it was mostly still possible to see the shore and, more importantly, find the buoys.

Rounding the corner into Port Madison, the fog continued, though there was enough wind to prompt some sailing for awhile. When our speed dropped below 2 knots, though, we went back to Yamaha power. Thankfully, we had the elderly but fully functional handheld GPS, though heads on swivels and keen ears were employed as well - it would be no fun meeting a big freighter in the fog.

Four miles later, we were off Shilshole, still fogged in. With a brief pause to bag up the sails and set out fenders and lines, we headed for the locks, still watching for buoys until the sun finally popped out just outside the railroad bridge. The locks went smoothly and a sailboat ahead managed to get the Fremont Bridge to open nearly as we arrived and it was home sweet home on Lake Union.

Fun with Fortis

With very light winds for the start of the Pajama Night Duck Dodge, Full Moon crew Randy “Quik-Pack” Olsen, Tammy “Pink Toes” Cross, Dave “Cheese Board” Pulsifer, Ian “Fabio” Mengedoht, Daniel “Carrot Thief” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Tilted Kilt” Mengedoht attempted a mid-line start in hopes of separating at least a little from all the other boats. Unfortunately, the wind dropped to zero just before the start and Full Moon hadn’t quite made it to the line. When the wind did eventually fill in, Full Moon made the most of it but not before losing a number of places to boats better positioned for the start.

Traffic and following the limited wind took Full Moon nearly to the south end of Lake Union before heading across on port tack toward the AGC buoy. This move was somewhat perilous, given the need to dodge behind starboard tack boats, but still paid off by keeping Full Moon in slightly stronger breeze. Approaching the buoy, though, Full Moon had to duck behind a line of four starboard tack boats and this allowed old rivals Fortis (from the previous start), who arrived slightly later, to sneak inside and round ahead. Thus began a see-saw battle with Full Moon typically gaining the edge between buoys and Fortis having much better luck actually rounding the buoys.

The mighty Equalizer was launched for the long downwind run to the Freeway buoy and a move toward the middle of the lake helped get by a few boats but the wind remained light, barely filling the spinnaker at times. Approaching the buoy, a red Santana 20 cut inside with no rights and bopped the buoy with their bow. Rather than re-round or take a penalty turn (it is, of course, the Duck Dodge…), they simply pulled ahead and stole Full Moon’s wind. Sure enough, this setback set the stage for Fortis to get by once again as the wind finally filled in for the upwind leg to the Aurora buoy.

Full Moon managed to close the gap to Fortis a bit but the wind had shifted to northwest and Full Moon was unprepared to launch the spinnaker for the final leg! Fortis pulled ahead for good (not that it really mattered since Full Moon was in a later start), though Full Moon was still fairly quick without the Equalizer and easily held off anybody from behind. In the end, Full Moon was a very respectable sixth place out of well over twenty boats on a gorgeous sunny evening.

Unexpected Success!

The Pre-race "conference."

Doug usually takes all the pictures but was caught in this one...

The happy Avenger!

Full Moon crew Michael “Fourth!” Medina, Marcelle “Rum” Lynde, Doug “Tug” Schoemaker, Chuck “Droid” Weldy, Daniel “The Avenger” Mengedoht (AKA “Big Pour”), and skipper John “Seventh” Mengedoht went for yet another port tack start for Duck Dodge No. 13, which worked pretty well after ducking two starboard tack boats. This lead to a tight-reaching port tack drag race to the “Freeway” buoy and, as boats converged, Full Moon was unfortunately forced wide and outside and then further delayed as inside boats opted to hold off on tacking right away. This allowed a few boats to get by, though Full Moon caught a few in return on the close reach/beat to the Aurora buoy.

Approaching the buoy, there was again a lot of traffic and the shifty wind lead to a few extra tacks. Savvy sailors aboard the Catalina Almond Joy nailed the perfect line to the mark to round well ahead and, judging by all the boats in front, it looked like Full Moon would have to work a bit just to ensure a top ten finish.

A jibe-set of the mighty Equalizer went smoothly to send Full Moon toward the center of the lake and, hopefully, stronger breeze. Unfortunately, the jibe back to starboard was called too soon and Full Moon headed nearly dead downwind toward the AGC buoy. All the same, the large sail area began to help out and Full Moon began closing the gap to Almond Joy, ultimately pulling up inside and to leeward to make the pass just before the buoy. Passing boats always feels great!

Heading upwind to the finish, it was hard to tell which boats might be in third start and which might be from the earlier second start. Heading toward the line, a blue boat ahead got the horn from the Committee Boat to designate a top three finish. Could it be that Full Moon was that close to the lead? There was one boat between Full Moon and the finish – the big Buchan 37 Dreamscape. Dreamscape was forced to tack around a drifting powerboat while Full Moon nailed two smooth tacks to cross just ahead! As it turned out, Full Moon was an excellent fourth place, much to the amazement of her skipper who was certain several boats ahead were also from the third start.

It was yet another beautiful evening on the water (if a bit colder than it should be…) and the rum concoctions tasted great during the usual post-race cruise around the lake. Hard to believe there are only three races left this summer!

Not Quite Tropical

The dark sky provided a nice backdrop for the glowing sails at the start.

Where are we going?

Sun through the spinnakers.

It's always a good time on Full Moon!

Full Moon went for a port tack start at the pin once again for the Tropical Night Duck Dodge, which worked just fine except for several large boats with the same idea. Blanketed by the big boats sails, crew Randy “GeoTag” Olsen, Art “American in Paris” Teller, Tammy “Bon Voyage” Cross, Ian “Rusty” Mengedoht, Daniel “Thurston Howell IV” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Islander” Mengedoht struggled for speed until an opportunity finally came to tack into clear air. By this time, Full Moon was well behind the lead boats, though several boats were passed on the remainder of the first leg to the Aurora buoy, including old rival Ignitor.

The Equalizer went up smoothly to start the second leg and, once clear of traffic, Full Moon took off and got by a number of boats on the long reach to the AGC buoy, including several boats from the second start. The next leg to the floating “island” (a Tropical Night exclusive) was challenging as the breeze got lighter and somewhat unpredictable. Full Moon lost a place or two to larger boats but then was able to nail the approach to score a good number of free beers dispensed by the “island” natives.

On the final leg to the finish, Full Moon was able to get ahead of well-sailed Ranger 21 True Blue and the San Juan 28 Zephyr but could not quite catch the deceptively quick Catalina Almond Joy. In the end, Full Moon was a still-respectable ninth out of well over twenty boats. Despite the less than tropical temperature, it was time to break out the rum drinks and celebrate another fun summer evening on the lake.

Ups and Downs

Mengedohts, large and small

"Big Thud" before the fall

Michael and Marcelle

Prepare to be Equalized!

Full Moon crew Marcelle “Where’s My Cup?” Lynde, Debra “Any Cup Will Do” Ricard, Michael “Bagarita” Medina, Dave “Big Thud” Pulsifer, Daniel “Golden Boy” Mengedoht and skipper John “What Next?” Mengedoht were well outfitted with beads and masks for the Mardi Gras Duck Dodge. With winds just north of westerly, a port tack start was strongly favored and Full Moon hit the line right on time and with good speed. At the Freeway buoy, Full Moon was up with the lead boats but ended up having to swing wide around a slower boat, losing a couple of places in the process.

The second upwind leg across Gasworks was fun as Full Moon battled with Cobalt from second start, somehow outpointing and then closing the door on the theoretically faster J24. There were still several third start boats ahead, though, and Full Moon’s hopes rested on the mighty Equalizer.

Unfortunately, some tangled lines delayed the hoist of the nylon giant. Once up, it was certainly helpful as Full Moon slowly got by a big Catalina 36 and then began to reel in the San Juan 28, Zephyr, but the gap to the lead was still a bit too much to overcome.

Rounding the AGC buoy, disaster struck as the Equalizer refused to come down! Several places were lost as the crew struggled upwind with the spinnaker trying to fill in the opposite direction. It finally came down, though, and Full Moon surged ahead, hoping to pick off a few boats before the finish. Sure enough, Full Moon outpointed and then tacked (cleanly) in front of the San Juan 24 Orca just before the finish to take a very respectable sixth place. Then it was time to break out the Margaritas, beer, and munchies as the sun dipped all too soon behind Queen Anne Hill.

Vive La France!

The start of the Bastille Day Duck Dodge was a classic drifter with one start trying like mad just to clear the line for the next. Full Moon was well-positioned on starboard tack with just a tiny bit of wind until encountering a parked Catalina 36 to “leeward.” With other boats drifting down from “windward,” crew Randy “Grand Prix” Olsen, Sara “Game Night” Skinner, Dave “Scotch” Pulsifer, Daniel “Bartender” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Lucky” Mengedoht were soon engaged in a game of bumper boats. Once the fending off was accomplished, though, a line of wind appeared, reaching out for Full Moon’s bow. It wasn’t huge but it was enough to allow Full Moon to accelerate away from the pack and into a solid second place, not far behind a well-sailed red Santana 20.

Rounding the AGC buoy in heavy traffic (from second start!), the mighty Equalizer was launched for the long close reach up the lake. The wind angle didn’t favor the spinnaker but the greater sail area was useful in the still-light breeze. Approaching the “Freeway” buoy, it appeared that only the always-competitive Tuesday might be a threat. Sure enough, as the breeze went light and unpredictable, Tuesday got by but Full Moon got some good shifts to return the favor and round the “Aurora” buoy comfortably ahead.

Unfortunately, the wind angle to the finish was another reach and Full Moon was unprepared to relaunch the Equalizer. Caught up with battling a J-22 and sailing a little too far to windward, Full Moon allowed Almond Joy and a blue J-24 to get by to leeward. Surely the J-24 was from second start? Nope. Duck Denied – but Full Moon was a close fourth place!

Great White North

Full Moon crew, working hard!

Eileen and Tammy cruising past Gasworks

Ignitor (left) shall not pass!

The Mengedoht boys having fun as usual

Full Moon crew Art “Moose” Teller, Doug “Perfect Light” Schoemaker, Eileen “Muscles” McHugh, Tammy “More Torque” Cross, Daniel “Big K” Mengedoht and skipper John “Strange Brew” Mengedoht were a bit thin on décor for the Canada Day Duck Dodge, but managed a decent start near the favored end of the line. Initially blanketed by a lot of nearby boats, Full Moon eventually found a clear lane and made good speed upwind to the AGC buoy.

Turning downwind, the mighty Equalizer was launched but the wind remained light enough to reduce the normal advantage gained by the nylon monster. Nevertheless, Full Moon got by some boats, including Fortis and good old Ignitor, which had started some 5 minutes earlier in second start! After rounding the Freeway buoy, Ignitor tried mightily to catch up in fluky light air approaching the Aurora buoy but could never quite get overlapped.

The fleet was a bit piled up at the Aurora buoy. Full Moon maintained forward progress and found a bit of breeze after going around. This came and went for the final leg upwind, though Full Moon did well in each little micro-puff. In the end, Full Moon had to settle for fourth place but was clearly in the hunt for the lead and will continue trying third start, at least for awhile.

Third in Third

At the invitation of the Race Committee, Full Moon switched this week from Start 2 (“half-fast boats”) to Start 3 (“cruising and slower boats”). Given the large number of boats in the second start, many of which are considerably faster than Full Moon, this may be appropriate, though there are also quite a few second start boats which are clearly slower!

Unfortunately, crew Randy “Languid” Olsen, Galina “Rested” Gordeeva, Michael “Lethargic” Medina, Debra “Relaxed” Ricard, Daniel “Sitting Duck” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Tired” Mengedoht got held up at the start with a wall of boats apparently unwilling to make the tack onto port for the beeline to the “Freeway” buoy. Once clear, there were a lot of boats ahead but a few were soon dispatched.

Heading to the “Aurora” buoy, Full Moon got by a few more boats and then popped up the mighty Equalizer for the long reach down the lake. As on many occasions, the Equalizer proved invaluable as Full Moon reeled in boat after boat, even passing several boats from the second start. Closing in on the AGC buoy, Full Moon eased inside a cluster of boats slowing to windward and, with full overlap rights, passed the entire group in one shot.

With the finish line in sight, the fleet looked quite a bit thinner and, sure enough, a Santana 20 was given a horn, followed soon after by a larger San Juan. As Full Moon crossed, the horn signaled yet again as Full Moon had scored the Bronze Duck for third! After the awful start, this was a very pleasant surprise.