THE RACING
peaking flood, the wind shut off. PHRF 2 was unable to clear the line, so, while in sequence for the Express 37s, the RC abandoned PHRF 2 (Charlie flag) and postponed everyone else. After some time, the regatta chair came on the radio and apologized, saying that she should have made a general recall of Charlie. The flag shuffle was a bit complicated when it came time to start up the sequence again, but it was executed clearly and cleanly. Most divisions, except the one designs and non-spinnakers, were given Course 4, a 9.7-mile jaunt to Blackaller, around Blossom Rock and back to Little Harding, with a finish at the RC boat. Abreast of the Golden Gate Bridge and on the run down the Cityfront, racers finally found the forecast wind, in the high teens. Overpowered on the close reach to Blackaller and dead downwind to Blossom in gusts up to 20 knots, with a swell running in from the ocean, racers had to focus to keep from rounding up or oscillating. The westerly never reached
square to the first mark, Blackaller Buoy near the South Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, rather than to the wind, which was predominantly from the west. After PHRF 1 and Sportboat 30 started in the
'Don't Panic' during a run down the Cityfront in the Corinthian Midwinters on January 20.
ERIK SIMONSON / WWW.PRESSURE-DROP.US
Corinthian Midwinters The Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon offered racers a full weekend of on- and off-the-water activities on January 1921. The Friday night kickoff consisted of an informative and entertaining talk/discussion about 'Midwinter Race Strategy, Starts and Tactics' conducted by Marin County sailor Liz Baylis, US Sailing's 2002 Yachtswoman of the Year and executive director of the Women's International Match Racing Association. About 50 people attended, getting an edge over on the competition the following day. Almost 100 boats entered the fourrace, two-weekend series. CYC sorted them into a dozen divisions, which would take almost an hour to start — barring postponements. But Saturday started with light, shifty breeze. No question about it, it was a #1 genoa kind of day. The race committee, out on the water west of Angel Island, used a 10-minute postponement to let the wind settle. They set the line to be
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• February, 2018
the corners of the Bay, however, and the beat back to the finish slowed as the fleet sailed out of the wind.
PATRIK ARGAST PHOTOGRAPHY / WWW.ARGAST.COM
The wind presented challenges for racers in California north and south, to wit, our reports on the CYC, BYC and TYC Midwinters, OYC Sunday Brunch Series, EYC Jack Frost and DRYC's Malibu and Return. SYC's Chili Midwinters enjoyed better breeze. A photo spread of the GGYC Midwinters, an enticement to the America's Schooner Cup, and a couple of Race Notes round out this month's 'Sheet'.
Finishers found that the race committee boat had moved farther north. Crews battled the ebb to get back to the finish, many flying spinnakers but backsliding anyway. "The forecast called for 10-15 knots. The forecast called for 1.6 knots of current. Nope. Less wind, and more current made for a really, really challenging finish," wrote the anonymous author of Saturday night's email to racers. "If it were any regatta but Midwinters, it would have demanded an immediate abandonment. Boat after boat swept by the finish line in a ripping ebb (we were farther into the Raccoon Strait river than we meant to be)." A Santa Cruz 50 had snagged the rode and dragged the RC boat. "The amazing thing happened at 4:23. The wind picked up and brought almost everyone across the finish line!" The deadline to finish was 4:30. Back at the club, racers rafted up and packed into the club to enjoy a buffet supper and tunes spun by DJ Rick, making for intimate festivities, but many partiers expressed nostalgia for the days of epic dancing to live bands in the upstairs ballroom and hope they return.
