THE RACING Meet Adjudicator; someday soon (we hope), you may be meeting her on the racecourse. We visit Lake Tahoe north and south, including Tahoe Yacht Club's Trans-Tahoe. We check in with beer can races from South Lake Tahoe Windjammers, Corinthian, Oakland and Encinal YCs. The Pacific Cup goes virtual, the SSS plans to Round the Rocks, and the US Sailing Team Men's 49er sailors train in Santa Cruz.
ALEX HIGBY
Fast 40 New to San Francisco Bay The new kid on the block just moved to San Francisco from Hamble, UK, and she's quite a looker. She's a Carkeekdesigned Fast 40 hailing from the British fleet. The sleek 40-footer will need to be careful in certain Bay Area venues, as she draws 10 feet. She tips the scales at 9,240 lbs.
Alex Higby of Ancasta Race Boats. Alex is Adjudicator's project manager. "They were designed and built to withstand the Solent and the iconic Fastnet Race," he added. Paul worked closely with Alex to find the right boat. "After a visit to the UK, Adjudicator (ex-Jubilee) was the weapon of choice," said Alex. "She's highly optimized, with an extensive inventory. Adjudicator felt like a perfect fit. "The team has been working closely with Greg Stewart to optimize Adjudicator for the US ORR and PHRF rating rules. The boat has been expertly assembled and upgraded by Scott and Haydon at Easom Rigging. With the COVID-19 cancellations, the main focus has been the Rolex Big Boat Series, but the team looks forward to the ever -increasing opening of regattas." We're looking for ward to seeing her on the racecourse, and will try not to blink when a streak of green whizzes past us. — latitude / chris
Tahoe YC's Trans-Tahoe T ahoe has become just as legendary for the summer activities as it is for the epic skiing at the many resorts bordering the lake. The Paul Dorsey's high-tech Carkeek 40 'Adjudicator' at KKMI in May, season may be short, when she had just been shipped from the Fast 40 class in the UK. but the sailors around She's signed up for September's Rolex Big Boat Series. Lake Tahoe make up for it in intensity. Each summer the legendAdjudicator was built in 2015 in ary Trans-Tahoe Regatta brings in folks Dubai by Premier Composites. She from all over to battle the elements, sports a Southern Spars rig. wear skimpy outfits, and compete on the You may know or have heard of Paul crystal-clear water. Dorsey in connection with his previous If you have never been there or only boat, the Soto 30 Gentoo. He was looking sailed in saltwater, it really is incredible for a new challenge, having been very to see cellphones and sunglasses sitting successful campaigning Gentoo. on the bottom 4 fathoms down. "Paul saw the growing fleet in the UK Predicting wind on Tahoe is best done of the highly competitive Fast 40," says Page 84 •
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• August, 2020
with a crystal ball, but nonetheless they set the starting time and the wait begins, usually after lunch. Plenty of time for swimming, sunbathing, hydrating, and discussing the future of C-19. Friday was buoy racing, with 3-minute starts complete with whistle signals. The mighty, lovely, leafy-green August Ice, Dick Ferris's gorgeous J/125, dominated Division 1. Racer X, a beautiful Farr 36, chased her around all weekend and actually beat her once on corrected time. Division 2 was a six-boat mixed fleet of Melges 24s and J/70s. It's interesting to listen to the comments of folks regarding these two designs. The Melges is 30 seconds faster under the PHRF handicapping system, but I have also heard PHRF referred to as a random-number generator. In any case the Melges were certainly more lively and lit up. On the other hand the J/70 is likely designed for a client who is looking for something less lively anyhow. Dan Hauserman's M24 Personal Puff won with 11 points to spare after five races, so that's saying something. The crew on the Melges Nikita is always a crowd favorite and held on for second. The Orangemen made Orange You Glad the first J/70 and stepped up to third on the podium — except there wasn't a podium. In fact, there were no social activities at all, and I think you know why! Division 3 was an even mix of five Santa Cruz 27s vs. five Moore 24s, with an Express 27 thrown in to keep it interesting. By interesting I mean the mark roundings were busy, and a few boats swapped paint. The lake water is thinner than saltwater, and the boats sit lower in the water. That combined with thin air at altitude blocked by masks had the skippers a bit scrambled — not to mention the time spent hydrating before the race actually started. Capt. Raduziner and his lemon-flavored SC27 Lickety Split ended up atop the leaderboard followed by the other yellow SC27 and that pesky Express that was Fired Up all weekend, especially in the distance race that counts double, which they won. Saturday was the distance race. It got underway at 1:30 p.m. with a reverse start. Upwind at top end of the #1, a few Moores opted for jibs. August Ice was still first around the mark, which made it easier to find. A 12-mile run across the lake with a little wake surfing and just epic views followed. Another 4-mile beat and a reach to the finish made for
