1st Overall, Long Point Challenge
Our third attempt at this 107 mile race from mouth of Collins Bay to Eastern Lake Ontario Weather Buoy. Conditions 0-10 knots, flat water. Incredibly painful race with long periods of aimless drifting punctuated by brief periods of tantalizing motion only to return to drifting again. Worst case of lake flies ever – full foul weather gear despite 30C temperatures; boat looked like war zone after the race with decks black from crushed flies.
Departed eastward through lower gap and headed south in search of breeze and clouds. Boats along Amherst Island initially looked good, but then died as the localized rain clouds sucked the wind away from the shore. From mid-afternoon, followed rhumb-line course to weather buoy which we rounded first about midnight. Decent progress until sunrise where we found ourselves about a mile from the False Ducks lighthouse. Still found ourselves a mile from the lighthouse 4 hours later at war with the lake flies. Fortunately wind came back up and we managed to pass south of Amherst Island on a more-or-less rhumb-line course. Finished 1st after nearly 30 hours, followed by Jeannie (J35).
So in three years have one second place and two first place finishes on this event.
3rd Overall, Main Duck Race
A new race for the Puppy, but a long-standing regional tradition out of KYC. An evening start at KYC running west to the upper gap, then around Main Duck Island, returning to Kingston leaving Wolfe Island to starboard. Port start and crossed entire fleet gave us huge on-the-water lead very quickly. Port fetch in 10-12 knot southwesterly to the upper gap, then starboard fetch to Main Duck under bright stars and 10-12 knots and flat water. Champagne sailing, like a magic carpet ride under the stars. Awesome evening. Reached Main Duck just behind Richard Ware on his Farrier which was awesome for us. Bear off around south side of Main Duck, then port spinnaker hoist on what looked like dead run back. Wind moved east forcing quick gybe onto starboard. Only gybe wasn’t so quick. Discovered a shortcoming in the layout of the harness hard points on the foredeck that saw me on bow trying to be hoisted through the fore-triangle at the same time the spinnaker was trying to do the same thing. Very ugly. Definitely need to keep the owner off the foredeck in the future!
Fantastic starboard reach ensued back to Nine Mile Point then opted for the inshore route through the boat channel. Odd sailing with the sound of cows, crickets and fish splashing. Finnished around 2am having lost sight of the tri. Big surprise was the crossing the tri still trying to finish while on our way back home. Obviously the boat channel was the right option! Corrected to third, out of second by 14 seconds and missing first by a hair over 3 minutes after 7 hours of racing. All-in-all a pretty successful endeavor for straight-line sailing! Now if only we could take back that botched gybe…
2nd Overall, 2nd PHRF 1, Amherst Island Race
This pursuit race is one of our favorites, and is our way of celebrating the end of the summer sailing season. This year, as with last, the sailing instructions were modified to eliminate the choice of direction, and the fleet headed westward from Loyalist Cove through the upper gap. Winds really light and fluky for the first leg, and managed only just to hold off Dave Wilby on his newly modified Olson 40 O’ffliction around Pig Point. That didn’t last long though as they were clearly faster in those conditions and worked quickly past us under a tight spinnaker reach out to Grape Island and then through the bear-off around the south side of Amherst Island.
From that point the wind built steadily out of the southwest giving us a square run in nearly 20 knots of breeze, and we passed the bulk of the fleet, holding our own against the 40 and rounding about a half mile back of them at Salmon Island for the beat back-way back. In a fresh beat, we were faster than O’ffliction in the first part of the leg, and that combined with a few good tacks put us even with them about half-way back to the barn. With the wind moderating somewhat, there wasn’t much to choose between the two boats speedwise, and we traded tacks the rest of the way back. Under Bruce’s guidance, we got a great lift off the north shore and crossed ahead of them at the last cross. Unfortunately I am a poor student though and didn’t keep a tight enough cover on them, to see them nip us at the line by 2 feet. An awesome race, and a hard lesson in covering for me.
1st Overall, CBYC Frostbite Race
Sunny with a forecast for no wind, this turned out to be a gorgeous race in 10-15 knots of southerly breeze for the most part. Pursuit race again. Strong off the line, and helped by Dave Wilby graciously putting O’ffliction on the rocks for us and giving us a running start. Fantastic speed to windward, picking off boats one at a time on the upwind leg, and a strong downwind performance on leg 3 of the race. For the final leg, a close reach back from Kingston to Collins Bay, we found ourselves seriously underpowered with the jib, and just unable to get the Code Zero to fly well which really slowed us down on this leg. Depressingly watched the 40 slide on by a good knot faster, and graciously head past the finish line having had to power off the rocks earlier in the race. Thanks Dave! So that makes it 2-nil for O’ffliction. We’ll get even next year!