The 2012 version of the Cow Town Regatta at Hoovers reservoir near Columbus, Ohio, is over. It is the first northern regatta of the year and usually the first time people get their boats wet unless they travelled to Florida.
The forecast early in the week was okay with medium air Saturday going light Sunday. Unfortunately the front passed earlier than expected Friday afternoon and Saturday was light and Sunday was even lighter, defined by most sane people as windless. Despite this, we got in 5 races, 4 Saturday and 1 Sunday morning.
Earlier this week Zack Clayton sent me an e-mail wishing me luck. My response was that I just wasn't feeling it. I've beaten everyone in attendance in multiple races, some many times. I've never beaten Ted Keller in a regatta, but I cam close at this regatta last year. The stats said I should be in contention but everything else was against me. I just wasn't feeling it.
So I get to the starting line of the first race. The "wind" was Northish blowing 2-8 with real big holes. Total registration was 33 boats on a lake where this is a crowd. I chose not to use the new sail and put on the Z-Max with 120 races or so, well past its racing prime. The sequence starts and I get in the zone. With a minute to go I'm in good position and get a first row start. But the wind was down and I was low side but not all the way low. I was hunched under the boom in the most uncomfortable position ever trying to squeeze any life out of the sail I could. I didn't have enough. I got rolled above and below and had to tack out to the wrong side to escape. At one point I was trying to escape one of those drives. I was below and a bit ahead of a boat on starboard. I drove down, tacked and was able to easily spin to clear his transom and go behind him. But our mast tips collided and I had to do circles.
At the top mark I started counting boats ahead of me and realized it was easier to count the few behind me. For the next three legs I continued struggling in the pack trying to find clean lanes on a lake where the few lanes were already taken. I was driven the wrong way more than once.
By the last mark I recovered to somewhere in the mid teens and rounded the right gate while the pack went to the other. Upwind the crowd went right feeding off a puff that had the whole pack above me laying the finish on starboard. I had no choice but to stay low of them and go for speed (albeit still on the low side). The puffs worked in my favor holding for me and dying for the pack. I picked up a slew of boats to finish 6th. However the finishing place was as high as I got in that race and it was well behind the leaders. It was luck that allowed me back in the race.
The next race was worse. This time I was nowhere near front row at the start and struggled again all race finishing very deep, I think 19th. There was one puff where I got to hike out though. At lunch the wind really died. It was unclear if we would get any more racing. But alas the breeze filled in enough to send us out there again, still nothing more than 5 or so. I screwed the starts of races 3 and 4. I had to work both races to get anywhere. Both were in the low teens for finishes. My only saving grace was that my sometime arch nemesis Chris Craig was also tanking the regatta. I beat him 2 of 4 races and at dinner we found out we were tied at 51 points.
Dinner was the best prime rib I've had in a very long time. Ron Stryker puts on a good meal.
Sunday I had one goal, beat Chris Craig. Well...2 goals, beat him and have a good race. The wind was forecast East at 4, but was North at 6-8. At the start I won the boat with speed on a right side favored course. I finally had a good start...until it was general recalled because the RC could not read two boat numbers over early.
For the second attempt they shifted the line and the wind also shifted left making the pin strongly favored. I was early for the pin and got squeezed out. Circling around behind the fleet with 20 seconds to go ensure a deep second row start.
On that first leg I went left and was only 8-10 lengths behind Chris. We both rounded deep, him maybe 15th and me maybe 20th. With absolutely no wind showing on the water we languished forever drifting around the course. At one point I had 3 boats behind me. I also spent a full windward leg not leaving the deep low side of the boat.
At the first bottom mark I rounded 25th or so around the right gate. Chris Craig was only just in front of me rounding the left gate. He went right up the course and I was driven left by the pack. I found a good lane back right and picked up 6-8 boats. Bout Chris picked up 20 rounding the top mark in the top five. He went on to win the race while I ended up like 19th again.
My final position in 14th overall was probably the worst regatta for me in 15 years or so. There were no redeeming moments. There were no great golf shots that make you want to go play golf next time even though you shot a 110. I simply shot a 110 with nothing memorable. Boat speed was never good. Starts were abysmal. Tactics were okay but digging out of such holes in light air is difficult.
So if I have a distinct hole in my abilities and it is light air, conditions I'd rather not sail in ever again. But to get better I need to practice in those conditions. So do I want to get better? That's the thousand dollar question.
The next sailing is Memorial Day weekend at Keuka.
