End of the Season

The 2010 MC Scow season at Keuka Yacht Club is over. Labor Day weekend was the final weekend of sailing. Between E-Scow and MC-Scow racing I have 12 races scheduled.

The weekend started with a fairly intense cold front sweeping through the area early Saturday morning. This brought winds well into the 20's. The peak wind speed measured at my dockwas 28.5 mph. It was very impressive watching the frothy lake. The forecast for Sunday, the first day of sailing for the weekend, was that the wind would hold overnight and slowly taper off through the day. Sure enough I woke up Sunday to waves crashing onto our seawall. It was 50 degrees and blowing 18 from the South.

Unfortunately the wind dropped to zero by 9:30. The E-Scows sailed out to the course in light and variable. But the wind picked up just enough from the West to get a race in. We were over at the start. Since we had no radio we could not tell if it was us. Another boat restarted and the flag remained up. So from half way up the leg we returned to restart. It took both laps of the race to regain third place.

Race 2 started with a general recall. Apparently in a 5-boat race if 4 boats are over it is easier to restart the race than call the four boats back. On the restart we were clean. but the wind gods messed with this race badly. We were anywhere from first to fifth at times. We also experienced something unique. On the last downwind leg we got caught in some sort of swirl between competing South and Northwest wind patterns, both blowing zero to 5. Completely out of control with the spinnaker up we were tacked twice, spun 360 at one point, and finally sent Southward into dead calm. There we sat (in last place) for about a minute until the new South wind filled in. It went from zero to 18-20 in 15 seconds. The next 30 seconds was a BLAST across the lake about as fast as these boats can safely sail. We rounded the bottom mark first and went on the win the race in a screaming reach across the finish line.

That wind held and built into a Southwest 15-20 for the MC racing. When I was rigging my boat I decided to leave the new sail on as the wind looked like it was easing. I was also a little late for the racing. I sailed out to the course. Unfortunately the girls set a very very short course. The windward leg was about 400 yards long. With the wind up it was a boat handling challenge with no chance to settle in. In fact I crossed the start/finish on my downwind leg before the fleet behind us started, and they had a 5-minute sequence.

In race 1 I was in the pack around the top mark. Approaching the bottom mark I was the inside boat bow to bow with Steve Bender as we hit the 3-boat length circle. Clear ahead (or so I thought) on the outside though was Bob Meyer. He was along side the bottom mark about 2 1/2 lengths away having trouble gybing to port. As soon as he would gybe he was going to hook around and be 90 degrees to our path. He had rights. both Steve and I had to take his stern. That meant sailing by the lee even more than we already were. Steve did not turn. He assumed he had rights and was going to claim the inside. And with Sean already coming around the mark I was headed right into a major t-bone collision at 15 mph. With a second to spare I bailed out, tacked out to the left and missed the mark. I'm sure if I went in there it would have been bad.

I finished the race. But with the wind howling, and my newest sail getting beaten up, and a course so short that roundings were dangerous, I opted not to continue sailing. It took three tries to land my boat at my dock in the 2-3 foot waves and 20 mph wind.

Sunday night we went to a wonderful party. I drank too much. Monday morning I awoke to a headache, and absolutely no wind. But on the way to the club for the morning E-Scow racing the wind picked up to a very nice 8-12 from the South. E-scow racing for the day was extremely competitive with lots of position changes. It was just fun.

As the day progressed, the wind and waves built. My upwind sail out to the start of the MC races was long and pounding. Race 1 was delayed due to Race Committee issues. When it finally started I had been on the lake an hour in 15-20 mph winds. We sailed four races in this wind. Sean Tracey was very good in the blow taking the first two races. He passed me downwind quite easily. In race three I was leading into the top mark. I approached the train of boats headed to the top mark on a layline. I decided to tack on top of the lead boat ahead of the others. I didn't bother looking at where the mark was. After I tacked into that controlling position I realized many of them and now I were below the layline. Too close to the mark to double tack, I had to shoot the mark hard or lose 5 boats gybing around. I shot hard, healed the boat to windward, and pulled the rudder hard to get the back of the boat around. I'm staring at the mark clearing it by an inch or two. As the boat bears off the boom is over top of the mark. I can't ease or I hit the mark. The boat heals up a LOT. I clear the mark, ease the main and the boom goes right into the water. I unhook me feet from the straps and climb onto the edge of the boat just as the mast hits the water.

The whole thing took as long to happen as it took you to read the description. It was slow motion. Having never capsized an MC Scow before, I had no idea how to right it. I'm standing on the wimpy little board trying get enough weight outboard to get the mast up. The board flexes so much I fall off. I remember now someone saying you will bend the board if you stand on it. I get back on and try to reach anything on deck. No lines are there. I try sticking a finger into the bailer to pull. That was painful and useless. So all I can do is grab the top rail and lean back. It works. I jump in and take off. Of course the fleet has gone by. In a 1-lap race there is little time for big mistakes. I regain 2 positions. With another lap I might have gotten 2 more. bob Meyer won the race holding off Sean Treacy at the end.

In the last race of the season I have absolutely nothing to lose. In the prestart I sailed off to the left and found myself in a nice East shift. I actually laughed out loud. I loitered 30-seconds to the left of the pin telegraphing to the entire fleet my intent to port tack the start. I timed it right and easily crossed everyone. Then also with nothing to lose I maintained the port tack to the right corner while the entire fleet went left. I had about a 4-length lead at the top mark. Then for the first time all year, I was able to shake the boats behind me and keep clear air and actually not lose anyone downwind. upwind to the finish I covered for awhile, then decided they were going the wrong way and tacked away. I still won the race but only by a couple lengths.

The final season results can be found here when they are posted.

Overall this year was great. I sailed 41 MC races winning 20 of them. I beat the top ranked sailor in the country in a race and actually gave him a run for his money in another. We got enough boats on the starting line each weekend to generate more interest. We may see three more boats next year to maybe get 12 on the line.

Next on the agenda is Cowan Lake, OH, the first week in October. Then I will play it by ear.