I woke up this morning early, unable to sleep. The first start was scheduled for 10:00. By 9:00 I had the boat ready to launch. I delayed awhile knowing I didn't want to be out on the water too long. It was 46 degrees, blowing 15 from the N NW. I was wearing neoprene shorts, padded shorts, bib overall rain gear pants, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and a spray top. My ears were still cold.
After launching I sailed to the parts of the course that were not in yesterday's course. The top mark was in a different bay. I noted the shifts, the shore affects, all the scouting I needed to do.
Then I sailed to the starting area, right up against the leeward shore, a shoreline with some height. The wind was lifting up and over. At the right end of the line was a big right, the left end a big left. Puffs rolling down the lake would make one end or the other favored.
I saw the course was right favored but the line left favored. I started at the pin, got quick clear air, and immediately ran out of lake. Tacking over I had to hard duck, then duck again, then duck again. I ended up in a crowd. I tried to get right as planned and eventually succeeded. Of course the left came in and I ended up very deep in the fleet. But I caught a couple critical shifts correctly at the last minute of the leg to pick up 10 or so boats, and get in contact with the lead pack. From there it was work to get into the top 5.
On the last leg of the race, Chris Craig had the race locked up. If I could get to 3rd place I would have the regatta locked up. I was in 6th at the last mark. I picked up Sean to get to 5th, lost him again, then split a little farther left than the pair battling for third. I came back just behind them. I made a couple more moves and gained. All I had to do was cross in front of them on port and tack to the finish on starboard to get 3rd. I had him cleared until a big puff and shift. He got lifted and accelerated, I got headed and stalled. I was too close to duck. I had to tack. I cleated the main to release the board and pull it down (doesn't go by itself) and turned. The first grab on the board failed. The second grab was good but I missed uncleating the main, The boat was already around with me still on the low side. I could still recover. But I was ducking under the over trimmed boom while capsizing, and wearing an entire closet of clothes. The main would not uncleat. I went over.
I stayed dry somehow climbing up the overturned boat like a rat fleeing a sinking ship. I learned from my one prior capsize that I need to take a rope with me. I grab the traveler. I'm standing on the top board now pulling on the traveller. Nothing. The main is still cleated on the low side. Over I go hanging upside down to uncleat it. Back on the board and slowly the boat comes up.
I look to see I'm in maybe 9th place. I spend the last 100 yards of the race cleaning up and cruising in. I know I just blew it. I had the regatta won. It was like getting to match point in tennis and losing the set. The anger sets in. The adrenaline fades. Something is wrong with my left arm. Somehow I hit my arm hard on the outside of my left arm. I have trouble holding a water bottle.
Regatta winners know where they stand after each race. I knew I had a throwout and Sean who was in 3rd had another bad race (ended up 8th I think after doing penalty turns). So Chris Craig is now holding the cards, driving the race.
I know I want to go up the right side for race 5. So like an idiot I get sucked into the great looking pin end. I win it and extend, tack and cross the boats near me. I'm in good company. Chris Craig, Richard Blake are right there. Sean takes his initial tack all the way to shore and come out later on port. And sticking to my plan when I come out, I go all the way across. I beat the left end of the line but ended up deep fleet by the time I got right. Sean banged the left corner and got a great lefty, which meant I was on the wrong side.
Each puff is snappy. I have to trim and ease constantly. My arm is throbbing. I have to wrap the sheet to hold onto it. I have no grip strength.
At the top mark I regained enough boats that I was within striking distance. Downwind I had a great puff that closed the gap more, picking up a few boats. On the second upwind I picked off a few more. But the crowd was keeping me from doing what I wanted when I wanted. By the last leg I was somewhere in the 5-7 range with Chris Craig covering me hard. I timed a tack in a crowd with another boat to drop clear left of him. All I knew was that I had to get to top 5. But now I had a boat on my hip. I was locked out left. When the shift came that boat did not tack. My opportunity was fading. Chris was way out on the right. The split was solid. The hip boat tacked away. I held on until I was almost over stood for the port layline to the finish. I tacked, worked through the shifts for 15 seconds and met Chris at the line. He was very slow on starboard struggling to make the pin. I was very fast on port. I ducked him and shot up. The whistle was less than a second apart. He got the position. In the end my day's finishes were 10 and 7, not very good.
Sailing in I could not tell if we were 5 and 6 or 6 and 7 place. In the end it did not matter. But what neither of us counted on was that Sean winning that race put him also in contention. In the end 2 points covered the first three places. I had 8 hours to drive home and think about this.
The Cowan perpetual trophy is a cow's ass, about 2 feet tall with the cow looking back at you. Maybe I actually won. I cannot imagine that on my mantle.
Cowan is an interesting place to sail. No boats and a small lake means no waves. Getting wet was hard. I showed how though - capsize. Flat water and big shifts means different sail performance. I realized I need to expand my inventory to include more than one regatta sail. I also need to practice slam tacks, capsizing, and other unusual maneuvers.
Thursday one of my employees asked me if there were any hot shots coming. I looked and decided Richard Blake was my competition. He was. In fact I started next to him in 4 of 5 races. I see now Sean is going to be hard to beat at home too. He sailed well.
This was my last regatta of the year. I met great folks this year. I think it was a successful start. I made my name known to a couple hotshots, giving them fits. I didn't have any real goals other than to win the local fleet. This second place will get me on a ranking list. My "new guy" status will be gone.
What this year did for my confidence is probably visible in reading these posts. I started the year having been away from regatta and driving for many years. Now I know I can hang with the big boys. People told me I was a good sailor. I think I can believe it. I'm not great. I need lots more work. But I know what I have to work on. There were race wins in regattas, three of them. I need to put four or five good races into a regatta though. not two or three.I need to learn to clear traffic. I need to work on my boat a little bit. It if fast but has some glitches I need to fix. I need to get in shape. I need to go to more regattas. But I think I'm on the right track.
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