Division: PHRF C (7 boats)  (top)

Notes
Race Information: Start Date/Time = Saturday, June 19, 2004 12:10:00, Length (nm) = 7.14

Division: PHRF C (8 boats) (top)

Notes
Race Information: Start Date/Time = Saturday, June 12, 2004 10:10:00, Length (nm) = 13.06

We now refer to the Augusta Regatta as "Dister's Revenge," though why you wanted to punish Joe and I when it was Bert who abandoned us in Arctic Annapolis is beyond me. The fun began even before we left HYC. In standard RJ fashion, when Thursday dawned, the trailer (with boat attached) was still at Hibbert's being checked out (they had had it since Tuesday), the motor was at Don's, awaiting new seals for the lower unit to keep water out and oil in, and Mort was scheduled for a service call at the local Exxon ("Exxon" being Kurdish for "Spawn of the Devil"). Somehow, it took Spawn of the ..., I mean Exxon, until 4:30 in the PM to do an oil change and replace a few belts. Bert had long before given up on waiting for Mort and so had used the Jag convertible to pick up the not-fixed motor (seals on order for 2 weeks never came in, so Don filled with synthetic oil which won't be displaced as readily by the lake water ["But, avoid using it, if possible"]. Bert is one of the few Jag owners who uses his as an auxiliary pick-up truck to supplement the hearse. Swung by Hilbert's to pay the (very large) bill for new surge brakes, lights, wheel, tires, et al., then came back to VBch to get Mort (Q: Does Exxon accept cash, or just souls, Bert?) and dash back to the Peninsula to get RJ from Hibbert's. Did I mention that, during all of this process, it was freezing-heimer cold, rainy, and otherwise miserable? Stop snickering, Bill. At any rate, Ray, who is trying to sneak away early (say, 5:00) from the office, gets pulled into a meeting at 3:00 which does not ever seem to end until I simply announce that I am leaving and they can fill me in on anything I missed (after 3 hours or so, these meetings tend to be more digression than substance) and leave, having, in uncharacteristic fashion, packed and stowed by gear away in the car in advance. So, I head off to Hampton and call Bert to advise him of my progress only to learn of his dismal day. Not having Mort and trailer together at Hibbert's prior to that moment, whether the trailer electrical connection on Mort actually works is now an issue. After some discussion (during which your name came up in an unflattering context, I must say, Bill), we resolved to rendezvous at Hibbert's to assess the situation. Luckily (?), someone was working late at Hibbert's and was able to get (in the rain) the connection to work, so it was back to HYC to drop off the Benz and head out (Joe and Eddie to follow on Friday, Bert and I having determined that leaving Thursday evening allowed us a necessary margin of error). The drive itself was uneventful, other than that Mort's alternator really isn't up to running the heater, headlights, windshield wipers, radio, trailer lights, etc. I voted to keep the heater but Bert's wishes prevailed. We stopped at the No-Tell Motel around 12:30 about 80 miles north of South of the Border. Naturally, at no time did Bert give up the steering wheel. ("Oh, no. I am fine...") Friday dawned relatively clear and we were on the road by 7:45 or so (a little later than planned, but we drove farther Thursday, so it worked out). Again, Bert took the wheel and wouldn't let go. I finally drove the last hour or two when we stopped for gas and I climbed into the driver's seat and demanded the keys. No particular issues on the drive down, which was a relief. Arrived around 1:20 at the Augusta Sailing Club and were ahead of the crane. Dropped off RJ, went back to Augusta and checked in, ate, refueled, etc. and returned to ASC. Reassembling RJ was uneventful (wonderful gin pole they have there. Need to convince HYC to get one.), though none of the tuning measurements/rig tensions seemed right. Resolved to let Eddie worry about it in the morning. Joe and Eddie arrive around 7:30 PM, chipper and pleased, having made the trip in about 2 hours less time. (Note: Need to convince Bert that Mort can make more than 55 MPH. Alternate Note: Need to take shotgun to Mort so Bert gets tow vehicle manufactured in this century.) Socialized briefly at ASC, ate some of their barbecue, drank some of their beer, headed back to motel to get good nite's sleep for Saturday's adventure.

Saturday: Bill's Revenge, Part II. Prediction: Chance of rain in the afternoon, highs in the low 60s. Reality: Rain almost all day, highs in the low 50s. Thunder & lightening near end of race 1. RC pulls us off water around 1:00 PM to wait out the T & L, with next start at 3:30 PM. T & L did go away (though not the rain) and we did race (in a manner of speaking) the 2nd (last) race of the day. Results: Race 1 we got a 2nd tier start (3 locals and 13 road warriors for a fleet of 16, but the RC kept starting line unusually short...more appropriate for 16 Lasers than 16 J/24s) so it was possible to start in the 2nd row. Were going the right way so did not bail out. Executed the set and immediate gybe for tactical purposes quite nicely, thank you, and managed to squeeze into 5 or 6th place, which we maintained for the remaining 2 legs of the race (a not inconsiderable feat, given the 180' wind shift that hit along w/the T & L). We finished 6th but scored 5th as the boat ahead of us failed to honor the offset mark which he ignored because it was a de facto downwind mark due to the windshift, but was, de jure a windward mark w/offset. Oops! After the rain delay, we returned to the course cold, wet, and adrenaline depleted. This condition showed in our performance, not helped by the fact that the wind dropped and we failed to notice in time to lighten the rig. Wind predicted to back, so we went left. Wind clocked. We dropped to a disappointing 15th. Sigh...

Sunday: (Low key rallying at ASC Saturday night. Wonderful fireplace, terrific brownies [entirely legal, though not on RCN's diet] were the highlights). Prediction: Partly cloudy, wind 8-12 knots from the NNW shifting to W. Reality: Pretty much spot on. First race, went left, wind filled in on left. Finished 3rd ("Now, that's more like it.") Race 2, RC never lengthened former finish line for new start. Incredible pile up at start. Some bozo hits the line w/speed (just like in the book!) but there is no hole for him, so he slides down on us from windward just before the gun, bounces along our starboard rail, falls off as he goes past, thereby colliding with our bow, then reaches over the transom, pushing us to the right, causing us to tack, all the while shouting "Protest!". I really need to read HIS rule book to see what new chapters I have missed somehow. Fortuitously, our tactical game plan had been to get to the right. As it worked out, we were going that way. Despite the few transoms we had to duck, going right was right and we rounded in 3rd behind the regatta leader and another good boat (a natural pecking order?) The downwind leg was tricky as the wind continued to drop. Approaching the mark, we were still in 3rd, perhaps 4th depending on the rounding, when we decided to protect the left and execute a gybe onto port tack. 'Execute' is the right word as we went from reach to reach clumsily w/no speed, losing boats right and left. That worked to well, we did it 2 more times. After awhile, watching the fleet pass us by as we wallowed w/no momentum, no wind, no nuthin', I began to understand how the fire hydrant feels when it sees the local dog pack coming. Dropped to finish in 13th. Sigh, again. Race 3: SIs state that no race begins after 1:00 PM. Race 2 completed about 12:35 PM. 12:40 PM, Warning signal for Race 3. 12:40.15 PM, RJ runs aground in 3 inches of water. RC abandons race, sends mark boat to pull us off (The folks in ASC are really quite nice.) and resignals the start. Race not particularly eventful after the start. Once again, our downwind speed sucks and we consistently refuse to go up the left side upwind, despite all evidence to the contrary (ok, the right worked that one time). Finish 10th, 9th for the regatta. Please note, the races begin to run together for me, so some of these details may be out of order. In the main, it is accurate.

Packed up and left by 4:45 PM (getting out was the usual post-regatta fire drill). Uneventful return trip, though Mort may need some transmission work. Bert never gave up the wheel....9 full hours on the road. By the time I was prepared to fight about it, I was too sleepy to drive, so just said, "F*** it! He can have it."

Conclusion (got a meeting to go to so this will be short): Very useful exercise for getting the kinks out of road warrior process. Showed top of the class boat speed very consistently. (We moved the mast butt Sunday morning, to very good effect). Need work on basic boat handling as has been 4.5 months since last sailed. Look out, Annapolis! Here we come!

RCN