A Late Race to the Straits Report
May 28, 2018
Should have posted this 3 weeks ago…
One of the highlights of the year around here is the annual Race to the Straits. This is a favorite for Chris & I because, while we often race double-handed, at RTTS everyone else is either DH or even single-handed. Ha! A level playing field. We did RTTS on Shearwater in 2015 for the first time and it remains one of my favorite sailing moments. Much to our surprise we were 3rd overall back in 2015 and I reconciled that in the future if we did RTTS it would be all about having fun as we’d never do that well again in a 100+ boat fleet. Or could we?
We’ve been so lucky with the weather this Spring. Southern Straits – wind & sun. Patos Island – sometimes wind & sun. RTTS was no exception. Saturday’s race from Seattle to Port Townsend was an upwind affair in 10-20. Right in Shearwater’s bread basket. Add in an ebb and it was a quick trip to PT, with Shearwater arriving 6th out of 125 boats. Well, I guess it was all still to play for then.
Sunday was going to be a downwinder, with moments of lightness. It started out pretty ordinary for Shearwater until the approach to the halfway point at Double Bluff. Most of fleet headed for the Whidbey shore, but we liked the look of things out towards the middle, even if it was ebbing. So, we gybed and did the Buffalo Girls thing around the outside as kites went limp near the shore. We rounded the buoy at Double Bluff in the top 10. It was a horse race though as Kahuna was well ahead and Grace, Ocelot, Madrona, Kyrnos, and Jedi all rounded with us. And then it got interesting. The breeze completely shut off approaching Kingston and stayed a long time south of Edmonds. We played the middle and watched Grace and Kyrnos smoke along the Edmonds shoreline. In the light stuff our gybes were pretty terrible as the kite would drop in the water before we could get it around the forestay. And we did it one too many times with a 12 year old sail. Our lovely, fast, but very tired K2 kite hooked on the bow pulpit and split from foot to the center of sail. Instant sail funeral.
Shearwater & Grace approaching Double Bluff. So long K2 A2.
So, in the midst of chasing zephyrs we popped our heavier A2 and soldiered on. There may have been a whee bit of adrenaline as we frantically switched sails, knowing our race position was in serious jeopardy. Approaching Meadow Point and the finish there was a major compression as the breeze completely shut off and then filled from the south. By staying in the middle we had managed to get pretty far south and received the southerly ahead of the boats near us, allowing for a short beat to the finish. We crossed the line 7th. Lucky for us our combined time was good enough for 3rd overall. Again! I never would have thought it possible. So, never say never.
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