Maxprop wrote:
Saturday and Sunday were our first races in the new (to us) one-design
class. Fortunately they were pre-season, and not scored. We were abysmal
for the first two. My three additional crew are two young men with
extensive dinghy experience and a middle-aged woman who has forgotten more
about sail trim and tactics than most sailors will ever know. I'm lucky to
have such great people. I hope they'll stay with me for most of the season.
Some crew changes are expected and normal, as peoples' schedules have
conflicts, but good crew seem to be plentiful where we race.

Both days saw light air, which is always tough for me. I'm constantly
searching for the wind and by the time I've re-trimmed, the wind has altered
substantially. I tend to believe the better sailors are more consistent and
trim less aggressively in such conditions.

Race one began on Lake M. with less than 4kts. out of the south. The water
was flat as four of six boats crossed the line early to receive a general
recall. The restart was equally poor, with no one at the line at the gun.
We were blanketed by another boat and held our tack too long before escaping
to clearer air. And it seemed everywhere we went the wind was elsewhere.
We finished dead last. Race two was a bit better. We started well and
maintained good boat speed until the final gibe. For some reason it was as
if the wind died and the sails went slack. Other boats kept moving, but we
slowed frustratingly. We finally got the boat moving again, but too late to
make up the lost time. We finished fourth after a very good final windward
leg. Sunday saw slightly more wind, and predictably we sailed better. My
foredeck man seemed to come into his own and worked brilliantly. Our four
spinnaker legs were near flawless. To weather we moved very well, about 3.5
kts. in 4.5 kts. of wind, passing two boats in the process to take second
place. We were elated.

The post-race 'party' was a great experience. The fleet is made up of
serious sailors, but very decent and friendly folks. Everyone was
complimentary of our first efforts and made us feel like we've always been
part of the fleet. We're looking forward to the upcoming summer series,
which begins in two weeks.

Max


No more late nights on A dock for you, bucko....