Adrenalin was already running last Saturday morning as the parade of colorful 110's awaited singlefile on the Inverness YC pier for the tide to rise a few more inches so launching could commence. The reason for the fluttering hearts was the weather: the cold front and rain had just passed, and the wind had rapidly veered 180 from SE to NW while increasing to a gusty 15-20 knots, with obviously more to come judging from the fleeting dark clouds scudding overhead.
The warning horn blew just as the last 110 left the dock and the race was on. Most of the fleet had opted for smaller jibs rather than the traditional genoas. Indeed, we on SMART SHOES had hoisted a Mercury Class jib that seemed about the right size for the breeze-on conditions.
The first casualty was unexpected. Bren and Eric on LADY BUG returned to the dock with 3 minutes to start and lowered their jib. We didn't find out until after the race what had happened: Eric went to hook into the trapeze and found the trap wire missing. Missing? WTF, that's like an Indianapolis 500 racer starting with only 3 tires because the 4th was left somewhere in the pit garage. Turns out the trap wire was there, but hidden inside the zipper that attaches the jib luff to the headstay. "For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost.."
At the start, off we went on starboard at the pin end with David and Bill on GUNSMOKE just to leeward. We only had about 50 yards to the muddy shoals ahead where we knew David would call for "sea room" and force us to tack. Sure enough, there was an urgent hail from just to leeward. We had two options. 1) was to tack, and let David potentially carry on a little more inshore out of the flood tide current. 2) was to hail in return "You tack!" and then we were obligated to stay clear. An hour earlier my crew Sean and I had discussed just this possibility, and Sean's booming voice "you tack!" meant the ball was in David's court to tack, which he did and which we did, planting a nice lee bow. That was it for GUNSMOKE. But not quite....there was more action to come for GUNSMOKE as 25 knot puffs raked through the fleet and travelers were well eased and jib clews dropped aft.
We were first to "C mark" off Shell Beach, rounded, set the chute, and took off on a plane for B mark, just upwind of the start line, GUNSMOKE was about 50 yards astern, rounded, gybed and hoisted simultaneously. I glanced aft to see a mammoth puff hit GUNSMOKE in the middle of their gybe/hoist, their spinnaker go sideways, and over they went.
The good news for these narrow, lightweight, sensitive sport boats from a 1938 design is they can capsize, swamp, and fill, but not sink due to flotation bags and watertight bulkheads. In addition, the 300 pound fin keel means they will eventually float on an even keel, even if filled with water.. The bad news this day was a well meaning spectator onshore saw the capsize and called 911, meaning a Coast Guard helo got airborne, the West Marin fire trucks rushed from their stations, and the National Park rangers were about to join the action with their RIB inflatable. All unnecessary, and fortunately the cavalry was called off after the head of the Race Committee, a fire chief himself, realized what was going on and told the potential rescuers that David and Bill on GUNSMOKE were fine and making their way to shore.
photo courtesy Mike O'Shea
Though we won the first race, the wind continued to slowly increase, and we knew Bren and Eric would be formidable in the second race now they'd found their missing trapeze wire. TBC