SSS Farallones Report - "NANCY"
Here's my story:
I finished about 1854.
At the start I figured there was just enough wind to keep me slowly moving toward the line -- if I sailed directly the opposite direction. Bob Johnston (J-92 "Ragtime") figured the same thing, so we joked about making it a singlehanded T. I. race. At about 45 seconds I turned the boat sideways and crossed the start line right at "X" - which I had to do a little dip to avoid hitting.
I avoided several anchored boats, then began inching out toward the center of the bay. Most the boats that started ahead of me were swept down to Anita Rock, or below it. I think some of them were anchored. There was just enough wind for me to continue inching out toward the center, along with one larger boat that I think had started with the non-spinnaker crowd.
I passed under the GG Bridge at 0920, right at mid-span. There was the current and enough wind coming from behind to keep me going, but I couldn't get up as close to Bonita as I wanted. I like to exit Lands End right at Bonita if possible on these races.
It became lumpy after Bonita, which lasted about halfway out to the Lightbucket (now a regular "hoot, hoot" wave-action buoy - where are the glory days of rounding a real Light Bucket anyway?). I passed the buoy a few hundred yards to the north at 1100.
I continued close reaching - but not actually beating since the wave action was jerky. I tried to keep the speed over the bottom above 6 knots.
About 5 miles from the island I was a little below it, so I took about a mile hitch to the north, then tacked for the rock. I passed a few hundred yards north of it, eased off, and made my "island tack" at 1400. I was probably the 4 or 5th boat to round the island, including 2 large trimarans that passed me earlier. By that time, however, the larger mono-hulled boats were closing the gap from behind
Most of the way out I had 10 - 14 knot apparent wind, but around the island it piped up to 18 or so.
The wind on the way back in was interesting. It was in the 10 -14 apparent range, on a beam reach, but there were not real swells, so I couldn't get the boat's speed up much over 7 or 8 knots most of the time. I sailed back to the light bucket in company with about half a dozen larger boats, some of which gradually pulled away ("Lillith Wylie 39 was one of them), but others, strangely enough, began losing ground? Go figure.
The important thing was that the wind angle prevented them from setting their chutes until well past the light bucket. I passed a mile or so north of the bucket about 1615, moving pretty well. The GPS said "1.5 hours to the GG Bridge." Promises, promises!
There was a steady stream of boats still headed for the island, some so far south that they must have taken hours to tack up to the island. And, of course, there was the CG cutter positioned east of the island as a landmark/symbol????
After the bucket things began to go to hell in a hand basket - wind wise. It pretty much shut down. That 1.5 hours to the bridge became 4, then 5 hours away. From the bucket to about buoys 3/4 I could make 3 or so knots in the generally right direction, depending on the wind gusts. But around buoys 5/6 , it really shut down. The chutes on both sides and behind me drooped, then filled, then drooped. Slat, slat.
I tried heading north, following "Lillith," "Green Buffalo," and "Shaman," but two boats even further north had sagging chutes. I jibed to the south, but the boats down that way and further out were sagging, too. Eventually I gave up on a "direction" and just sort of jibed back and forth just north of the 5/6 & 7/8 channel markers, keeping the boat moving. The flood helped to keep me going in the right direction.
I never really stopped making progress toward the Bridge; I just spent a lot of time wearing out my new carbon sail (sorry Kame!). My left arm is sore because I grabbed the sheet and used my arm as a shock absorber to cut down on the snapping.
I called home at 1740 while I was still outside land's end and told my wife not to call the CG if I was quite a bit later than my float plan said. At the time I was on one of my southerly jibes, about 3 miles from Mile Rock, heading in its general direction. As soon as I hung up, the wind began to fill from the SW and the boat speed picked up.
The wind built from around 4 knots apparent to the low teens the further in I got. The closer I got to Mile Rock, the more I could aim for the Bridge. Finally I was running on a starboard tack, making almost 9 knots (GPS) over the bottom - and aimed right for the South Tower!
But "Lillith" and another large boat also caught it on the north side and began reaching in ahead of me.
As I turned the corner at the S. Tower (no need to jibe!) the apparent wind kicked up to 20 knots. It stayed strong all the way to the finish line. I crossed the line about 1854 and heard the gun go off! Okay, I said, it was worth it.
While I was banging around before the wind picked up, I heard several boats finish a good hour or so ahead of me, but they may have been multi-hulls. "Lillith" finished a few minutes ahead and there were boats ahead of her I couldn't identify, but "Shamrock" (C&C 41 - green hull) finished a few minutes behind me, and I heard several other larger boats finishing as I sailed back to Sausalito in the most wind I'd had all day! I actually put my jacket back on because of the spray.
All in all it was a typical SSS Farallones race. Not much wind, enough wind, not much wind, crazy mixed up finish.
Pat
"NANCY" Wyliecat 30 #28890
