by the Harbormaster

"Golden Dazy"

arly Saturday morning the weather radio stated it was blowing thirty from the south at Colchester Reef. We arrived at LCYC around 09:15 and realized it was too good to be true. As you looked out over the bay you could see that whatever wind there was at Colchester Reef certainly was not in Shelburne Bay.

The race committee greeted us with a nine page handout including nineteen possible courses to choose from. During the skippers meeting the race committee advised the crews that a long distance race was planned for Saturday while Sunday would feature windward/leeward courses. Looking out over the water we were concerned that the scheduled long distance race would turn into a very long distance race. We were relieved when we read further and discovered that LCYC had provided the race committee with the ability to shorten the course at a variety of marks.... as it turned out that was excellent planning.

John Crawhall and Dale Hyerstay served as the Race Committee aboard “Prospect of Whitby”. They anchored just west of the race mark “P” north of Rock Dunder. Their first attempt at a start was aborted when the wind swung from the southwest to the west. After resetting the anchor and posting the new course the warning flag for Class A was raised. The instructions called for a 11.6 mile course from a race mark near Rock Dunder, west to the buoy north of the Four Brothers, southeast to Saxon Reef , north to the mark near Rock Dunder then a broad reach southeast to a race mark off LCYC in Shelburne Bay. As the start sequence proceeded it became obvious that the wind was not going to hold a true direction swinging between west and southwest. Soon it became apparent that the fleet would be able to sail to the first mark without a great deal of tacking.

Class A had a successful start with the pin being favored. It appeared that “Mohawk”, “Frankly”, “Peregrine”, and “Lionheart” decided to head slightly above the course to the mark while “Dazy” cracked off and headed directly at it. Half way up the first leg the wind clocked and headed the fleet leaving “Dazy” significantly out in front at the Four Brothers.

Class B struggled to get across the startline on starboard in a fading breeze. “Resolute” hit the line full speed and jumped to an early lead, followed by “Man of War”. “Bark Ode” cracked off shortly after the start taking transoms to clear her air while “Witchcraft” sheeted in and poked her nose ahead of the second tier in Class B. “Leprechaun” and “Real Escape” tacked to starboard shortly after the start. Apparently “Real Escape” did not realize that there was a course change and sailed to the wrong mark, eventually dropping out.

As the wind clocked further it because even more apparent that this was an unstable breeze and the race was up for grabs. Class C sailed up to and through Class B on the second leg from Four Brothers to Saxon Reef. There were two distinct winds, one from the southwest and one from the south. In-between the two winds could only be called “Purgatory”. All of Class A and “Witchcraft” in Class B made it across the lake, albeit slowly, they made it. The remaining boats in Classes B, C and D drifted in “Purgatory”.

When “Dazy” rounded Saxon Reef you could see that there was no catching her. All the other “A” boats could do was battled it out for second! “Go Dazy!”

As the “Purgatory Fleet” rounded Saxon Reef and headed north a light breeze filled in on the Vermont shore helping the fleet push north to what turned out to be a shortened course. On this spinnaker leg those boats that played the Vermont shore seemed to do better, although it was light and patchy everywhere.

As the boats rounded Saxon Reef it was any ones race in class C. “Legacy” rounded first followed by “Maverick” and “Toads Wild Ride”. “Toad” hit a small patch of wind right after rounding Saxon and squirted inside the two larger boats and never looked back finishing four minutes ahead of “Maverick”.

In Class D “Carina” took advantage of “Purgatory” and finished ahead of five Class C boats. This is remarkable considering “Carina” started five minutes behind, rates at least twenty five seconds slower and sailed two miles downwind with the other Class C boats after rounding Saxon Reef.

Odziozo II

Parson's "Witchcraft"

As promised, the race committee set a windward/leeward course, twice around, starting from the race mark near Rock Dunder to an inflatable buoy near Appletree point.

The first of two races started in 18-20 knots of wind. Shortly after the start of Class A the wind backed to the north giving those boats that went toward shore a lift on starboard tack when they headed back toward the mark. The windward mark was tucked up under Appletree Point and as the fleet approached the wind velocity dropped. This put a premium on those boats and crews that could change gears the fastest.

The downwind legs in the first race were similar but in reverse. Spinnaker sets were very calm and easy while takedowns and jibes near the end of the leg were rather hectic.

In the second race the committee moved the weather mark to the west to compensate for the backing wind. The wind velocity had reduced and several of the boats in Class A used their heavy #1 genoas. The wind, although up and down during the race, continued to drop to below ten knots during some of the spinnaker runs.

In Class A “Mohawk” took both races giving her first place for the day, while “Peregrine” and “Lionheart” split second and third. place. LCYC breaks the tie for second place by who beat who in the last race. “Lionheart” beat “Peregrine” in the last race taking second place for the day.

In Class B “Witchcraft” won the first race and finished second in the second race, while “Leprechaun” finished second in the first race and won the second race. LCYC breaks the tie with “Leprechaun”> winning the day. “Man A War” finished third in both races for a third overall for the day.

An interesting side note. “Bark Ode” and “Witchcraft”, fractionally rigged J-29’s, experimented this season with near masthead spinnakers. On the first run on the second race “Witchcraft” set their oversized spinnaker while “Bark Ode” flew their normal spinnaker. “Witchcraft” gained less than a boat length during the entire two mile leg.. It appears that, at least in those conditions, the larger spinnaker is not appreciably faster.

In Class C “Ice 3” finished with a second and a first to easily take the days race. “Slippery” posted a first and a fifth for a second place finish while “Results” took third place with two third place finishes.

In Class D “Impulsive” and “Swan Song” tied with identical scores, each finishing first and second with the LCYC tie breaker going to “Impulsive” with their win in the last race.

The Lake Champlain Racing Conference scored the race differently in that they do not break ties by who beats who in the last race. LCRC gives equal points after the first tie breaker which is who gets the most number of firsts, then seconds, then thirds, etc. If you participated in LCRC in this race make sure you check your score in the official LCRC results that are mailed to you.. There are differences in each class.

The next and final stop on the LCRC schedule is the Commodore MacDonough on September 6-7. The race starts in Shelburne Bay and goes 73.6 miles for Classes A & B while Classes C & D sail 48.2 miles. This is the traditional final race in the series and is scored double points for LCRC.