race report
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 Max Crittenden sailed Solar Wind to a win in the singlehanded division. ©2013 norcalsailing.com |
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Rites of Spring March 24, 2013 Nijinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring depicts the sacrifice of a virgin to appease the gods. On Saturday, Oakland Yacht Club's Rites of Spring race was kindler and gentler: the sailing gods were appeased with just a little sunburn and sore muscles. Some 40 boats in doublehanded, singlehanded and all-women full-crew divisions came out for the start on the Berkeley Circle.
The Rites of Spring Sailing Instructions list several convoluted courses with many short legs that would challenge the sail handling skills of shorthanders, not to mention their ability to remember and find the next mark. But mercifully, the Race Committee ignored those courses and stuck to two of the simpler ones for all eight divisions. Under sunny skies in a luscious 8-knot northwesterly, all starters were sent up toward Southampton – either the fixed structure or the channel buoys.
Several boats had trouble finding their windward mark. One plaintive call came over the radio: "Can anyone tell me where mark 30 is?" But rule 41 prevailed, and apparently everyone found their way around after some exploratory detours. Some boats reported wind holes on the northern part of the course, but for those of us farther south the wind freshened and backed left, turning most of the course legs into reaches. With the ebb picking up, it paid to find your mark and dial in your current compensation early. As the fleet approached the finish off Clipper Cove, the wind was edging above 15 with high cloud cover. But it was still comfortable, with some sailors – at least the hard-working singlehanders – still in T-shirts.
After a fine day on the water, there was a good turnout at the club afterwards, and general merriment ensued. The trophies were bottles of wine, awarded generously deep in each division. Nijinsky would have approved. – Max Crittenden, Solar Wind, Martin 32 Result should be posted soon at www.oaklandyachtclub.net.
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