TBF Racers POV
This report continues coverage begun after the start of the race on Saturday. The intent of this page is share the anecdotes and photos of the racers on the course.
Blackaller buoy is in there somewhere. Jennifer took this shot of boats catching up to her after she rounded the mark. © 2010 Jennifer McKenna
“I definitely went the wrong way,” said Jennifer McKenna, singlehanding the borrowed Santana 22 Tchoupitoulas. The first leg to Blackaller, as well as the second leg through Raccoon, sucked the life out of me. It was some really challenging light wind sailing for this first time singlehander! At some point, I remember thinking: ‘Wow, this is kind of fun,’ and then looking at the GPS which was reading half a knot, and thinking, "But this is a race," and deciding to drop out shortly after that when I hadn't even rounded Red Rock around 4:00.” A lot of racers dropped out at Red Rock, which seemed to be steaming north faster than the boats could chase her.
The Santa Cruz 50 Deception and the Pacific Seacraft 44 Valis at the start. Valis started the pursuit race really late, but they did finish. © 2010 Steve Hill
“At 50 feet, Deception was the largest boat,” wrote William Helvestine, who doublehanded the Santa Cruz 50 with Mark Van Selst. “We finished at 3:30. We took the somewhat unorthodox route of Red Rock counterclockwise, then TI, then Blackaller.
“Observations after doublehanding the SC 50:
+ Doublehanding a SC50 turns sailing into an aerobic sport.
+ SC50 sails were not meant to be singlehanded onto deck.
+ The autopilot can jibe the spinnaker as well as I can.
+ The worst: repacking the Code Zero in case we needed it again.
+ No, the worst was putting away the whole damned boat - doublehanded and after dark - including all those lines and shackles and stupid winch covers and stuff, and folding the damned #1 that weighs a thousand pounds, after sailing doublehanded for ten damned hours.
+ The best: afterwards, Jack Daniels and a long hot tub followed by spaghetti and meatballs with red wine.” A just reward!
Chaos, Travis Thompson’s F-27, ghosting back toward Raccoon Strait on the ebb. © 2010 Bill Gutoff
“Off from the start it took a lot of tacks to get around TI,” commented Bill Gutoff, singlehanding the Laser 28 Stink Eye. “One of the highlights was making Philippe Kahn [J/100 Pegasus] duck me. After TI I headed straight for Red Rock, no ducking into the flats for current relief as it seemed we had a positive push. Then it got really light a Red Rock. After several tries to get around in shifty light wind, and a bad dowse with a spinny sheet wrapped around the rudder, I pulled the plug and went home."
Gordie Nash and Ruth Suzuki finished early on their Santana 27+ Arcadia. © 2010 Steve Hill
"Ruth was looking at the weather forecasts for two weeks,” said Gordie Nash, “and it was driving her crazy. And after all the angst it turned out to be a beautiful day. If it was a northerly we would have gone clockwise. We made it around Red Rock in the last of the dying breeze and saw a lot of boats stuck trying to round it. (Stink Eye was one of them) Once around it was easy, just go with the current. We saw 12 knots apparent at times. Of course that figures out to only four true without the current." They finished 10th overall.
In sequence at Golden Gate YC. The SSS Three Bridge Fiasco is the only race we can think of on the Bay which still uses the old 10-minute start sequence of yellow-blue-red shapes. © 2010 Rich Hudnut, Jr.
“I was on Timo Bruck's J/120, Twist,” writes Rich Hudnut, Jr. “Had a great plan: start, Red Rock, TI, Blackaller, finish. We set the plan in motion, started okay, found lots of wind, got suckered into thinking the wind would hold and we’d have a full kite ride to Red Rock. We did fly the kite all the way to Red Rock, but spent lots of drift time there. Got around and screamed back, one tack to go into Raccoon led us all the way through with a ripping 2.5-3 knot ebb, rounded Blackaller, kite up then finish...” You can see more of Rich’s photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/rnutball/ThreeBridgeFiasco2010#
Tiger Beetle and Daisy Cutter at Treasure Island. © 2010 norcalsailing.com
Judy Bentsen, singlehanding the Beneteau 42s7 Tivoli, spared a hand to wave at Rich. © 2010 Rich Hudnut, Jr.
The Richmond Long Wharf was restricted. You weren’t supposed to go inside of this red buoy. Some protests may be pending. © 2010 Rich Hudnut, Jr.
Synthia Petroka, doublehanding her Hawkfarm Eyrie with Sylvia Seaberg, had plenty of time to photograph the mob at Blackaller buoy. © 2010 Synthia Petroka
Erik Jones, havin’ some fun at Blackaller, on the Spirit 28 Sizzle. © 2010 Synthia Petroka
For more of Sylvia’s photos, see http://picasaweb.google.com/synpetroka/3BF#
Preliminary results are posted. See the Singlehanded Sailing Society’s website at www.sfbaysss.org. We’ll have more from the racers and from non-racing photographers to follow.
February 1, 2010
The spinnaker parade up the North Bay to Red Rock. Note the ebb already flowing off the buoy. This photo was taken from the Catalina 34 Sea Spirit. © 2010 Larry Baskin