race report
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 Onboard the Santa Cruz 37 Wildcard, Mark Thomas and Kevin Moon work the wheel and main on the only 'run' part of the Delta Ditch Run. Tony English's new-to-him Antrim 27 ET is in the background. ©2011 norcalsailing.com |
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Topsy-Turvy Delta Ditch June 5, 2011 We can't really call it the 'Delta Ditch Run' this year, since only the first two hours of the 67-mile race were spent running. The weather forecast for rain and easterlies was for once right on the money. Gordie Nash of the Santana 27 Arcadia, with frying pan in hand before the start, commented, "If it pans out like it's predicted we figure on having breakfast on the boat at 0800 Sunday morning at about Windmill Cove." Erik Menzel of the Wylie Wabbit Bad Hare Day observed, "And I thought last year was going to be the worst ever Ditch. I guess I was wrong."
The Delta Ditch Run, a joint effort (and course) between Richmond YC and Stockton Sailing Club, sends a big fleet of racers from all over the West Coast upriver, usually into climbing temperatures in a building westerly. Because the course is so long, they don't bother with an upwind start and a windward mark. Aside from the downpour, the start this year outside of Richmond Harbor was pretty normal, with boats setting spinnakers just after crossing the line (the rules forbid starting with a chute up).
The run continued until mid-way through San Pablo Bay, past Point Pinole, where the wind abruptly clocked forward and jibs went up, to remain up for the rest of the day.
The wind in Carquinez Strait stayed light but sailable, then around Port Chicago in Suisun Bay it filled in (from the east, as predicted), and soon white caps had formed. Some boats changed down to smaller jibs and crews hiked out on the windward rail.
Fortunately for the soggy sailors, the sun came out enough to dry at least a few layers of clothing.
Steve Stroub's Santa Cruz 37 Tiburon led the way off the line, with Mark and Anne Thomas's sistership Wildcard following close behind. Tiburon fell behind in San Pablo Bay, and the Melges 32 Wicked Wahine caught up and passed both SC37s. Tiburon turned back, and then the two remaining leaders were passed in New York Slough by Shadow, Peter Stoneberg's Formula 40 catamaran, which had started last. Shadow was ripping along in the oscillating breeze (steady wind at 18 knots with gusts up to 30), flying a hull on each tack. The fast cat would have beat the monohulls by a good chunk of time had she not broken the top of her mast during the 'white sail reach' after Mark 19. When the leading monohulls passed her, it was clear that the main halyard was jammed. Shadow, this time under tow by her Protector and with her mainsail cut away below the break in the mast, would later pass the racers again on the way to Stockton Sailing Club.
Once in the San Joaquin River, Delta Ditch Run sailors usually find that the wind follows the water, and they put in lots of ticks on the jibe-o-meter. This year the wind was backwards, but it still followed the water, so instead the racers put in endless ticks on the tack-o-meter.
As darkness fell, the small but enthusiastic crowd at Stockton Sailing Club received word that the first finisher was approaching. They cheered and whooped and hollered as the Santa Cruz 37 Wildcard crossed the line, to the relief and gratification of the tired crew onboard, which had lost the flood current they'd enjoyed since San Pablo Bay and sailed the last two miles against the new ebb. Owner Mark Thomas commented, "I figure the distance we spent scurrying to the high side on the tacks equaled the distance to walk to Stockton." Wildcard won the trifecta: first to finish, first in class, first overall out of 22 monohulls finishing. Two multihulls finished, the Nacra 6.0 cat Kitty Litter and the F-27 tri Papillon. Complete results are available at www.stocktonsc.org/ditch. For reports from other boats, see our next story.
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