race report
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 Mick McGuiness on the J/105 Aquavit checks the line before race one. ©2012 norcalsailing.com |
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RegattaPRO Winter One Design January 16, 2012 The weather conditions for Saturday's Regatta Pro Winter Series could have been better but not by much. A steady 5-8 knot northwesterly greeted the racers at the time of the first start sequence, and the race committee set up an almost perfectly square course. Racers took turns sizing up the start line to find the favored end and scouted up the course for the favored side. All was well except for one thing… a mild flood current. And because of that it turned out that left was right and right was wrong.
The J/120s chose the right side on the first of two races and close racing ensued for them as they stayed in a pack. But the J/105s went off the line and scattered out into small groups that either won big or lost even bigger. The Antrim 27s and Melges 24s somehow ended up in pairs match racing.
By the time of the second race the wind was still at the same angle but had increased to an occasional 15-knot puff. Also even more wind and current was to be found on the left, and by then everyone had figured this out so the race became more about boat speed and less strategic.
The sun was still shining and the wind stuck around just long enough for the boats to sail back to their respective homeports after the race, with some enjoying the football game on the radio. See results at www.regattapro.com/regattas.html.
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