Frosty Tuna

January 23, 2012

Jennifer McKenna, owner of the Santana 22 Zingaro, reports:

The Santana 22 skippers and crews who braved the conditions on Saturday were all smiles at the Encinal Yacht Club after the Jack Frost race. They were also warm, dry and sipping cocktails after finishing two races with 5+ knots of ebb and winds of 20-25 knots, gusting to 30. Three of the eight Santana 22s who are signed up for the series started the race (a fourth turned back during their delivery).

Santana 22 dinner at Encinal YC. ©2012 Jennifer McKenna

I left the dock in the morning skeptical that I would race. At 9:30 a.m., winds were already gusting to what felt like 20-25 knots in Brickyard Cove Marina.  On the motor down to the start line near Treasure Island, I generously (or so I thought) provided my crew with Bloody Marys and encouraged them to stay warm and dry down below for as long as they could.

Jennifer's pre-race cocktails supply a full serving of vegetables in every cup. ©2012 Jennifer McKenna

We tried to hoist our sails in the lee of Treasure Island, which proved chaotic in the wind and chop. In all honesty, I considered heading right back to Richmond! We got the sails up and took a few deep breaths. I quickly felt in control of the boat once again and we decided to press on and race. 

Jennifer and Laela, bundled up and ready to race, on Zingaro. ©2012 Jennifer McKenna

The competition was tough: Anna Alderkamp and Thijs Kaper on Byte Size and young Jonathan Andrews on Bonito. Jonathan’s Dad, Michael Andrews, worked race committee, which was no small feat in itself on Saturday. While Byte Size and Bonito battled it out for first and second, even though I had a seasick crew member, the motor almost bouncing off the transom, and a case of fouled sheets during a sail change, we were determined to finish and proudly take our third place in both races.

Despite the exhilarating conditions, everyone had a fun day. “Man, it was windy,” Ciaran Wills, owner of Sunny Daze, summarized. He left his boat at the dock and crewed on Byte Size. Anna and Thijs were happy for an experienced fourth crewmember.

One of my two awesome crew, Laela French, who is new to sailing, summed up her day: “It was extreme sailing, no foulies (of all days to forget them), nausea (thank you Bloody Mary), 25-30 knot winds, soaking wet and out of my depth. Would I do it again? Yes. Bring it.”

A special thank you to Michael Andrews, the race committee and the Encinal Yacht Club. Check out the race results at www.encinal.org.

– Jennifer McKenna, Zingaro, #5050