race report
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 George McKay, singlehanding the Moore 24 Cookie Jar, was among the drifters who wouldn't make it to the finish on time in Sunday's pursuit race. ©2012 norcalsailing.com |
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Great Pumpkin Regatta October 29, 2012 Sometimes procrastination is a good thing. On both days of last weekend's Richmond Yacht Club Great Pumpkin Regatta, the postponement flag went up to wait for wind. And on both days the wind filled in for some great racing.
Saturday was the buoy racing day, with race committees setting three windward/leeward courses on and around the Olympic Circle for three races on each course. Race one was a light air affair in a steady 8 knots of breeze. In race two the breeze picked up but not enough to change down headsails yet. But by race three at around 1500 hours, it was windy enough to make the sportboats plane and the big boats heel in 15-18 knots of westerly wind. The talk back at the club was it couldn't have been a nicer day.
Sunday was the pursuit race, with about every size and type of boat signed up. The course starts southeast of Southampton Shoals and goes around Alcatraz and Angel Islands and which way to go is up to you. The RC had to postpone the 1200 start to wait for wind. But unlike Saturday the breeze was being fickle and the postponement lasted two hours.
The majority of the boats went clockwise, to Alcatraz first, where they realized it was a bit windier out there than it looked. And combined with a good ebb current the boats went crashing around Alcatraz and off on a fast white-sail reach to Angel Island.
The run through Raccoon Strait was a mellow affair with plenty of breeze to push the boats against the ebb. But once the boats popped out in the North Bay the wind slowly died, and the strong ebb made it difficult to get across to the finish area near the Richmond breakwater.
Unknown to many the RC added a new twist this year in the form of a yellow offset mark to the south of the finish line. Some of the racers didn't read the Sailing Instructions or understand the configuration, and sailed all that way for nothing. The 1700 deadline loomed as a big bunch of becalmed boats slowly tried to claw their way up-current to the finish, but they ran out of time. A sad end to a bright, sunny day for some, but this was one of the best weekends so far this year to be out sailing your boat.
The boats that went the other way (counter-clockwise), found a wind hole at Angel Island. None of them made it through. Out of 173 monohulls, 29 were able to finish Sunday's race, as were 7 out of 18 multihulls. For results from both days, see www.richmondyc.org.
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