April 8, 2014

The Santana 22 fleet had their annual spring tune-up in Clipper Cove on Treasure Island last weekend to do some practice starts and get ready for the racing season. Seven Tunas sailed on the short windward-leeward course that was set up by the eighth Tuna, Frank Lawler's Tackful, which also served as committee boat. The skippers ranged from novices like Silas Boyd-Wickizer racing on his new-to-him boat Dayspring, to former fleet champion Jan Grygier who hopped on Sunny Daze to do some coaching with skipper Ciaran Wills. Pip, the boat with the best paint job on the Bay, was sailed by her crew, as the skipper had a last minute conflict.

A very focused crew on the drifting Byte Size. ©2014 Michael Sporer

Around the time of the first gun at 11:00, the wind hadn’t filled in, so the first few starts consisted of drifting across the start line from west to east.

The first race in slow motion. ©2014 Mark Miglio

When the westerly filled in, the starting direction was reversed and the racing started on a short course that took about seven minutes to complete. While the beginning skippers focused on getting their boats near the start line around the time of the gun, more experienced sailors on Meliki and Byte Size fought some starting battles and had some photo finishes.

Meliki (left) and Byte Size in a photo finish. ©2014 Mark Miglio

During a very enjoyable potluck lunch on the dock of Treasure Island Sailing Center, there was time for socializing and getting some feedback and tips from Frank and Jan. Despite the delicious food selection and cold beverages it was time to get back on the water for four more starts. The line was square and the feedback certainly helped, because the starts got a lot tighter. Byte Size practiced what they preached (you’ve got to be over early every now and then) and had to go back. With the stronger breeze, the course took about five minutes to complete, so there wasn’t much time to make up for errors. 

Pip has the best paint job on the Bay. ©2014 Mark Miglio

In the end, everyone got great practice in sailing close to other boats, getting their boats on the line in time, and getting around the mark at the same time as three other boats. Skipper Chuck Nelson from Maguro was very enthusiastic: "This is so much fun! We’ll try to do more racing with the Tunas this year in the YRA series." The first races in the Santana 22 white sails series are on the Saturday of Berkeley YC's Wheeler Regatta, whereas the Sunday is the first race of the spinnaker series.

– Anne-Carlijn Alderkamp, Santana 22 Co-Fleet Captain

See http://santana22.com for more info.