We sailed on the "North Course" area which was situated just off the west side of Alcatraz Island. We sailed one of two course configurations with Course 1 a windward-leeward arrangement where at the end of the second run one would proceed on a triangle (two reaches) to a leeward mark which gave a short beat to a finish line located just below the start line. Course 2 was a windward-leeward with a finish upwind of the windward mark. The idea was to run Course 1 as the first course each day, Course 2 for the second race so that it would be easier to get back to the beach after racing.
Race 1: Bad start and spent first part of first weather leg finding a lane. Arrived to weather mark in the pelaton but not far from first. Was starting to sail a great first downwind and was on the verge of breaking clear into the top 5 when I nose planted into a big wave and rounded up, filling the cockpit full of water.
Wipeout! Almost taking Ville with me! (Photo Chris Ray - crayivp.com)
That pushed me back into the low teens again (it was that close!). In what was to become a theme for the regatta, I sailed left but tacked well short of the layline to allow for some shifts to come back - but those who banged the left corner came out ahead. Last run held even, on the reach managed to get by Peter Drasnin to finish 11th. For an opening race, not a disaster, will take it!
Leading Peter Drasnin down the reach (Photo Chris Ray - crayivp.com)
Race 2: The race committee signalled course 1 again, with the bottom triangle to a finish. Another bad start, another race digging out on the first beat. The wind was a bit stronger this race so I was able to use a bit more speed to get closer to the front, especially as the tide had turned to flood and the first beat was really long. Again gave boats up by not going far enough left, otherwise not much to report. Race Committee wisely shortened the race at the second weather mark (after almost an hour of sailing!) and I finished 6th. So, ok day to start the worlds!
Race 3: For this race I was convinced that the left would have the best combination of current (we were earlier in the ebb tide cycle) and wind and was the way to go. The boat end of the line was a bit favored, but I figured that boats starting up there had to sail across the Alcatraz current shadow before hitting the main channel and starting at the pin would more than overcome this. So, there I was almost all alone at the pin with a good start shooting out to the left. At 2 minutes things were looking just as I expected, I was moving out ahead and starting to come up under the group and this time I was going all the way! But then, as I've seen happen many times in San Francisco, a vacuum hole suddenly opened on top of me and the wind died to nearly nothing, leaving me sitting on the rail hardly moving. The lead group from the committee boat end were still in the breeze, pointing higher and moving faster and now in the same current. With no obvious end to the vacuum hole I decided to tack, which took me back to the pelaton for another mid-fleet position! The rest of the race is a blur of trying to keep open lanes upwind, go fast downwind, etc., but the best I could get back to was 12th. This was a disaster!
Race 4: This race had a pretty even start line and a lot more company at the pin end. I managed an ok start and with the increased breeze just legged out to the left with the lead group. This time I did pick the right time to go back and managed to round the weather mark overlapped with another boat for the lead. Brett Beyer finally found his sailing legs and turned on the jets, I managed to hang on for a fourth, my best finish so far.
Race 5: Unfortunately, my memory has faded on this race already... I finished 9th.
Race 6: We were starting relatively late in the day, and very much at or just after maximum ebb. I reasoned that at this point the right side of the course would have stronger ebb and should be favored. So, my plan was to start nearer the boat end and aim for an earlier tack to go right. Great plan, only lacked in execution. I had carefully researched my line sight and I had a clear view from my position to the pin and could see my line sight well. However, I'm well known for over respecting ebb current on the start line AND I'd not had a good start this regatta. So, at 10 seconds when the boats above me started to go I decided my line sight must have shifted and I'd better stay with the front rank. Sheeted in and off to the races with, finally, a great start! The boats above had a slightly better start so I could not immediately tack as was the plan (and as I could see that Russ had done) and I had to leg out left while waiting for things to thin out. While I tacked well short of the port tack lay line, I was definitely left and, it turns out, lucky for it as the right was definitely NOT the way to go! I rounded the first mark in second but had a massive knot in my mainsheet (note to self, if you have deck cleats it is easier to unravel the knots before the weather mark!) and had to stop at the offset mark to untie it before I could go downwind. Not fast. This dropped me to 4-5 on the first run and I pretty much held steady to cross the finish line in 5th. But... I should have paid attention to my line sight after all as I (and 5 other boats, including Brett) were OCS! Ok, these always come back to bite you, and it did hurt to throw away the 5th.
After a day of rest I was determined to come back and start getting better starts. My speed in the breeze was fine, I needed to get better starts and then execute better on the upwind legs in terms of positioning. Speed on the runs was adequete but it was clear that Brett, Arnoud and maybe Scott and Russ were faster, even in the bigger breeze.
Race 7: Get a better start, that was the plan, that is not what was executed. Another poor start, another race of digging back out to finally arrive 10th at the finish. This is getting old! Worse, at this stage of the regatta the top positions are starting to get out of reach. One needs to turn this around!
How to get a bad start! I'm the boat behind Bern Noack who is second from right in picture! (Photo Chris Ray - crayivp.com)
Race 8: My memory of this race is finally getting an ok start near the pin but not being able to necessarily hold my lane. Since the left was so favored there was no choice but to sail to the left in bad air, hanging on to the lead group as much as possible. By the time we needed to tack it was sufficiently clear going back right that I sailed clear to the weather mark and rounded in good position. I finished 5th in this race.
With four races to go it was clear that getting into the top three was not really going to happen but I still had a shot at getting to 4th, or at least into a cube (5th). When I got to shore this day I did my standard boat inspection and noticed the rivets at the end of the boom were getting loose. Probably not enough to worry about but this is San Francisco and it is windy so I elected to change those out on Friday morning.
Race 9: While we were starting late (I recall after 2:30 pm), we were still before max ebb so the left was the way to go. I don't remember much about this race, except that I beat both the Danes (who were ahead of me) but lost to Peter Shope (right ahead of me at this point) and I needed to keep track of points on these guys. Still, finished 5th so a good race.
Race 10: This race will, I'm sure, be remembered by all who sail it for a very very long time. It was getting near 4 pm when we started, which is in the window of the windiest time of the day on San Francisco Bay. Windy it was with steady over 20 knots and gusts registered by the committee boat into the 25+ range. Because we were at or just over max ebb they had extended the distance to the weather mark... and I did think it a bit odd that I couldn't really see the weather mark when we started the race, but, hey, its up there! This race I really thought the right would be the way to go and this time managed a good enough start to get going right relatively early. Peter Shope came across and tacked up to weather, but not really on me so I kept going right. As we sailed upwind it wasn't exactly clear where the weather mark was and at one Point Peter started yelling "where's the mark?" At that point the finish line boat stopped a few hundred yards ahead, and slightly to leeward, and appeared to be trying to anchor. Assuming they would be flying an "M" flag, Peter started reaching down to it - to the point where he was right on top of my air. I shouted "What are you doing?!?" and he said "Where's the mark?". At this point I actually saw the weather mark, about another mile (it seemed) to windward up near the Golden Gate Bridge! I said "there it is!" and Peter promptly sheeted in, consolidating his position right on top of me. Argh! So, reach off to get clear air, hike a bit hard to get some forward mojo, etc., etc. With mark in sight its clear now that the right corner will be huge, not only for current but also for the Yellow Bluff shift. Hey! We're racing big boats now! After about 40 minutes of upwind sailing we finally near the windward mark and its nukin' now! The ebb chop is huge, its gotta be 25 knots solid with higher puffs and we're almost under the Golden Gate Bridge! What a race! Russ rounds in first, I'm just behind but have to get sorted out again before turning down. Brett Beyer and Arnoud come in not too far behind, with Scott and Otto not far behind them. Now we are on a run from about the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge back to Alcatraz, in 25+ knots of wind with huge waves. Spectacular! Russ, Scott and I break to the right side figuring we'll fight less of the ebb coming down that side (we, of course, KNOW this being local). Arnoud, Brett and Otto break down the left side. At first things are going according to plan and we start to leverage around the other three. But about halfway down the leg it gets light for us (15-18) while the guys outside and in the middle look like they have more wind. I start to work back to the middle to maintain position, Russ stays to the right and Scott splits the difference. As we approach the leeward mark, the three outside boats have made a huge gain and, even with Brett capsizing, all three round well ahead of us. I'm leading the group on my side in to the mark but then at the last minute Russ and Scott ride puffs up the inside and round just in front of me. So, I start heading upwind just behind Scott and with Russ just ahead. At this point we've been racing for something like 50-55 minutes.
Remember the changed rivets? Apparently the stainless steel rivets I used to replace the loose ones did not seat properly. As I give the mainsheet one last tug to head upwind the lead rivet pulls out, the block comes out of the bale and suddenly I'm sheeting from the strap in the middle of the boom! At first I'm completely depressed that I'm out of the race when it was such a good one. But then rational though returns and I realize that a) I'm still sort of sailing, b) its ebbing, c) they are most likely going to shorten at the weather mark because we've been racing so long. So, I crank down the vang as much as I can possible get it, tack to go right and limp upwind as best as possible. I'm clearly not pointing with the other boats but the pelaton is far enough back that I might **just** hold enough of them off to get an ok finish - if they finish us. Thankfully the weather mark has been pulled back in to a more normal position and, sure enough, I see a finish boat near it. I undertack the finish line and limp back over to the left with 3 boats crossing me. Then, just when you can't think it can get any worse, the screw holding the mainsheet ratchet block comes out! Now I have to hold the main directly from the boom block - the only block still working! Ack! Still, not far to go and I manage to get across the finish line in 12th place. Not the 6th I was in but still not a DNF either!
Anyway, back onshore and EVERYONE is psyched to have done that race. What an epic adventure! And I take my boom with me to get it fixed (again).
The final day: Positions are now solidifying. There is no way to get to the top four, there is an outside shot at 5th but requires Otto to have two throwout races. 6th is in range but unlikely. I'm in 7th but only a few points all the way back to 12th. If I don't sail I can't be worse than 18th. Boom is repaired... head to start line. Sheet in mainsail and "ting!" the lead rivet pulls out with the block falling off AGAIN! I cannot describe the emotion, I'm disgusted with myself that this is happening, I'm depressed I can't sail, etc., etc. I limp by the pin boat to tell them I'm headed to shore when the vice commodore yells "why don't you tie it?" I tell them I don't have a line and they come back with "We have a line, get over here!". Wow! They throw me a piece of cheap 3/16" something (not spectra) and hold my bow while I wrestle with tying the block to the boom in 20 knots of wind. Not pretty but manage to accomplish the task. I give it a quick try sailing upwind, I'm not going to get the main in quite as tight as if normal, but its going to work. Back to the pin boat where they give me a knife to trim things up and then I'm off sailing. Thank you!!!!
This is NOT faster than the standard configuration!
Race 11: Ok, not much time to think here but whole regatta (save race 10) has been all about the left, no time to change now. I finally have a good start just above Russ at the pin end. We go left, left is the way to go. But, again, I tack too early. Russ bangs corner and is in lead group at weather mark, I'm just behind. Bern Noack has a great run and race to finish 3rd and move ahead of me in the standings. Peter Shope and I have a bit too much of a battle, in particular on the bottom reach he took me way up into the ebb current and we both lost Scott Ferguson at the leeward mark. I end up 8th. Otto was ahead, 4th is now out of reach. 6th is not gone, but I'm probably in 8th or 9th right now. Getting back to 7th is all about the last race.
Race 12: On the good side, its windy. On the bad side, the cheap line used to tie the blocks on has stretched so I can't sheet in all the way. There is a big crowd at the pin but do manage to get a front row start and am able to hang until I find a good lane to go back towards the mark.
Start of Race 12 with me just to windward of Russ at the pin. (Photo Chuck Lantz - ChuckLantz.com)
I managed to just cross a few starboard tack boats and am able to sail in clear air to towards the mark and get there in the 3rd-5th range with Bern and Russ. Its probably pretty solidly mid-twenties now and Bern takes a bit higher road down the run, I go with a lower road and also manage to get hooked up with a nice freighter wake. At the leeward mark I'm just ahead of Bern as we head left. As is always my case, I take an earlier tack towards the mark, Bern goes a bit further and we come back together at the windward mark with him just ahead. Another epic run where I'm able to round ahead again. On the final beat I finally decide to not be smarter and just stay between him and the finish line. In the meantime, Brett and Arnoud are having an epic battle just ahead of us for the regatta. Its amazing to watch and on the final beat Brett tacks early to go right, with Arnoud splitting and going left. As they come back together up near the finish line, Arnoud just crosses Brett on port and, from where I am, as they both shoot the finish line I can't tell who won. In the end its Arnoud by some fraction of a boat length to take the last race win and the regatta title. Had Brett won the race, he would have won the regatta on a countback! What a way to finish!
And in the end, Icross the finish line just ahead of Bern to finish tied on points but beating him for 7th on the countback. And, as it turns out, 7th is just good enough to get a trophy to remember my last Master Worlds in the Standard Master division!
The memento of my last World Masters in the Standard Master Fleet!
Finally, I was not the only member of the Usher household racing this event! Christy "RastaGurl" raced in the Standard Apprentice fleet and had a great time, so good that she's already booked our room for Brisbane!
RastaGurl! (Photo Chris Ray - crayivp.com)
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