Race reports by Geoff Moore are below.
Race reports by Tim Healy (retrospective).
Hello from Key West,
Monday 6:30 am
Our boat arrived Friday afternoon with Ralph Devivo at the helm of the Shore Sails van! The brick was knocked off the accelerator and Ralph's hands were separated from the wheel by cutting the duct tape. A Viagra Margarita later and Ralph was his old self again. It was a long trip, but the sunshine and the heated pool at our rented house quickly dissolved any memory of the journey.
We launched the boat Friday eve in record timed and spent most of the day Saturday shaking off the cob webs. Sunday was overcast and a little cool, but there was about 12-18 knots of breeze so most of the fleet had at least an afternoon of practice. I was very please with the look and performance of my new millennium sails. Registration and measurement went exceptionally smooth. I did not hear a single gripe from anyone. There seems to be a kinder, gentler mood in the J/24 fleet these days. However, I did detect a little tension from a few of the pro's, probably pre-race jitters.
Racing starts today, weather permitting. It is cool again this morning and as far as I can tell there is a brisk NW wind blowing. There was some discussion last night at the skippers meeting that there might be too much wind to race. It does not look that way from here.
About 40 boats are here…most of the top guys made the trip.
Tuesday
6:23am
So I guess there is at least one unhappy competitor here in Key West, but I haven’t met him. You can not please everyone.
Yesterday was the first race day. There was plenty of NE wind; my guess would be mid to upper twenties. The schedule called for a practice race followed by race number one. Unfortunately the race committee was delayed and the practice race was postponed for about an hour. I am sure they will take some heat over that, but the conditions were pretty tough, and for some of us uptight northerners, it takes a while to get acclimated to the Key West way of doing things.
Eventually the practice race got off. Chris Larson won and we were second. I had a very unpleasant round down, jibe crash on the first down wind leg. We were in second at the time and had dropped back to about 8th or 9th by the time we cleaned things up. A lot of boats dropped out before the finish. We continued on because I wanted to prove to our crew that I could drive the boat downwind without getting the mast wet. As it turned out we were the only boat to set a chute on the last leg.
Race #1
I do feel a little sympathy for the race committee. There is not a Yacht Club here so the facilities to run a race are not the same as it would be at a large YC, however this is Key West and I for one am willing to trade some of the luxury for great sailing conditions. So the starting line was very boat end favored. It was very windy and there were a couple of general recalls. The black flag went up and I know they got a few boats on one of the recalls. It sure seems unfair to nail only three boats when there is a black flag general recall, but I know there are people who disagree with me.
We won the start and keep sailing to the left side of the racecourse. Even though the compass screamed at us that the breeze was trending further and further right my tactician John Mollicone was patient and we eventually found a small left shift near the layline and we crossed the fleet and rounded the first mark in first. Chris Larson was next followed closely by Brad, then Twins. We had a tough time jibing so Chris was able to jibe inside us and slow us down most of the leg. In hindsight it was a fantastic ride. We just managed to round the left-hand gate ahead of Chris who rounded the right hand mark. We gained on the first crossing, but we had three very bad tacks that enabled both Chris and Brad to pass us. At the top mark it was very close between the three of us. Brad jibed first, and we followed. That proved to be the right call because we both passed Chris. It was reassuring to watch Chris Larson wipe out just before the finish. My crash was more spectacular, but at least I wasn’t the only one. Brad won the race by about a boat length, however he was flying a yellow flag. We were second followed by Chris Larson, then by Chris Zaleski.
It was a very athletic day. The dolphins came out to escort us home, and everyone on our boat was very happy to be here in Key West, a little wet and tired but still smiling.
Thursday morning
Another beautiful day in Margaritaville.
Clear skies and moderate breeze form the SE. The RC tried to get a race off on time, but it had to be abandoned because the wind shifted 50 degrees to the left and lightened to less than a few knots. We waited about a half-hour before the wind stabilized.
Race 5
We got off to a moderately tolerable start, but we were too far away from the favored pin end to win the race. Brad was in a much better position to do that. The course was skewed to the right, which meant that we spent more time on starboard than port. When we finally tacked it was to leeward of Brad, but both of us displayed great speed. Only one boat crossed us from the right. At the mark it was Brad in first, followed by Will Crump, then one or two other boats then us. Chris Larson who was way back was the first to recognize how skewed the course was, and he jibed first. That proved to be a great move because he picked up 6 or seven boats. Tim Healy also passed us as we struggled to get clear air. In the end it was Brad, Will Crump, Mookie, another boat which I can not remember, then Chris, then us.
Race 6
The pin end was slightly favored again and we nailed it right on. We pressed hard into the left corner waiting for Brad, and Chris to tack first. Brad matched our good speed on port, but Chris was clearly off the pace. When we reached the starboard tack layline we were able to lee bow Brad and arrive first at the windward mark. We held Brad off all the way down the leeward leg, but just when we had decided that the right hand gate was the best choice Brad had slid down to our leeward quarter (the Kill position) making it very difficult for us to jibe and maintain clear air. The next best choice was the left-hand gate, but the breeze trended left and Brad had passed us. At the finish it was Brad, then us, then Chris.
Race 7
We had a terrible start. A boat directly to leeward was determined that we were not going to roll over him, so much so that he held us both head to wind right up to the moment when the gun went off. He didn’t do himself any favors because we both were rolled by a pack of boats to windward of us. The Chaos that followed was intense. We tacked three of four times desperately searching for clear air. Mookie had the best start, but Brad was close and faster. Eventually we found a narrow lane half way up the beat on port tack. About three-quarters of the way to the mark we were performing very well and I was determined to make a come back. There were many close crosses with starboard tackers, but eventually we came to one I could not cross. It was Dave Ogdon from Toronto. I yelled “ tack or cross” but I could not get any response. The winch handle came out and I made ready to lee-bow him, but just then I thought I saw his bow go down. I was fairly sure he did not want me to lee-bow him so took this as a sign that he wanted me to cross. Big mistake! His bow came right back up and at that point I had to start a tack just to minimize the potential impact. Too late, he then ducked again and I had to try to tack back. As I sat there head to wind I honestly tried to listen for the word protest. No one on board could hear anything so we fell off onto port tack thinking that was the end of it. We rounded the first mark around 15-18th place, but we worked hard the rest of the race to finish 5th.
At the finish line we were horrified to see Dave flying a flag and reporting to the RC. When we reached the dock I apologized to Dave and he was clear that he did hail us of his intent to protest. He agonized whether or not he should follow through with the protest, and I informed him that if he did, I would not fight it. In the end he admitted to me that he felt pressure from the big blue factory teams. He filed, and I accepted a 50% penalty. There is no one to blame but ourselves. We were desperately trying to make a come back and dispirit people usually make bad choices. We should have watched Dave more closely for a red flag, and I should have accepted a yellow. That knocks us out of contention, but we still have the possibility of finishing in the top 5.
Seaweed, As far as the eye could see, great dense floating rafts of the stuff. If it weren’t for the fact that we were racing it would have been a spectacular sight. Long meandering ribbons of forest green flashing against the turquoise water. Huge choppy waves and a stiff SE breeze (very top end of the Genoa) made it difficult to navigate through the rafts. It is hard enough keeping flow attached to the keel and rudder in those conditions, pinching up to avoid a huge clump, or dragging ten pounds of organic matter around on your rudder made it impossible. Every time we sent John aft to clear the rudder, someone would mutter “well at least everyone out here has to deal with the same problem”. That may be true, but when you are spending every ounce of concentration on keeping the boat moving forward it sure feels like your boat is the only one with weeds.
Just for the record I want to clear up two things. First, this is a great regatta. Everyone I talk to is having a fabulous time. We had a class meeting last night and everyone present (most of the fleet) were left wondering who anonymous is and why they keep complaining. Key West is a small island without a real YC. However Jim Keesling is doing a great job as is the RC. The social program has been a lot of fun. Rick’s bar is a famous place to meet. It is directly across the street from Sloppy Joe’s. As far as I can tell the only people who should be disappointed are the poor soles shoveling snow up north.
Second, I do not deserve any compliments for how I handled the crossing situation with Dave Ogdon on Tuesday. The right thing for me to do would have been to take a yellow flag rather than hope against hope that he would not protest. Dave is a good friend of mine. We sailed together in Annapolis at the ECC and we had a great time. He acted correctly. I misjudged the situation and then in my own best interest accepted a 50% penalty rather than a DSQ. Sorry if anyone is disillusioned.
Race 8
I made the classic mistake of arriving late to the starting area. Actually, I sailed out with a client and then got too involved with his concerns rather than my own. We only had about 40 seconds of upwind work before the sequence started. The boat end was favored and we blasted off the line right at the boat. Will Crump was close to leeward and moving fast. We extended well into the left corner and then tacked together with Chris, and Tim Healy, a little bow out to leeward. We had some minor speed problems in the big waves but managed to round the windward mark in fourth. It took me almost two windward legs to diagnose the problem. It was tempting to blame it on the seaweed, but in the end I just had my Genoa leads way too far forward for those conditions. Crump was first then Chris then Mookie then us. Brad was close behind and he passed us downwind as we struggled to find an efficient way to clear the rudder. That was the order of finish.
Race 9
We took the boat again, and again Will Crump was a little too close and bow out to leeward. This time I had learned to keep my leads aft and we slowly rolled over him. Shortly after the start Chris and Mookie ducked us and headed out to the right side. That side gained and they barley beat us to the mark. We battled hard down wind and gained on both the two boats in front by sailing higher angles and catching more waves. It was an epic day for J/24 surfing. We rounded the right hand gate and Chris and Mookie went to the left one. We again showed great speed, and when we tacked I could cross Mookie but I had to duck Chris. Chris slam-dunked us and we were forced to tack back. Tacking was very slow and difficult and in the process of tacking back we managed to get a knot in our sheet. The right side was also paying off so we lost Mookie and Chris gained about 6 or seven lengths. Now Will Crump and Brad were right on our tail. We managed to hold them off at the finish. It was Chris, Mookie, us, then Crump and then Brad.
Race 10
The wind was going even further right and maybe increasing. A cloudbank was building on the right. This time the whole fleet had caught on to the benefits of a boat end start. After a few generals and a black flag we made due with a safer start down the line a little. Crump and Mookie got of well to windward, but we were able to pinch off Brad. Chris was moving well on our lee-bow. The whole fleet tacked. We kept pace with Chris out to the right side. Crump and Mookie lead the way to the right and they gained. At the mark it was Mookie, Crump, us then Chris. Brad was having another difficult race. The two leaders had a large lead on us at the mark, and Chris was right behind us. We were the first to jibe in order to take advantage of the right swing. We had amazing speed downwind! Again I sailed higher angles and caught some spectacular rides. We surfed right up to and then past Will Crump. Mookie was only a short distance ahead. We rounded the left-hand mark expecting the wind to go further right. Mookie rounded the right hand mark. The breeze behaved as we expected and we jumped way ahead of Mookie. The wind shifted further right land we ended up over stood, but with a very pleasant lead. We extended further ahead downwind. At the beginning of the final beat we had a horizon job going. We covered Mookie and Chris to the right lay line. Just when we thought we couldn’t possible loose the wind shut off. We flopped around for a while in big left over chop then the wind filled back in from the left. I think Doug McClean won the race by about one-mile. Jim Beaty I think was third. Chris was further to the left and he passed Mookie and us. Mookie just got us at the finish.
The score as it stands now with two races left is Chris 35 points, Mookie 36, and Brad 37. We are well established in forth. I believe it is then Crump followed by Zaleski.
This is our last day in KW. Our little compound here was buzzing with happy satisfied people yesterday. The boats were mostly put away by 2:30 to 3:00, so there were a few enjoyable hours of splashing around in our pool before we set out for the awards. Haul out was a little interesting. There is only one crane here in KW . When the J/24 fleet arrived it was busy launching OD35’s and Mumm 30’s. A few people got a little hot before someone took charge. Eventually the haul out order was decided by trailer position. I always find it humorous how upset people can get during this procedure. Once the order was established everything progressed fairly quickly.
Race 11
This was the lightest air race with the flattest water. The top three were within one point of each other. We were a distant 4th with no-one very close behind us. The boat end was favored so I decided to be aggressive about taking that end. Most of the fleet had the same idea. We ended up waiting a few seconds before a whole opened up at the committee boat. Our plan was to win the right side because there was a large thunderhead way off over there. The wind had also been trending right for about 30 minutes prior to the start. We just missed our chance for being the first boat to tack. Once boats started crossing there were only very slim lanes going that way. However, we did notice that the boats who started further down the line were crossing further, and further ahead. At some point John Mollicone and I had a short discussion about changing our game plan. That can be a dangerous thing, but this time it worked. We pressed forward until we were left of most of the fleet. Pressure was building now from the left, and we were moving very fast relative to boats around us.
I did not watch the drama play out amongst the top three, but I will try to piece it together from my observations and the discussions at Ricks. During the prestart Chris set up on the line not too far from the boat end. Brad was just to windward of Chris. Tim Healy came in late and chased Brad down the line closer to Chris. Tim must have been coming fairly fast because within a second of getting a leeward overlap Tim’s bow pulpit bumped Brad’s pushpit. Brad flew a red flag immediately, and reported his intent to the RC at the finish. Tim ended up with a much better start than Brad or Chris. That gave Tim the advantage he needed to win the regatta. During haul out Tim denied any contact between the two boats. Brad’s crew was absolutely certain there had been. In the end Brad withdrew the protest. … I will let the reader decide what ethics apply.
The first downwind leg favored the boats that did not jibe. Healy was in first followed by Scott Milnes, then Brad, then Tim Ryan, then us. Chris had jibed away in desperation and he fell further back. The next upwind leg favored the left and we pressed deep into that side along with Tim Ryan (Racer X). We both gained huge. At the mark it was Tim Ryan, Tim Healy, us, then the Zaleski’s. The downwind leg was fairly light and fluky, but Tim Ryan was able to hold off Tim Healy for a win.
The RC tried to get a final race off, but it was getting very light and a distant thunderstorm was playing havoc with the wind direction. The race was abandoned and 40 outboards were heard to start simultaneously. Later at Rick’s bar the awards were dispensed along with vast quantities of free pizza and beer. My wonderful wife, little Ashley, and I opted for a fantastic meal at a cute little place called “Camille’s” on Duval street. Maybe I am noticing it for the first time, but it seems there are more children at these events than there used to be.
Final results for the top six were, Tim Healy, Brad Read, Chris Larson, Us, then I believe it was Will Crump, and then Twins. In case anyone was wondering we would have finished second if I had made a better decision in race number seven.
Thanks for reading.