Jumbo Team Race

It was a dreary day on Mystic lake, under grey skies; when it wasn't misting, it was drizzling, with air temps in the mid 30s and water temps in the mid 40s. Teams even enjoyed some snow flurries in the early afternoon, which, while aesthetically pleasing, underscored the severity of the cold. Fortunately, the breeze delivered, with an unusually consistent northeasterly holding steady throughout the day, and no need to move marks or delay racing. The better part of a combined double round robin was sailed, with only a couple of flights left until the second day. The Jumbos ended the day in first, with the Hawks and Brown Bears close on their heels. Big thanks to Greta Traver, Matt Caplan, Sarah Leary, and Matt Wallace for enduring abject misery on the signal and finish boats.

Although the rain finally abated on Sunday, the breeze had shifted due East overnight, resulting in somewhat less stable conditions. Unfortunately, Bentley was forced to retire from the event due to illness, and they forfeited the remainder of their races. This allowed the double round to be completed by 11:30, allowing for a lunch break while protests were heard. Subsequently, the fleet was divided into a top 4 and bottom 3, each of which sailed another double round within their group. Boat rotation was suspended for the top 4 because the boats are new and in excellent condition. A rogue lefty necessitated the abandonment of the first race of the round of 4, when all boats fetched the first mark, but otherwise there were no delays in racing. 74 races were sailed in total. After the Jumbos buckled under the pressure of their day 1 lead and dropped to 3rd, the Roger Williams Hawks and Brown Bears found themselves in a dead heat going into their head-to-head Ro4 Matchup. After an inexplicable substitution to heavy crews by RWU, brown took two decisive starts and ran away with the final series 2-0 for the win. Another hearty thanks to the RC crew, who added Shea Smith to their numbers on Sunday.