Jumbo Team Race

In spite of mostly sunny skies, sailors were greeted by sub-freezing temps on the Mystic Lake this morning, with what appeared to be a stable NW wind at 10 knots. Unfortunately, by the time boats were on the water, the velocity began oscillating, with lulls to zero and gusts to 12, and shifts ranging from SSW to NE (yes, you read that right--a range greater than 180 degrees!). Although mark set was caught chasing the ball a little bit, and some beats were skewed, the shifts were short enough that they almost always went back before the mark, and minimal races were abandoned. Around 3 O'clock, the breeze built in intensity to 7-15, and stabilized (relatively) in angle at NW. The sailing was challenging and a number of boats on various teams capsized in auto-tack and auto-gybe gusts, but all competitors conducted themselves admirably and self-rescued to complete all races in spite of the frigid conditions. A double round robin was completed at approximately 5:45. The day wrapped up with the Jumbos in the lead at 12-2, tailed closely by the RWU Hawks at 11-3, followed by the Brown Bears in hot pursuit at 10-4. Tomorrow, we will run a top 6, followed by a top 4, time permitting. A Jumbo salute to Thomas Mazzeo, Cici Priest, Walter McFarland, Brayden Benesch, and Michael Salvatore for risking frostbite to run the start and finish boats. RIP Cici's phone, which fell in the line of duty while filming finishes, and shall reside forevermore at the bottom of the Mystic. It shall be missed.

Once again, Sailors arrived at the Mystic to find ice in the coach boat bilge. But this time, full sun and south westerly winds allowed for the air to warm quickly, and by afternoon, temps were chilly but comfortable. Unfortunately, the morning breeze was also a repeat of Saturday. A course was set in a seemingly stable westerly, with shifts ranging from WNW to WSW, but as soon as the first race was on the run, a huge SSW shift hit, causing the 2nd start to fetch mark one, and the waters glassed off soon after, forcing an abandonment of the first flight. Breeze refilled SSE to S, and appeared to stabalize, so the course was realigned, and a flight was completed, but then breeze swung slightly north of west again, necessitating another course adjustment, before it finally settled in to a due W to due S range of oscillation. Due to the local geography, lefties were more dominant on the left side of the first beat, and near the top marks, and righties were predominant at the bottom of the course, and on the second beat. Winds started out lighter than yesterday, around 0-7, but after noon they began to build, and by the round of 4 there were whitecaps showing and with boats planing on runs and reaches when gusts would hit, with a peak intensity around 16.

After a dominant performance on Saturday, the fatigued Jumbos faltered in the Ro6, and then collapsed completely in the Ro4, losing all 3 races and dropping to second place. Undefeated on the day, the Hawks soared to a decisive victory. Meanwhile, in the battle for 3rd, the tenacious Terriers showed their true grit as they briefly clawed past the Brown Bears in the round of 6. However, in the Ro4, the Bears managed to edge them out once again by a 1 race margin.

Thanks again to the Jumbo RC squad, and to the parents of competitors who dropped by to provide snacks and show their support. And thanks to all the competitors for traveling from across the conference for a fun weekend of racing.