SYSCO Spring Series Race 4, May 13, 2021


 The wind was a summer like wind out of the north north west, right up the river.  We decided to do a starboard start.  We had to do a couple of 360's to make the mark on time.  We did not want a repeat of last week's start.  We managed a good start and then went to port.

It took us a while to get the head sail set.  The track, below, shows reduced speed after the tack.  We never got up to speed before the next tack to starboard.  Again, we took a little time to get the head sail set, but it was much better than the first tack.  The next tack to port almost a repeat of the first.  We finally made it around the first windward mark third. 

We took too long to get turned back up river but finally got our pole set to port on a wing on wing configuration to run downwind to mark 5, just a little ways down stream from the committee boat.  We were second around the mark just behind Blew Streak.  Three tacks to the second windward mark and again we were second or third.  This time we did not go wide or long and headed for the leeward mark.

Pole was set to port. We ambled over to the Oregon side to take advantage of the shallower, slower water.  Originally we were going to go around the finish line, but decided just to go over the start line near the committee boat.  It looked like we were gaining on Blew Streak.  The boat started to overtake the wind three quarters to the mark.  Like fools, we took the pole down.  The track showed we lost about a knot of speed doing that.  This action gave the lead back to Blew Streak.  We rounded the mark second and could not catch Blew Streak by the finish.  



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