And speaking of man overboard…. Combined sailboat racing and swimming yesterday at the Sunday afternoon races.
First race went off without a hitch. 10 boats total, consisting of 8 finns, a fish boat, and a small cat boat. The cat boat skipper, an accomplished sailor, had just bought the boat and was taking it on a shakedown run. He retired early due to some slight problems with his rig. His centerboard lift line broke when he was taking it out of the water - just to add insult to injury. We supposedly beat two of the finns in the first race (likely on corrected time).
We noticed thunderstorms building well north and south of the course during the first race. Between races, there were some good gusts, but still manageable.
We had a great start in the second race, and the wind was getting pretty sporty. Full jib, full main up, making great speed toward the windward mark. We got hammered with a gust that came out of nowhere, knocking us down, and putting helm (me), and main sheet (my buddy and crew chief) in the water. Jib sheet (our buddy who must be part squirrel), managed to scramble up to the starboard rail and stay on the boat. We loosed the main sheet and jib sheet, allowing the boat to right itself. We had taken on a lot of water due to the open cockpit design and very rough seas. After our brief refreshing swim, we climbed back aboard and began trying to get our game plan together. At this point, we were in a pretty nice summer squall, and it didn’t look like it would pass quickly. The jib sheet had become so tangled that there was no sorting it out in the weather we were dealing with. It’s a compound affair with blocks on both sides at the clew. We doused and secured the jib, and began trying to work our way back to the harbor. As we approached, we could see one of the finns had been knocked down in the mouth of the harbor as he made the turn. So we made a gybe and went around for another try. The wind was shifting and gusty, making sailing a bit of a challenge. The water, and lack of jib, made tacking in that weather very difficult. After the finn got righted and into the harbor, we tried again. We made it in without further excitement. After getting the sails secured and pumping the bilge; we changed clothes and headed to the club to commiserate with the other racers.
We found out that three boats got knocked down - us and 2 of the finns. No one was injured, no boats lost. Lots of second-guessing, armchair sailing, etc. I accused the skipper of the cat boat of being the only one in the bunch with any brains. He assured me that was not the case; and that he only retired because parts were falling off of his rig.
I won’t be wearing my inflatable in the fish boat again. I’ll go to a conventional vest. Once inflated, it’s a pain to maneuver in. Not to mention having to buy the recharge kit…
Also, summer squalls around here are not to be trifled with. I wanted to get off the water after race one, but the other two crew members felt like we were ok (both have extensive offshore experience), so I went along for the ride.
We weren’t in any danger (other than a possible lightning strike). The water was warm, and it was a fairly easy swim back to the club. There were two committee/observer boats in the water, so it is likely we wouldn’t even have to swim. I was mostly worried that the boat would sink - screwing up a few days this week getting it sorted out. The owner had removed the flotation for extra storage space.
The wind info from the club; located onshore. Likely winds were higher on the race course.
I’ve been sailing the Phantom for forty-two years.
