1999 Mills Race, First Overnighter

Sorry for the delay in getting out the news of our first major race. All that fun just wiped me out!!!!!

This weekend we had:
-- The night of the party
-- The day of the delivery
-- The evening of the start
-- The night of the bedeviling calm
-- The morning of the spinnaker battles and the first bug hatch
-- The afternoon from Hades
-- The sprint to the finish
-- The crash at the Put-in-Bay
-- The reach to the Harbor Light
-- The night of the Fish Fly hatch
-- The morning after.......

Everyone wants to know..... So how did we do? In PHRF B we were 9th of 9 boats, finishing 1:40 behind LOVE LETTER. Overall we were 37th. I do not know how many PHRF boats there were, but I think that puts us in the middle of the pack. Not bad for the first time out with the new Main

and only the second race. Here are some of my thoughts on the race. We did a super job on the first 3rd of the race. The way that we worked to windward was great. When we rounded Niagra Reef, we started to pick up on the wind oscillations and made a whole series of crisp tacks. We actually crossed in front of LOVE LETTER a few times. When the wind did finally die, we made a picture (couldn't see it in the dark) perfect sail change.

It was when we got into the really light air that we had trouble. As John Greiner said, "the race was about being in the right place when the wind died". We were in the WRONG place. Still, we were able to keep the boat moving, except for a 1 hour period. When the wind did restart and we got to the Sandusky channel marker, we set the chute and battled hard, through a cloud of bugs, all the way to the Mo "A" marker at Point Pelee.

Rounding the Mo"A" showed our true spirit. It was our first jibe with the full crew and when the pole came off the ring, NO ONE PANICED. We just kept the chute flying, got the pole back on and when we were ready, completed the jibe. That's crew work!!!! The next leg was a full blooded reach to the Pelee marker. Rounding the marker, we reset the #1 Light and started to close reach around the island. Once again we were beset by the light air. Only this time, it was accompanied by a blazing sun and biting flies. As we approached the finish, we reset the chute and battled with HEARTBEAKER to cross the line ahead (as it should be).

There were a number of lessons that I took away from the race.
1) Sailing in the dark in very light air is really hard to do. I could not rely of "feel" to tell if I was steering a full course or pinching. If I pinched, we stopped dead. We need to rig a light, or maybe a blacklight system to illuminate the telltales.
2) We have to be very careful to not over trim the main when sailing off the wind. During the long run from Sandusky to Pelee, we were over trimmed and could not pass AURELIA, when we figured it out, we walked right over the top of them.
3) We need to get a session with John Greiner to help with the Mainsail trim in general.
4) The spinnaker tweaker situation is not right and should be looking into.
5) We need to be very careful about keeping heel in the boat. When it got light and we didn't put people to leeward, we went slow.
6) The skipper needs to get more sleep. I was getting stupid at times when sharpness was important.
7) We all need to eat more and drink more fluids during the race.
8) TIME MACHINE is FAST!!!!! When we get it right, we can walk away from anyone.

After some napping and feasting, we made a really wize decision to head back to TYC. The wind had turned to the North and was a steady 12-14. We set the #1 Heavy and close reached all the way home at a steady 7.25 to 7.75 Knots. Ashton got a chance to take the helm and did a great job. As we passed West Sister Island we were set upon by a swarm of Fish Flies. They covered the deck and the sails and made funny splat sounds as they hit our glasses, faces, and foul weather gear. It took a hour of scrubbing to get them all off the deck the next morning.

Everyone was a hero. Jim S. for putting up with my constant "Where the hell am I" am feeding my information the whole time. Paul for working the Main and learning a ton, under miserable conditions. Bill for a great foredeck save on the jibe. Heather for a great meal and patient trimming of the downhaul. Jim W. for grinding and trimming a great upwind leg while the wind lasted, and keeping the chute lit with Ted during the jibe. Ted for working so well with Jim W. on the sheets and catching AURELIA. Ashton for lighting the telltales, and calling out the course whenever I needed it. Chuck for crisp hoists and "I can't belive I have to move again" positioning.

Harvey Handler in the Tripp 50 WHITE LIGHTNING won the race Overall. It took him 17 tries. We haven't been out sailing 17 times yet. And look at what we have already done!!!! I am really proud.

When I got home, the Mac Race packet was waiting for me. We are officially accepted to the big dance. As they said at Put-in-Bay, if you liked the Mills this year, try the Mac, it's only 4 hours longer (hehehe).