June 04th, 2015
Five boats registered in this years Dave Irey Memorial Regatta at West River Sailing Club in Galesville, Maryland just south of Annapolis on the Chesapeake Bay on May 30-31.
The three local boats were Gene Freund sailing with Debbie Hunter, Nona Pucciariello sailing with Cynthia Houston and Remi Soummer sailing with Adrien. Ben Arthur drove up from Virginia and I made the long trek from North Carolina. Also racing were Flying Scots, Albacores, A-cats and Chesapeake 20s.
The forecast called for warm temps in the upper 70s to low 80s with a building southerly sea breeze. Water temperature, according to the Thomas Point Light weather station, was 72 so it looked to be great racing conditions. After launching from West River's hard pack, protected beach we had a short sail to the mouth of the river just before it opens into the Chesapeake Bay. There was enough space here to run a good race but was protected enough that all the fleets could handle the conditions.
Six windward leeward races were completed on Saturday. There were no breakdowns in the Weta fleet, but one Flying Scot did dismast. Nona and Cynthia had a boat handling mishap which ended up looking like her boat was popping a wheelie, followed by them trying to pull one of them back on board. Remi had an issue with his boat that made him miss the first race but was out there racing as long as he could considering his wife let him out of the house with a one week old baby at home (congrats!). Gene and Debbie were consistently finishing on top of the double handed fleet and sometimes within striking distance of the singlehanded. Ben and I swapped finishes all day, ending up tied at the end of Saturday with three firsts and three seconds a piece. In a couple of races I gave it to Ben when I miffed a tack at the first windward mark. He claims only muffing once- I believe it as his boat handling was solid. He reported trying out the Miranda method of tacking, facing forward with a hand on each jib sheet.
My take away of the day was managing the "zone of doom". Thomas Point showed gusts into the low 20s with breeze consistently in the teens. Besides wind driven chop, there was also waves from passing motor boats and large cruisers. In these conditions, trying to sail for any length of time between a close reach and beam reach, aka, "the zone", is a sure way to find out how deep that part of the river is. Calling lay lines was important, as Randy Smythe drove home at Wetafest, because if you over stood, you couldn't really bear off early. My move was to remain close hauled until right at the mark, even if over stood, then rapidly ease the main sheet and turn the boat down hard. Next was uncleating the furler, trimming the screecher and easing the jib out so that the telltales were flying per the Smythe method. I brought the main back in a bit then but left the board down.
As we were sailing around before race five or six I noticed that only the Wetas and Albacores were still racing. I'm not sure if that's because we are tougher, faster or just have more bullet proof boats. With the other fleets onshore already, it made getting up the beach much less crowded and help getting dollies available. We gathered on shore in the shade to compare stories, get to know each other (there were several remarkable Iowa connections) and enjoy the taco bar and malt beverages on offer from the club.
Sunday's forecast called for slightly warmer temps and not quite as vigorous of a sea breeze. The sail out was quite light but rapidly built to around 10 for the first race of the day. During that first race Ben and I swapped positions every leg with me prevailing to finish ahead. There were some wind shifts on the course which favored the left side of the course but more pressure on the right with smoother water. Ben chose to go left for the next 3 races whereas I worked the right side. The breeze built to around 15 by the end of the day and the results show that wind velocity won out over angle on this day, as I won the next 3 races.
The big challenge this day was managing traffic. With the lighter winds, the Wetas were more mixed in with the other fleets racing. In addition, there were some larger cruising boats to negotiate as well. Staying clear of the other boats wind shadows, not bearing off on to the Albacores reaching to their jibe mark and using other boats as blockers or picks was important throughout the day. The Flying Scots managed to keep it together but there were a few A-cat capsizes.
After hitting the beach Ben and I packed up our boats for the drive home. We all enjoyed leftover salmon tacos and a beverage of choice and had a short wait until results were done and awards were given out. There were smiles all around, and maybe a little too much sunburn (Debbie, I'm talking about you here) and I encouraged the double handed boats to come down to Duck for Nationals since there will be a double handed category. We got positive general feedback about the boats and an invitation to come back next year. I, for one, definitely plan on returning.
By Bob Patterson
Photos West River Sailing Club
