Labour Day Weekend is the traditional time for the KSC Open Regatta. Albacores and Lasers from across the globe (well, us and NSC) convene to battle for suppremecy.
Saturday Light to very light winds.
Race 1: We arrived at the club late, and had some issues rigging the boat. Primary that the boom was too long for the sail, and the outhaul couldn't be attached properly. We did a poor jib jury-rigging it but it definitely affected our sail shape. There was a bit of wind, but not tonnes.
We started in the middle of the pack, and took the starboard tack. One by one the other boats started tacking, and we aimed to keep in the pack. Due to crew limitations, the tacks were not executed efficiently, and between that and a slow boat we soon gave way. Finished last of the Albacores, but we beat the Lasers.
Unfortunately, my crew wasn't feeling very well. I took her up to the cottage, and didn't race in races 2-4 (which apparently had more wind...)
Sunday: Light to very light winds
Single handed today. I made some repairs ashore -- added a line to extend the outhaul, rigged the main properly, used tap to fix a few holes in the mainsail, etc. Also, carrying a whisker pole today.
Race 5 - A bad tack just as the race was starting meant that I was near the back of the pack, fighting with Ken for 2nd-last place. Ken had more boat speed than I did on the upwind, but started later and I rounded the windward mark first.
I made a mistake here -- I mistook a lull for a wind shift, and set the whisker pole for wing-on-wing. After a few minutes I realized my mistake, and moved the jib back to a reaching position. Ken made up several boat lengths, and had mark room at the gybe mark
On the second reach we played leapfrog. The wind was almost directly behind us, and it came down to whom could read the shift first to get the sails on the correct side of the boat. Ken happened to be in front when we rounded and the race was called FOC.
Race 6 - a storm blew through between race 5 and 6, and the course shifted 90+ degrees. This was FUN. I actually had to hike... Then the wind died before the next race :(
Again, a bad start. The "upwind" leg was actually a close-hauled leg on port, and the "reaching" leg was oscillating between a starboard reach and dead-upwind. The wind died, but I went to the port side "top" of the course as I saw air there. I made up some distance from my bad start, but didn't catch Ken and Corinne.
Lessons learned: Rig the boat up WELL beforehand, to make time for repairs. Stay very close to the line in very light airs.
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