Racing for Women's Health
by Mark Kondracky
The Frostbite Yacht Club is known for putting on great regattas. However, when you team them up with volunteers from Yale's Research for Women's Health, sprinkle in generous sponsors, add food and entertainment you have a recipe for a phenomenal charity event. Consider that after 14 races the top two boats in the JY fleet were tied. But as the 16 boat JY fleet was deciding who would be the Connecticut State Champs, five other fleets of boats were racing. With their usual aplomb, the race committee was finishing four other fleets, moving marks, rescuing disabled boats, and patrolling the perimeter of the race area.
On Saturday, the first day of racing, winds were light from southwest. With a flood tide, boats were held behind the line. The light drizzle didn't dampen the spirits of the racers. It seamed like most of the JY's tried to play the right hand side of course, without straying into the mooring field. With the foul current, and light wind, every tack was crucial. Our JY felt a little sluggish, even though we had eased the rig tension. After the top mark, boats stayed out toward the middle of the river to pick up the favorable current. On the beat to the finish we went left to stay out of the current. Carl Fast led the pack of lasers back to the finish in an early race. Later in the day the current switched. In one race we were on the starboard layline, ready to round, and got T boned by a port tacker. I never saw it coming, and was thrown forward several feet on impact. Fortunately there was no damage, and the port tacker retired.
Sunday brought high pressure, high winds, and sailors with cloudy heads from the evening's festivities. In the first race I tried to start near the pin, but so did a several other boats. With the door closed, we circled around, crossed the line and headed out on port. The winds were heavy and the fleet slogged their way up to the top mark. Once around we had there were two screaming reaches on the east side of the river, and then a beat back. There weren't many points separating the top third of the fleet. Prescott Littlefield and Chris Doyle were battling it out along with everyone else. With the current holding you back at the start, the laser fleet could luff up for 40 seconds before sheeting in and starting. This strategy had some drawbacks in the JY fleet. If you set up to soon a port tacker would tack below you and squeeze you up. I found that Prescott used this tactic quite effectively. On one start I bore off on starboard so he would have to execute his tack sooner so that I could have more room. It also worked to wait for the tack, and then duck below the boat to leeward. Getting a clean start, with the ability to find a lane to port was a good game plan. As boats bunched up at the jibe and leeward mark establishing an overlap was key. After the jib mark, heavy wind, and a fair current favored the boats that stayed out. Of course, the question was when would the current switch? On the final beat it was tough to find a lane to tack back to starboard to get out of the current. On one race we were able to go left, and finished second behind Chris Doyle. Our finish gave some breathing room between Chris and Prescott. As it turned out the two finished with the same amount of points!
Chris and crew won the tie breaker. Congratulations, on winning the Connecticut State Championship, and a new Omega watch.
Plans are underway for next years event. Look for it one week later, to avoid the river traffic, and moored boats. Thanks again to all the volunteers for a great GREAT event.