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Ivan Tests Off Soundings Fleet
by Mark and Claudia Kondracky
Fall Off Soundings and the remnants of Ivan presented interesting challenges for the participants. Friday's start had westerly wind of 12 knots. With the threat of a cold front coming through the course featured one mark, N. This made for an interesting tactical decision. Do you go through the gut or through the race?
We elected to go through the race and started at the pin end and headed out towards Race Rock. Euphoria started in the middle of the line and headed towards Valiant Rock. Salude was a little late for the starting gun, but went through the gut, taking the gun at the finish line. Other boats in our class that went through gut included Jolly Mon, Esperance and Calli. As we approached Race Rock, with Tigger too! to leeward, we started to get lifted by the strong flood current. Soon we were fetching Valiant Rock so we cracked off to head into Gardiner's Bay. A number of boats had to head down to get below Little Gull Island. Soon a parking lot developed as boats poked their noses into the three knot current. Two boats, Wolverine and Euphoria, popped their chutes to make it around the rip. By this time, Jack Lombard on Bearcat was sitting back at the harbor enjoying a cold one. He went through the gut as well as Arabesque. We plodded on, finally breaking through the flood into Gardiner's Bay. (apologies to boats not mentioned who went through the gut...... besides if you remain anonymous, no one will follow you next year) Everyone enjoyed a great day of racing especially since the rain held off. Race participants relished the party and hospitality of Greenport. |
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The motor sail out to the starting line for Saturday's race featured sunshine and a southeasterly breeze. The Race Committee set a course to Mark 3, then to Mark K off of Orient point, back to Mark 3 and then Finish. We prepared for the start by stowing the outboard below, bending on the number 3 and putting a reef in the main. We also donned life jackets which is the boats rule when the number three is up. We started on port ducking Esperance but crossing the rest of our class. After several minutes on port we tacked back to starboard to cover our class. We worked up the beat playing the shifts, and working right to get some protection from the choppy waves. At the windward mark the breeze dropped and we considered switching to the number two. We shook out the reef instead and rounded, setting the chute. (nice set Lynn) We headed towards mark K and an ominous looking squall line. The breeze died, but then blasts of cold air worked down the course. Boats up the course were healed over and now beating to weather. We got down the chute, set the three and off we went. As the breeze increased, we put back the reef and worked to weather. The winds built bringing hail and rain which pelted the side of your face. It was difficult to read the wind speed on the opposite bulkhead, but it indicated wind speeds in excess of 35 knots. Other boats reported winds of over 40 knots, and Nor'Easter recorded a gust of over 61 knots. We were overtaken by Crystal Slipper, Light Fantastic, and one of the trimarans. It was an awesome sight as these boats worked above and below us, with their hulls obscured by the driven spray. With a tear in our batten pocket, we lowered our main and abandoned the race. Now that the hard part of racing was over, we only had to sail in (yeah right). With only our number three up, we had increased leeway. Jeff, our navigator, got us to MoA entrance buoy, and we stayed as far right to have as much sea room as possible. Since our outboard motor would be useless in the heavy seas, we got an anchor and rode prepared. Fortunately they were not necessary as we charged passed Shelter Island with thunder and lightning from the unstable air mass. We rounded the breakwater off of Greenport, and sailed in. This Off Soundings will be long rembered. |
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