ORW: Rattlesnake Passage

Yesterday was the first running of the Rattlesnake Passage stage of the Okanagan Race Week.  This race was constructed to get the racing fleet from Summerland to Kelowna in preparation for next weekends Commodores Cup at the KYC.  This race also adds a distance portion to the overall scoring for ORW and ensures a well rounded mix to test sailors abilities.  I was fortunate enough to be invited on board Margarita, a Santana 525 skippered by James Anderson and crewed by Tracy and Suzanne.  We had fantastic sailing conditions for about 2/3 of the race and were enjoying about 10 to 12 knots of breeze until passing Rattlesnake Island.  Approaching Gelatley Bay the breeze was starting to fade fast and we were lucky if we could find patches of 3-5 knots anywhere.  We took a chance and played the Western shore hoping for a thermal wind to hold, but even that was to much to hope for.  We had hoisted the kite and flew it for about an hour and a half making no progress before the decision to retire was made about 3:30.  The results from Monday's racing are still be tabulated by Barbara and I will post them up once they are available.  We look forward to our Wednesday race night tomorrow and to welcoming all the out of town boats to the KYC.