F5, 2012

This weekend was boat show weekend at the KYC.  It looked like a good turnout for the many vendors located in the parking lot and docks along the water front.  The weather was certainly much better than many previous years for the show and offered mostly sunny skies with almost no breeze.  The RC elected to once again start us at the C mark to avoid sailing through any traffic from the stink pot power boats out for a test drive.  There was a massive floating debris field of logs, branches and bark that stretched from the X mark almost all the way North to C.  It must have been caused by the heavy rains this past Thursday combined with the start of spring run off.  I was careful to motor around it as best as I could while making my way towards the starting line.  The course for today was posted as CPCDCXC and quickly turned into a downwind start with about 2 knots of breeze out of the South.  We started at the pin end right on the line and sailed at full speed towards the committee boat.  We managed to pull off a good start but got shadowed below TBD after they jybed on top of us.  All was going well with our progress towards P until we got stuck in the mud just North of Sutherland Bay.  I was quite sure we had good water depth with 2 Santanas well inside of us, but due to the very cloudy water it was impossible to see the bottom and know for sure.  We managed to free ourselves with very little effort and continue toward P mark.  Arriving at the pumphouse I have not seen a parking lot like that since a Saturday at the mall.  The entire fleet was parked just North of the mark rounding.  In fact many boats who arrived first were actually worse off as everyone kept rounding the mark and setting up inside of them, stealing their breeze and allowing the little bit of North flowing current to drag them further away.  Everyone sat there motionless for about 1/2 hour before a beautiful 6 knots of breeze filled in from the North.  We found ourselves actually out in front leading the entire fleet for a few moments with Ghost Rider just behind.  The breeze lightened up again and remained steady at a 4 knot Northernly for the remainder of the race.  We crossed the line 4th just behind Allan B's Fitz.  Bad Dog and Ghost Rider had the first two positions.  I think we could have shaved another minute or two off our time if it wasn't for the branch we were towing behind us for who know how long, only discovered after crossing the finish line.