Jan 06
By Peter Bonello
The 2006 season kicked off at “J” Street on Saturday, January 7th, with a respectable showing from the San Diego and Orange County regulars. Wind predictions were all over the map, but it appeared that the out-of-towners were more optimistic – go figure!
Wind conditions were superb, while rigging that is, with 15 knot winds making those rigging 12 meter sails feel uncomfortable enough to rig 11 meter sails just in case. It didn’t last long, and with the wind dropping fast and its direction more from the south, the “house” could not be used as a weather mark so it was decided to set a mark half way across the bay. Setting the mark via windsurfer was volunteered, however, the subsiding wind made this task take considerably longer than expected.
It became clear that the first race was going to be started in subplaning conditions. Joe and Erik decided to sit it out. Since he dominated the last day’s racing, Gabor was the rabbit. On a positive note, the light wind made for interesting tactics with some sticking to the left out of the gate while others tacked to the right. About half way up the beat Robert, Dave O and Lasse appeared to be the leaders with Peter not too far behind, and Gabor hard to pin down, because of his planing beam reaches. Then, amazingly, amidst a fleet of shloggers, Robert took off on a plane and held it long enough to solidify his lead. He rounded the windward mark clearly ahead of Lasse and with Peter at a distant third. Dave O rounded ahead of Gabor but the latter pumped his way onto a plane and managed to reach most of the way down, gaining one position but not enough to catch up with the first three who headed straight down for the finish line in parade style and in the same order as the windward mark was rounded. Meanwhile Dave D, who in uncharacteristic fashion held up the tail end of the fleet, decided to bring the windward mark with him back to the finish line. Somehow, Tuan managed a seventh placing after Dave D.
The breeze had shifted somewhat so that the house could be used as weather for the 2nd race. With the shift in direction came a few puffs that had most of the fleet planing more times than not. The racers were chomping at the bit, but Rabbit Rob waited for straggler bouy-retrieving Dave D. The race was started in barely planing conditions, and Robert labored through the start line. Gabor and Peter pumped onto a plane and were first to tear behind him. A little too close for Peter, however, who fell back off the plane due to Gabor’s dirty wind and joined the rest of the fleet to shlog on starboard tack. Gabor, determined to stay on a plane, headed towards Imperial beach – literally! Most of the rest of the fleet went for angle; slow but high. One by one the fleet tacked to the right where the wind looked to be slightly better.
Lasse and Peter were first on the right side with Dave O close behind. It was too early to tell if Gabor was going to capitalize from his awesome start and planing trek to the left. Peter and Dave O tacked onto starboard to stay away from the lee of the house, but Lasse, considerably closer to the beach and thus farther from the house, kept going right. Gabor re-entered the fleet, screaming back from Imperial Beach but crossing below Peter and Dave.
Peter, followed by Dave O, tacked at the layline to the house and managed to plane up to it. His angle however was too tight, and Peter fell off the plane and was forced to crawl around it. Dave O gained on Peter as he planed around the house. Interestingly, Lasse kept going to the other side of the house and it became apparent that he planned to leave it to port, which he did rounding 3rd. Gabor rounded starboard in 4th followed by the rest of the fleet.
The run home was too much of a struggle to remain on the plane and most just shlogged down to the finish line. Peter actually planed for a little stretch downwind, but all that did was send him off course, forcing him to gybe and crawl down to the finish line barely ahead of Dave O. Gabor, of course, planed his way downwind to the
finish, zigzagging from left field to right and adding another impressive couple of miles over everybody else while maintaining his fourth place position behind Lasse. Dave D appeared to be struggling with his gear or his form or both and finished in fifth place with Tuan in sixth and Robert, not pleased at the marginal conditions that seemed to allow everyone more opportunity to plane than he, crossed the finish line in seventh place.
Lasse’s choice of house rounding was naturally challenged, but admittedly, while the course to the house was made clear to all, the direction of rounding was not stipulated. Robert claimed he signaled with his hand in a clockwise motion before starting but those that noticed interpreted it simply as his gesturing that we were all crazy! Lasse argued that since the first race was a port course, there was no reason to assume that the second race should be otherwise. This flies in the face of tradition that established that the house be rounded to starboard – even the LA guys know that! The appointed race officer, Joe Roth, established that Lasse’s placing should count, especially since he is hardly about to rule in favor of Gabor! By general consensus the matter was settled.
The somewhat disappointing wind conditions had taken its toll on the racers and it was decided to call it quits for the day after just the two races putting Peter first for the day, Lasse in second, and Dave O in third.
