Racing SF Bay June, 2006 with Ariel #76, MAIKA’I

[Bill]

[This article previously appeared in the summer newsletter]

It's Saturday, June 10, and the course is identified as “long," which means the start was is hour earlier at 11:30. This course is great for us because the finish line is about 50 yards from our slip, which means that there is not a long ride home after the finish.

Do to mechanical difficulties, however (the ob objected to starting), it appears that we will be late for the start. We usually finish last, so this should not make a big difference. Surprisingly, we arrive at the start with about 20 minutes to spare. Seems the flood tide was not as much of a factor as anticipated (it can really slow the boat going out the Estuary).

For this regatta, Commodore Ebb is driving and we are the first boat to cross the starting line just seconds after the gun. (See photo) Not bad. For the next hour or so we are slowly passed by all the faster boats, but at least we can see them as we head for the first of only two marks in this race. In fact, nearing the mark after a couple of hours, we were not very far behind the last boat ahead of us. With our 258 handicap, we are poised to finish up in the money!

"Were," is actually the operative word here. Seems that the skipper/tactician (me) had some sort of a brain malfunction and had the boat sailing toward another mark further off toward the Marin headlands. After wondering for about a half an hour why the boat we were following appeared to have dropped out of the race, it suddenly occurred to me that maybe we were going the wrong way! A recheck of the course instructions confirmed it. We should have followed the boat that appeared to be dropping out.

We immediately tacked and headed off across the bay toward the Estuary and the finish line at the Oakland Yacht Club. All alone. At this juncture, the crew mutinied and threatened to keel haul the skipper for the pain and embarrassment he was causing. But reason prevailed after I handed out the lunch sandwiches.

Accepting the reality of our situation, it was a really great ride back across the Bay to the Estuary - one tack, broad reach all the way. Entering the Estuary, we alternated between a run and a broad reach as we sailed on down to the Oakland Yacht Club. The whisker pole was set and removed three or four times, and finally, we were abeam of the yacht club and looking for the race committee. YES, they were still there! And we got our horn for finishing. (See photo)

When the results were posted on Monday, we were, of course, in last place - on both actual and corrected time. However, subtracting twenty minutes from our finish time, to account for our off course travel, it appears that we would have corrected out in third place!

Our next race is August in the South Bay.

[frank durant]

Thanks Bill...at least now I know there is ONE Ariel out there sailing. I'd blame the finish on Ebb....didn't ya say he WAS steering??

[mbd]

Thanks Bill! Nice shots of Maika'i and crew. Care to put names to the faces for us? Obviously, Capt Ebb is steering... Is that Gene in the forward part of the cockpit in the first shot?

[bill@ariel231]

Nice pictures , I'm also curious who's who in the cockpit.

sounds like your race commitee is pretty stingy on the PHRF. in Narragansett Bay the base phrf for an Ariel with spinnaker is 258 ,non-spinnaker 277 (heck, I was offered 300 for an offshore race with the inboard & furler credit).

cheers,
Bill

[Bill]

Nice pictures , I'm also curious who's who in the cockpit.

Ebb is steeering, Steve is tailing and I'm in the companionway navigating -

[eric (deceased)]

that last picture makes me wanna' get out-n' push

[Bill]

The race committee just provided another photo of MAIKA'I.