Dan's Blog: Kitsap Harbor Regatta- May 29-30

The great Memorial Day Weekend! The unofficial kickoff to the summer vacation season. Bremerton celebrates this with a Harbor Festival with displays, old boats, concerts all centered on the new Bremerton Marina and the adjacent boardwalk. Boats come from all over Puget Sound to participate in the festivities. Part of the program includes the Harbor Regatta, two days of sailboat races sponsored by the festival. I decided on Friday to race this race. This is the second year of the regatta and participation has been low. But this year, some clubs were planning cruises to the marina for the weekend and some of the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club boats were planning to race.

Saturday was rainy with the winds predicted to be light SW winds to 10knots. The race start was located at off the Port Orchard marina and was to consists of two laps of a course with the windward mark near Gorst in the south end on Sinclair Inlet and a leeward mark north of Annapolis for 10.6 nm.

I had a great start in the very light winds and opened up a good lead. The winds came more out of the NW and spinnakers were set on boats behind and some closed up on me. I set a spinnaker and gained some more only to have the wind shift back to the SW and the leg became a beat once more. The boats behind gained again. Around the weather mark, up with the spinnaker and headed toward the next mark. The winds became light and variable again near Ross Pt and once again Emerald Lady(Catalina 27) and Tantrum II(Schock 35) closed up on me. I finally wiggled free and took off in 10 knots of wind. The wind stayed steady until I got near the windward mark when it was shifty in direction. I got to the windward mark and set the spinnaker once more. The boats behind struggled through the variable conditions and I gained a lot of time. Around the leeward mark once more and to the finish. I owed Emerald Lady 26.5 minutes for the course. They finished about 23minutes behind me and won the race for the day. I was second. I sailed part way home to Brownsville and motored the rest of the way.

The race on Sunday was another 10.6 nm race, but this time it started in the waters in front of Bremerton, sailed north to a temporary buoy north of University Point and back. This time, the wins were SE at about 7 knots at the start. The race started downwind with the spinnakers up. Emerald Lady and I got great starts at the gun. Dacha(C&C115) was a bit late and had to fight a strong ebb current at the starting line. Dacha got clear and we had a good duel downwind to the mark. The beat back turned into one short tack and then one long tack for me from University Pt until way past Illahee as the winds shifted more east. Dacha took several tacks. At a location locals call the "Tennis Courts", the winds dropped again and after a transition zone of variable winds, the wind filled in from the SW. I could see Emerald Lady way behind sailing fast as I set trying to get into the new wind. After the wind filled in, I short tacked the beach for current relief and crossed the line first again, but had to wait until Emerald Lady finished to know the final results.

Finally last night I received an email that said that I won the race on Sunday. This placed Emerald Lady and I tied with the same number of points. The tie breaking rules are confusing, but I won the tie breaking process and was first for the weekend. The overall prize is a boat haulout at Yachtfish Marine in Port Orchard. This is great, because I was planning to haul the boat out of the water this year for bottom maintenance anyway and was trying to figure out a way to save up enough money to do it. So, this becomes a miracle win for me!

Thanks to the Harbor Festival, James F. and the participants of the regatta.. It was good to see Dacha from Sloop Tavern Yacht Club along with some of their crew who I have known for several years. And thanks to my crew, me.

Total miles travelled for the weekend(including deliveries to/from Brownsville): 63.5 nm.

EDIT: 6-4-2010 The race committee made a mistake calculating the results for Sunday and when they were recalculated Emerald Lady actually won on Sunday by 52 seconds. They won both days and wone the regatta. So tonight I will present them with the letter authorizing them a haulout at Yachtfish Marine.

After the start on Saturday. Light rainy conditions.

Tantrum II gaining on me at Ross PT on Saturday.

Emerald Lady gaining on me at Ross Pt on Saturday.

Tantrum II and Emerald Lady on Saturday.

Our course on Saturday. The start was in front of the Port Orchard Marina, the weather mark to the left and the leeward mark to the right. Confusing with the tracks of two laps overlayed.