Boat cam video on YouTube https://youtu.be/6UiUEKjvQqk

Regional wind forecast


  • Course W2 165˚ 1.6 nm legs
  • 7 kts ~165˚

Local Sailflow wind forecast
  • Flooding current throughout race time. Max westerly flow of .95 kts at ~6:30 PM.


  • Navionics waypoint on the iPad is set at the upwind mark’s projected location.
  • At the start: after being forced up by Archangel at the committee boat end, Habanero tacks away and starts late. Video 5:55
  • Video cam time display is ~1.4 minutes behind race committee clock.
  • We briefly talk about protesting Archangel. We dropped it.
  • Habanero tacks onto port following Glim.
  • Race committee notifies by radio that legs are shortened to 1.3 nm. Waypoint location adjusted accordingly.
  • Old #1 genoa. Deck leads at 6.
  • Habanero climbs to windward of Glim before tacking back to starboard.
  • Breeze shifts right to ~205˚
  • Habanero is lifted to the windward mark layline on starboard, rounding behind Tenacity, Ishkoodah, Sunshine Daydream, Participant and Archangel who all played the left side of the beat.
  • Habanero is 6th around the upwind mark. Video 24:38
  • Reset waypoint at actual location of upwind mark.
  • Clean chute set, good downwind boat speed on port gybe for all but the last hundred or so yards to the downwind mark.
  • Thunderstorms moving from SW to NE inshore. Lots of lightning and rain over back Stamford, New Canaan. We see almost rain during race time.



  • Tenacity and a few other boats play the far right side of the run. They seemed doomed.
  • Participant and Glim close-in on Habanero from astern as breeze softens, continues shifting right.
  • Tenacity reaches in from far right side of the run to round leeward mark ahead of Habanero and the fleet.
  • within a few hundred feet of the downwind mark we gybe right for speed, then gybe back to port, roll out the jib, douse the kite. Video 36:56



  • Archangel follows Tenacity rounding ahead of Habanero
  • Habanero rounds the downwind mark but reaches off without pointing up and closing the door on remaining pursuers Glim and Voidoid. Video 40:33
  • Breeze fades as Habanero sails into a hole now shared with Tenacity, Ishkoodah, Archangel. Video 54:43
  • Sunshine Daydream parks astern of the group.
  • Glim and Voidoid park nearby to our East.
  • Over the next 40+ minutes flooding current sweeps all boats West ~½ mile
  • While all boats sit becalmed, Daydream moves at about 4 kts from behind into our group and glides to a stop. Did they power up to us? Is this a prank?
  • We’re all, slatting, waiting for breeze. All boats flirt with reaching chutes eventually dousing in favor of genoas.
  • At ~8 PM race committee radios that the course has been shortened again making the upwind mark the finish.
  • Vigilant anchors ~200 ft West of the upwind mark/finish pin to set the finish line.
  • Sunset 8:02 PM. Waypoint at upwind mark / pin end of the finish line bears 130°. No one can see the mark nor committee boat in fading daylight.
  • Breeze fills in from ~090°.
  • at ~8:30 PM Tenacity moves away first on port tack. Video 1:30:01
  • Habanero catches new breeze at ~8:32 PM after other boats are on the move. Video 1:32:50
  • Darkness falls. Flashlights on jib telltales. Habanero and others sail at ~45˚ apparent.
  • Vigilant's LED deck lights are now visible as boat end of finish line.
  • All boats fetch the finish. No opportunity to mix things up by tacking.
  • Habanero moving upwind ~4+ kts, slightly faster than Archangel. We cannot cannot break through Archangel's wind shadow in the short remaining distance to the finish.
  • Habanero finishes 39 seconds to ~2 ½ minutes behind group including Tenacity, Sunshine Daydream, Participant, Voidoid, Ishkoodah, and Archangel. Video 1:48
  • Glim finishes 13 seconds behind Haba.
  • J 24 Blue Moon finishes 16 minutes behind Glim.
  • Participant wins, Habanero is 8th, Tenacity is in 9th and last place on corrected time.

Q

Aug 08, 2018