YRA Season Closer

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Learned a lot this last race.  Sure, the usual stuff, sail trim etc.  little gains.  The other things which have seemed to be a theme for me this season, like getting hit in the head at least once per race,  were on my mind, but were not anything new in terms of learning.  

being aware of the tides on SF Bay is critical to doing well in races.  In one of my video clips, shot from Tom's boat Meliki, we go past the south point of Angel Island and the buoy looks like it is being towed by a speedboat, a foot tall wake. I think it was Santa Maria that hit that current first and was instantly swept down 10 to 20 meters in a handful of seconds, easily four knots.  

This was different, we came from Alcatraz ripping along under an awesome spinnaker run and as we passed beneath Angel Island we could see all the boats of the race parked, sails slatting.  We lead our  competitors into the immediate lee of the island.  The theory was that the current would pull us around the island.  What ensued was a battle to make the slightest headway.  We would move up a few feet and then the eddy current would pull us into the shore and set us back the same distance.  It felt like we were parked there for hours and patience grew thin as we baked.  

For me the big lesson of this race was learning to let go of a difference of opinion.  On the boats I have crewed upon, input and chatter seem to work well, after all there is a lot to keep track of.  You provide your input and then it is the skipper who makes the final decision.  This is the way it is and the way it has always been.