Sunny, Windy, and FUN
After one of the wettest July's that anyone can remember, August arrived along with the sun. Just in time for the August 3, Skipper's choice.
The sun was being escorted by a high pressure system from the north, bringing a fresh 10-15 knot breeze from the North-Northwest. So, as Haiku and Surprise gathered at Marmion Island for the start of the race, the skipper's knew from past experience, that the wind would be coming through Young Bay fresher than anywhere else south of town. So, they agreed the race from Marmion to Pt. Hilda and back was the best choice.
And they were right.
The race starts in Gastineau Channel, so the trick is to escape the channel early. Get clear of Marmion and Icy Point on Douglas, and get into the fresh breeze first. On this Sunday, Haiku managed to do just that, building an early lead on Surprise.
As they cleared the Icy Point, the wind freshened enough that Haiku, with their hanked on Genoa, decided to perform a headsail change. Although they were ahead of Surprise at this time, going bare headed to make the sail change is always a risky option. Do you take the speed hit in hopes that the wind remains strong to make the change worth it?
Haiku tacked back towards Douglas Island, dropped the #1 (150), the foredeck frantically un-hanking the genoa, while the cockpit crew anxiously awaited the chance to hoist the #2 (130). Foredeck performed admirably, and the new jib was up.
With the smaller jib, Haiku was able to stay on her feet a bit better, and climbed back above Surprise. The wind remained around 15 knots through the windward mark, where Haiku was able to set the spinnaker, and run as fast as possible back to the finish.
With a favorable current, and good breeze, Haiku was able to make it back to Marmion island in only one jibe, running at speeds of 6.5 - 7 knots.
At Marmion, the wind predictably switched from behind to running out of the channel, and again, Haiku's foredeck quickly doused the spinnaker in favor of the jib, while the helmswoman held the course. The quick actions of Haiku's crew resulted in barely a slowdown despite a 90 degree windshift, and they crossed the line about 15 minutes in front of Surprise, who held their own despite not being able to escape the channel as early as Haiku.