The 65th running of the Down the Bay Race took place May 23, and approximately 30 boats set sail from Annapolis to Hampton. When the Hampton YC (HYC) opened the event to multihulls, I was quick to register our Corsair F27 trimaran Lola 3 The Wild Child.
The race forecast called for 36 hours of 10-20 knots of northwest breeze, and spirits across the fleet were high in anticipation of a record run. We started at Annapolis R2 under full main and double-slotted foresails making 10-13 knots SOG down the rhumb line – life was good! By the West River the wind had backed a bit and the foresails were replaced with a spinnaker, but speeds were still in the double digits. However, here we committed the sin of talking about what to do when we made it to Norfolk before “last call.” Naturally the breeze started to soften and go aft, and while we could see Cove Point in time for lunch, it was clear the sleigh ride was ending. For the next six hours we crawled in various dying breezes to get within a stone’s throw of Point No Point Light, where we broke out the anchor to avoid making negative VMG and headed to the galley to cook dinner. No sooner had we finished our meal than wisps of breeze could be seen filling in. Around nine p.m., as the last of the sunset turned to black, we again made way toward Hampton.
And boy did we make way. No sooner had we gotten underway than we found ourselves reducing sail as fast as we could, ending up with only a deeply reefed main but still making double digit speeds running dead down wind. The waves were especially large, and while the surfing was fun, avoiding accidental gybes became a huge priority after our traveler car exploded. We made the necessary jury-rig repairs and soldiered on, but stayed conservative until we could fully assess the situation at first light.
It was a long night, but as we reached the turning mark at the York River – 10 nm miles to go – the sun peeked above the horizon. Fully confident our repairs would hold, we hoisted the jib and enjoyed a blast reach into the finish, averaging 13 knots SOG for the last leg. At the HYC docks, one of the other racers –a beautiful schooner out of Oxford named Light Reign – told us they saw consistent breeze over 35 knots overnight. It’s a real credit to the fleet that everyone weathered the conditions so well. I hope more people support races like this. The short sprints in protected waters to the same ole places are nice, but it’s also fun to take on a bigger challenge. I would do it again in a heartbeat for the race, or for the cruise back home, which featured pelicans and dolphins.
Thanks so much to HYC for the invite to join the race and to Steve Marsh at Finish Line/Corsair Marine and Trey Ritter of Great Lakes Multihull Race Association who set us up with ratings. For full results, visit hamptonyc.com/downthebay
by Russell Wesdyk
