Century Club: Jonathan Nepini

Took a quick morning sail to show my brother the new boat. Light but puffy conditions made for a lot of work for me to keep the boat going. Sailed out to Mattapany and flew a spin back to Solomons. Michael really enjoyed the boat and I'm sure we'll get to spend lots of time on it together.

Light-ish conditions set us up for a triangle course today. Stayed in the mix on the upwind leg, but lost ground to the asymmetric boats on the two reaching legs. 5/6 so not a fantastic finish but nonetheless a beautiful day to be out there getting it done!

Out with some friends this evening on Knot Enuf. Happened upon the Barba Roja and swung by to say hi to Steve & Ana. Took a long close reach out into the Bay and back. I got seasick which is unusual for me, but exhaustion and 3-5ft rollers on the beam weren't doing me any favors. Felt better when we got back into the river and caught a beautiful sunset. Nice way to extend my leisure time after getting home from vacation. 

Governor's Cup 2023!!! Always a major highlight of my sailing year.

Delivered the boat up to Annapolis under heavy downwind conditions and following seas. Flew a spin 3/4 of the way there until we broached and sucked a little water into the cockpit. Consistent 7kts and the fastest trip to Annapolis I've ever done by boat.

After a restful night at a friend's house in Edgewater and a last-minute electrical repair and bottom cleaning we set out for our big adventure. After fretting about heavy upwind conditions forecasted all week we were instead met with light conditions at the start. We just barely drifted to the line, and set about making the most of light and shifty winds. We favored the western shore for the first few hours of the race to avoid a significant adverse current. We hung close to our main rival Diablo, and eventually passed them. We traded a couple tacks to cover until night fell. After the adverse current never materialized, we made for the rhumb line and sailed down the middle of the Bay around Cove Point. Conditions became very light around midnight in the vicinity of Cedar Point, and we worked hard to keep the boat trimmed correctly and moving. Our work in this part of the race helped us put some distance on our competition. A major shift south of Cedar Point allowed us to carry a spin all the way to our rounding of Point Lookout at sunrise. It was champagne sailing for the rest of the race, with plenty of breeze up the St. Mary's, and an elapsed time just over 18 hours. 

Our efforts were rewarded with a second in the PHRF B/C class. I couldn't be happier with the way every member of the crew worked together and talked strategy the whole race and stayed laser-focused on our goal. 

Dewey and I delivered the boat back to Solomons Saturday evening and got in during the wee hours of Sunday morning.

I'm already looking forward to next year!