Showed up for Thursday racing with John & Dewey on the Interlake, but once we got out on the course I saw that Steve was without crew and I hopped on with him. Light conditions for the evening, and we got two races in. Reasonable upwind legs, but without a kite we struggled on the downwind legs. I drove for the second race and had fun being back on the helm of one of Steve's boats in the mix of a race.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Look for the yellow kite in the middle of the fleet...
Celebrated my birthday today onboard Dangerous for the first race in Wednesday Night Series B. A crew of 3 and a single W/L lap up to K and back on account of the poor air quality and light-ish wind. Tacked through the middle of the course all the way up to K and had a few interesting crossings. Got established downwind and slowly set a kite. A small hourglass at the beginning but it worked itself out nicely. I worked with Josiah on spin trim, managed a gybe, and we got involved in a tight finish with Diablo and a couple J/70s. Nice to finally get a spin up and get a feel for how well the boat moves downwind under the kite.
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
Took a paddle today off SMSA with Ruby. Showed them the Barba Roja & friends fleet and had a nice chat off Zanheiser's. Followed our paddle with a great dinner at Bugeye Grill & a walk around the island.
Monday, June 5, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
A sunset paddle this evening to get my mind off things. Calm conditions allowed me to venture out into the river, where I headed north for the first time on a board up to Greenwell State Park. Got to sneak a glance at lots of pretty houses along the river - I picked out my favorite for when I win the lotto! Saw several rays and caught a rather strange hazy sunset due to the wildfires. Great to get my body moving and get out in nature to try and de-stress.
Sunday, June 4, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
Dropped in off SMSA for a paddle around the harbor after showing a perspective member around the club. Took a meandering lap all the way up Back Creek and Mill Creek. Did lots of boat watching, including a close-up look at Pursuit and a brief inspection of a little boat I'd like to buy.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
A Dangerous sandwich
Light-to-moderate conditions for the fleet building night. After our recent string of late starts we headed to the line with the mission of within 30 seconds or OCS. We started 35 seconds late so close to goal, but quickly found ourselves sandwiched between two big cruisng boats. We hung with them for a bit until we could get enough clearance to get into fresh breeze. We lured one of them into a hole and tacked back into good air. A nice mark rounding and a tight close reaching leg where we reeled in our rival J/29. A nice beat to the finish and a solid race all around. Jason and I are working better and better together and we're getting into the nitty gritty of what the boat wants for sail trim. Hoping to finish the spin hardware and put a kite up next week!
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
A cool and breezy paddle off Clarke's Landing. Went out towards Myrtle Point to get out of the breeze and did some sightseeing up in the back of the creeks. Spotted a pair of gorgeous Tartan sailboats, plus some herons, osprey, and rays. A good workout heading upwind on the return trip. Glad I chanced it and got out there.
Monday, May 29, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Barba Roja & Friends
Out with my brother, Steve & the Barba Roja crew & alumni on a meandering cruise up the river. Puffy conditions and a bit of spitting rain here and there didn't deter us from a long and pleasant trip around 20nm. My brother got to drive the boat for a bit and got a lesson in keeping a good course. A great afternoon on the water with friends.
Thursday, May 25, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
First Bucc around the mark
Crew today on Steve's Bucc for the Thursday Night races. Ideal moderate conditions for 4 W/L races. I had a great time on the boat and was able to get in the groove quickly, and we had two great upwind legs during two of the races. No spin hardware is set up on the boat so we suffered on the downwind legs, but still finished respectably. A fun evening on the water and nice to get to enjoy some small boat racing here and there.
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Playing games with Making Waves on the downwind leg
Last race of SMSA Wednesday Night Series A. A crew of 3 for a light race. Timed the start poorly so we ended up well behind the fleet but made up good time on the upwind leg. A long, slow downwind leg as we got caught a little below the breeze. Tried to make it up on the last upwind leg but couldn't quite manage it. A 5th place overall. Still slowly chipping away at making the boat go well in varying conditions.