Looking good right until we didn't
Raced on Dangerous today for the Hooper/Point-No-Point race. Heavy conditions, with winds steadily in the 20s with gusts to 35 and chop to match. We started downwind and made the decision early to put up a spinnaker. With very active trim we were able to carry it and make incredible speed for about 10 minutes, right up until we spectacularly broached and just about put the spreaders in the water. We got the boat back up quickly and doused the spin, and were underway again in several minutes. On the run to Hooper's we had a hard gybe and sheared the vang bracket off the mast. Our run was followed by an incredibly wet but fast reach to Point-No-Point, covering half the race course in about 2 hours. We rounded the light, and proceeded to pound into sturdy chop all the way back up the Bay. About halfway up we decided we'd had enough and took the jib down and tucked into shore, hoping to find less wind and chop. Finding neither, we continued to sail under main alone and eventually did manage to complete the course. A challenging day on the water for sure, but good to get the boat out in big conditions and learn about how she behaves and what the crew can do to improve boat handling.