Coastal Living Newport Regatta July 10-11

[Matt Sole]

Ok I am definately in. It would have been a bummer to miss my home regatta. I fly in to town Friday night and out Sunday night. Short but pets hope sweet. Where are the parties being held???

[Pai]

Ok I am definately in. It would have been a bummer to miss my home regatta. I fly in to town Friday night and out Sunday night. Short but pets hope sweet. Where are the parties being held???

Sail Newport has a tent party after racing both days. Goslings and Heineken are the booze sponsors.

[Zach Freeborn]

We're up to 15 boats with 3 days left before the regatta.  Where are all the WLIS boats?

[Fletcher]

Anybody know any spectator boats headed to the viper circle Saturday?

[Paul Zimmerman]

We are actually at 18 boats.  16 official, but still need justin and Stu Hebb to register, who are both defineatly coming

[Jonathan Nye]

My boat will be there on loan to a M32 owner. Hasn't registered yet so that's one more.
Jonathan

[Tac Boston]

What the heck happened yesterday? Seems like a lot of good boats went home. I also heard something about a race being canceled after a boat or two finished?

Very weird weekend in Newport, I was there sailing Etchell's.

[Olaf Bleck]

Well, let's say the race committee were trying to be perfectionists when the weather was far from it.  Read, a whole lot of sitting around waiting.  At least one start was postponed (due to a huge shift at 2min), as was the third would-be race, which went off Sunday relatively early. 

That was a BS race anyway because the current was honking downwind and the trick evidently was to sail up the shore in about a 5-10 boat-length wide gap between the current and running aground, through a mooring field.  Needless to say, I saw no less than five boats run aground, one more than once.  Anyway, the wind started dying and by the time the 2nd half of the fleet was trying to round the weather mark the second time, it was nearly impossible to make enough VMG to get around it.  Meanwhile, the front half was flying in on the current, never mind the other fleets that started after us, so they called it off.  I can't argue against it since I was on the fringe, particularly since I didn't figure out the shore trick for a tack or two.

For that race, certainly the fair thing to do--which seemed to be the RC's emphasis (obsession ?)--would have been to set a course where the shoreline was well out of play.

Anyway, the fleet bobbed around for a while, some swimming, some drinking, etc. and then the current dropped off and a light breeze came again.  We were sailing circles around the committee boat wondering why they weren't setting a course, and after about an hour of that (during which 6-7 Vipers retired, plus the entire K6 and 505 fleets) they finally did, particularly to try to get race three in, the minimum for a "series".  The only thing is there was a 180deg. shift forecast for when the sea breeze finally did kick in. Sure enough, the wind died again at the windward mark, this time it being just and up and back race.  Chaos ensued as numerous boats drifted into the mark in a big pileup, with sails LIMP.  Fortunately we spotted a spinnaker heading toward us WAAAAYYYY down the bay, and made some attempt to drift to course right and position ourselves to catch it, which ultimately bought us 4th place when it did finally hit, about 15 min later.

All in all it was pretty disappointing, as I'm sure the RC and the race organizers would agree.  However, I'm all for sailing ANY course, rather than not sailing and waiting around for a perfect one.  In fact I was just short of trying to organize a mutiny of sorts and just start our own race, perhaps with a jack rabbit start or something.  Problem was, no windward mark.

I suppose if you're an RC in Newport where it's always honking, one gets used to being able to wait because it doesn't take long to get something decent.  However, they should have started SOMETHING at several instances, because they could have always recalled it if it didn't work out.

Oh well.  Thanks anyway, RC.  :-)

Otherwise, a decent tent party Sat. night (though interestingly, $2 for drinks), reasonable food (taco bar), good DJ, and we hit a few of the bachelorette-party-inundated local spots later for some sightseeing.  One hoist was down, so there were lines to put in/take out, but it was manageable.

See you at the Marblehead NOODs.