Even when you already know it’s coming, 30 knots is so much. And we—and presumably the entire fleet competing in final September’s Naval Academy Crusing Squadron Fall Race to Cambridge—knew it was coming.
It’s secure to say, although, that many of the fleet hadn’t been in racing mothballs for 25 years, as had we and our Peterson 34. In reality, we had by no means raced her—although she (and we) had seen loads of racing miles earlier than we purchased her to be a quick, enjoyable cruising boat. With two little youngsters on board, Johnny and I hung up our racing spurs and hers and discovered the best way to be cruising sailors.
Then two years in the past, our good friend Dave invited us to race on his boat within the Governor’s Cup, an annual overnighter from Annapolis to St. Mary’s, Maryland. It was a drifter. Nonetheless a ton of enjoyable. And the little voice began speaking…what if we had been to race Luna? Only for enjoyable? Simply us—not a crew? Low key, nothing loopy…in any case, she has a windlass, two photo voltaic panels, a grill, a furling headsail, and a honking massive anchor on a bow curler. How critical might we probably be?
A brand new set of sails and a 12 months later, with strategic prodding once more from Dave, we acquired an up to date PHRF certificates and signed up for the 35-mile race from Annapolis to Cambridge, with Dave making our crew three. Hewing to the low-key idea, we entered a cruising class.
The forecast was for 10-15 out of the southwest forward of a chilly entrance that was to come back by means of with a dramatic, 25-plus northwest wind shift round 1 p.m. The plus turned out to be 30, and the shift hit simply as we turned from the Bay into the Choptank River, placing the brand new wind lifeless astern. It roared throughout the Bay underneath an impressive, malevolent sky, practically spawning a waterspout a couple of mile north, ripping spray off the wavetops, and wreaking a little bit of havoc behind us the place a number of formidable sailors within the racier courses had already set chutes—for a quick, thrilling second, anyway.
As we flew into the river underneath a full most important and jib, an outbound present bucking the wind started stacking the waves. Earlier than lengthy Johnny’s skillful helming had us browsing at 10-plus knots—not unhealthy for a 47-year-old IOR boat with a windlass, two photo voltaic panels, a furling headsail, and a honking massive anchor on a bow curler (we did take away the grill earlier than the beginning—it appeared just a little extreme).
Together with the wind and waves, this leg was difficult by the truth that we needed to jibe a number of occasions to honor marks of the course and keep away from slamming aground because the river turned and narrowed to the end at Cambridge. Throw in dozens of sprit boats careening previous inside a boatlength in numerous levels of management—or not—together with a Class40 that missed a mark and short-tacked again into the oncoming fleet, and it was, in a phrase, wild. Intense. Exhilarating.
And I noticed one thing: I had missed this. It jogged my memory of a long-ago, raucously windy Key West Race Week when on daily basis we sailed on the bushy edge pushing the boat—in that case, a Henderson 30—and ourselves. We returned to the Chesapeake a extra assured, succesful, and sure, cocky crew.
And that’s the case for racing. It’s a crucible of studying. If this had been a typical weekend sail, we might have reefed method down and sailed as conservatively as attainable, or extra seemingly holed up in a creek lengthy earlier than a 30-knot entrance blew by means of. However this was totally different. Even in our little cruising class, we needed to sail as effectively and as quick as we might, and that meant, as Johnny would say, “Mash the pedal to the ground and hope she handles within the turns.” Honking massive anchor or not, midway isn’t in this system.
Setting apart the darkish magic of calling wind shifts and ways, simply working to sail as quick as attainable in regardless of the scenario—and in no matter sort of boat, from dinghies on up—means an intense deal with the sails, the wind, your rivals, the boat. It means staying on the market and figuring it out, whether or not in 30 knots or 5. It means pushing the boat and your self previous the place you may not go in any other case, and that’s the place you develop as a sailor.
We in all probability received’t exit searching for 30-knot fronts to play in anytime quickly, however now I do know that we and the boat can deal with it if one thing comparable comes our method once more. And I do know one other factor: Perhaps you’ll be able to take the sailor out of racing, however hopefully, you’ll be able to’t take racing out of the sailor.
Carry on crusing,
Wendy
[email protected]
January/February 2025
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