Wednesday Night Races

It's been blowing in the high teens, gusting as high as 30, all afternoon, so I was a bit surprised to a bunch of sails out in the bay this evening. That is, until I realized it was Wednesday night -- race night. It's a bit too much wind for me to effectively singlehand in a crowded bay, but these are fully crewed boats and for them, the more wind the better.

As it turns out, I'm more or less anchored on the course. All the boats had to pass within a couple hundred feet us, with one crossing a few feet off my bow. Zoe loved it -- she was hanging out on the foredeck and thought they were coming by to see her.

They all had to round a buoy a few hundred yards south of me, and with the wind coming out of the south, had to tack to it on a close reach, round it, then run back past me. Several of them hoisted their spinnakers as they went by the second time.

I've never had much of an interest in racing, but it sure looked like a lot of fun. I might have to try it sometime. It's certainly a good way to hone your skills.