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Thread: 2020 Half Moon Bay Race - Photo album and Sea Stories

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    121

    Default 2020 Half Moon Bay Race - Photo album and Sea Stories

    Ahoy!

    Here is the album for any pixs or short videos from the race you took.
    Please add any if you have them:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/mZPEdP3Mz76cntKT8

    And for those interested here are my sea stories & video from the race:
    The forecast was looking like winds building to the 20s with some left over large swells from the blow the day before. The day started out with a beautiful morning off the Golden Gate YC with enough of about an 8-10 knot breeze to get across the line with my 10:10 start and ride the ebb out. I could have used the extra speed from my biggest jib but didn’t want to have to switch it out once in the ocean. I thought maybe I started in the wrong class as I was the only one over at my class signal, but there were only 9 boats that started out of the 27 signed up. Most likely due to the big wind and seas forecast and it was the same roster that was originally signed up for the race. I stayed in the center of the Golden Gate entrance to take advantage of the ebb as the winds really lightened up and I was only doing about 2.5knots. Daniel on his Nauticat 44 and I traded the lead as we were slow motion dueling, floating along in the light wind and ebb. We were so close we had a nice conversation. I saw all the racier boats had tacked over and were working their way along Baker Beach to Mile Rock. Around noon or so the breeze started to fill in and we started to move.
    I could see all the other boats close in shore and decided to head more off shore and keep with the breeze. Tortuga and I were blasting along about 7.5/8knots for about an hour and I tucked in the first reef. As the wind started to lighten up a bit I could see the offshore choice was the best. We were doing about 5 knots or so at that point. I traded places with Galaxsea again and then shook out the reef. The seas started getting bigger and more erratic the closer we got the Pillar Point Harbor and we were down 4.5/5knots as we started running more downwind. I was still about 3 miles off shore. The J30 Geodesic had tacked back out and passed me about 4 miles out. I could see Galaxsea had made a few miles on me and didn’t see any other boats. At that time I wasn’t sure where the rest of the fleet was. About a mile from the finish I did see a spinnaker off my starboard quarter a few miles back. As we approached the finish the breeze was kicking into high gear and in the mid 20s. I knew it was going to be a good time getting all the sails down in the big wind and seas. The entrance to PPH isn’t great for a sailboat. It’s directly into the wind and the swell is beam on after coming to the last buoy to make the turn into the entrance.
    I finished at 1606 which made it almost exactly 6 hours. Not too bad considering the first few hours we were ghosting along!
    Once I did the crazy drill of getting the sails down it was really rippin’ windy. I got into the harbor and attempted to pick up a mooring and then Dave from HMBYC hailed me on VHF to see if I wanted to raft/tie up on their floating dock. It was only Geodesic tied up at that point and I came it to check it out but it was so windy I didn’t want to do a crash landing. After a few more mooring ball attempts in the strong gusty winds, I decided to just anchor. After all of that, I was too tired to pump up the dinghy to head to HMBYC and it was still gusting pretty good, so just decided to call it a night. Had a quick an uneventful motor back to P39 from HMB on Sun AM and to my surprise Tortuga came in second overall and second in her class! Victory by attrition! Of the 9 boats that actually started, only 5 finished! What’s that story about the Tortoise and the Hare?...
    https://youtu.be/u6byyOw7gt4

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Saratoga
    Posts
    336

    Default

    Good stuff.
    I still am not used to the old fish pier being gone.
    The Sea is my Church; the Boat is my Pew.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Santa Rosa
    Posts
    644

    Default

    Great story, wonderful video, very nice photos. Congrats on your finish(es). You earned any pickle dishes the SSS decides should adorn your mantel.

    There's been a Westsail at KKMI tied up along the walk out to my boat. It reminded me of the time I spent crewing on one back in the 1970s when the Oceanic Society was active and I was a newbie SF Bay sailor. No racing, just day cruises with other Oceanic Society boats - usually ending up in Hospital Cove (as Alayah Cove was called then) at Angel Island. A very comfortable boat.

    Pat Broderick

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    3,688

    Default

    Every once in a while, the rule "just follow Gordie" doesn't work. It worked initially going into Baker Beach - Gordie gained a lot each time he went in there - but once we rounded Land's End the wind was nowhere to be found and we all parked up together. You guys found it offshore. Great job!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Posts
    284

    Default

    Nice job Randy! Way to represent and good training for the shtp next year

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