This day we just wanted to start on the left side of the line and go up the left side of the course. We started on port and when we came to the first boat we tacked to starboard. Loose Fish was to our left but had trouble getting over the pin. We went up with a full head of steam and managed to roll them. To keep in pressure we stayed on the left side of the course and managed to round 4th. We were a little slow putting up the spinnaker but still got to the low mark in 3rd rounding the right gate. Although the start was in 12 knots the wind started to decrease to about 9 pulling us back with the other boats.The rest of the race we kept on the left side of the course but kept loose fish at bay.
Again 8 knots of air so so it was not J120 weather. I talked to Doug Schiebner on the phone about the rig tune because we were dead slow upwind yesterday. We took some major turns off of the shrouds and depowered the backstay with full on running backstay. This seemed to be pretty good. We still had problems upwind because I think we crossed too many time and got disturbed air from the classes in front of us. We had some other problems with putting the spinnaker up. I think we tacked too early at the upwind mark and got swallowed. In any case it was not a fun da
Key West - Day 2 I dont know what they ate but 3 of the crew got food poisoning. Baker actually fainted in the bathroom last night and Don was so sick he was not able to go out with us this morning.
Another light air day. We got a decent start on the left side of the line. We managed to reach the upper mark in 5th and had a successful rounding. On the first downwind leg in light conditions the wind filled in from the left and of course we were on the right. We managed to get a few places back but it was ugly. We also finished with Perrigrine. We entered the two boat circle clear ahead and they screamed that they needed room at the mark. (see picture below) To avoid hitting them I gave them enough room to cross so we ended up tying. I took it to the protest room but got ruled against in arbitration. I decided it was better to not take it to the room because I would of had to find the witnesses who by this time had scattered.
I race 2 we just could not just get on the right side.
Today it was at most at 9 to 11 knots wind speed. In the first race we got in the second row on the right side of the starting line. We thought Loose Fish in front of us was over early but it was enough for them to gas us. So the first part of the first leg was getting clean air. With the terrible start we managed to rope in boats ahead of us 1 at a time by good boat speed, tactics and handling. We had some good mark roundings especially in the leeward gates. We managed to polish off Cash Flow on the final leg and tied with El Ocaso. Unfortunately with his aluminum spar we give him 3 seconds a mile.
In the second race we got right up to start with a good carved hole. We got crushed a little when a Ben 40.7 was over early to our right. But he eventually bailed and we obtained free air and again started out move up the fleet. We first nosed out El Ocaso at the upwind mark and then polished off Perrigrine on the downwind mark. By the bottom of the 2nd downwind leg we got ahead of Emocean. On the last upwind leg I think that we sailed the boat a little too full and Emocean managed to pass us again to finish ahead. Bounder had a great second race by placing 1st. It was their type of conditions for the Sydneys, Ben 40.7 and the Hadley. I did like our boat speed most of the time in both races so I am still optimistic.
We have a first. Ted managed to land in jail before his feet even touched the ground. He drove down from Miami when one of the locals followed him into the parking lot where he was staying:
This was posted by Eric Peterson-- crew of Night Moves
Umm, some highlights:
Big swells as soon as we left the safety of the Ft. L harbor, ok no big deal.
Decent wind out of the NE meaning set up for a fast reach with?
Rig the .6, hmm wind building and getting nosier for the start.
Ok, rig the .75 and have it ready, the three and main are up and wer'e moving quite nicely in the prestart.
Hmm, wind is building how about derigging the .75 and change to the 1.5 with 30 seconds to go.
Oh, look one of the tri-mirans has capsized, did I mention big swells and building breeze.
Forget about them, our start is going off, hoist the kite!
Kite up and drawing, douse the #3, ummm, you know what leave it up, it's a nice stable staysail and man we're going fast.
Can't shake free from the other sprit boats, two 109's and a Farr 395.
Hello Miami, good bye Miami.
Goodbye to the other sprit boats as well, they are losing their kites left and right and ours is flying well with the #3.
Wind and waves are growing as it's getting darker, wind is squaring up as we bend around the Keys.
Henry, Jeff and myself are driving and rotating with ever increasing speed. Trimmers and grinders are doing likewise.
Take the #3 down, it's too far aft.
The wind lightens for a while, 5 minute rule becomes a series of about 15 ten minute rules on changing to the .75 AP. Everytime we get close it fills in again.
Ok, let's finally change it. We don't have a regular bowperson and we don't like the looks of the other spin halyard so we'll go bare. No big deal, we're going to do 8 knots with main only for the minute it takes anyway.
.75 is up and drawing nicely, we need to do some jibes to stay out of the Stream.
Override develops after one gybe, we're working on it and puff hits, boat rounds up, no ease and no more .75.
Retrieve .75, now that was a bit of work and , put the 1.5 back up, ok all is good again.
The wind builds, it's pretty steady in the mid 20's with gusts to 30. Huge waves, HUGE, it's been blowing out of the E / NE for a week prior to the race and blowing pretty good day and night. We could tell we were in the stream as the waves got even bigger. For some reason the temp guage on the B&G's never really changes much. I wouldn't trust it for telling you where the Stream is in retrospect.
Regularly doing 15's and 16's with the occassional 17's.
I think it was about 3AM while I was driving and we hit 18.7
About a half hour later when Jeff Pearson was driving we hit the race high of 19.5.
Luiz said they hit 26 knots on the TP52!
More gybes, more rotation of crew. Drivers are so tired we're seeing things. Oh, maybe not, those are Dolphins.
The bow gets buried up to the bow hatch about 5 times, the last time a fish was flapping on the deck just in front of the cockpit.
BOOM, the halyard (the heavier one) blows and the kite comes down and fills with water. Shrimp city! Nine crew and I mean NINE as hard as they can pull crew are retrieving the 1.5. Put er down below and pack her again and put her back up on the lighter primary halyard.
Gybe some more, surf some more. Hey, do another body count make sure we still have 10.
We blow one gybe and wrap the kite around the headstay. It was a nice tight wrap, the kind where you're thinking we're going to finish that way or have to cut the kite down. With three 240 pounders on the bow (Me, Jeff and Charlie Elmer) we get it out.
More gybes, more surfing, more fun.
BOOM, the tack blows out of the 1.5!
Whatever is left of Charlie, Jeff, Me and the rest of the crew we managed to get it behind the main (with some effort as it was pretty well filled behind the boat flying on sheet and halyard as we're still surfing down LARGE swells with main alone doing 10's and 11's and then get it down.
Hmmm, now what? Code? .6? umm, I'm recommending the #3, ok, get it on deck.
Try wing and wing, waves too big, course too unsteady to hold it. Ok, sail slow gybe angles with jib and main for the next three hours and get to the sea bouy to make the turn and fetch the finish. Having the #3 up was actually a welcome relief for Henry, Jeff and I in terms of driving. The three of us were pretty well spent. Driving most of the night was like holding an angry tiger by the tail and for most of the night there was nothing to steer by, no moon, no stars, no stern lights. In those waves, with that kind of pressure it became a real challenge to steer by the compass, electronic or otherwise and the three of us were spent.
We cross the line at 8:50 AM. Fitth place - we beat the other sprit boats (109's and Farr), the Symmetrical kite boats all beat us. From Miami on it was deep and since we didn't have a full 1.5 to run with and it was a bit much to short gybe the reefs in those conditions at night we and the other A-sail boats likely spend far too much time bucking the stream. Proof of this is in our average speed. 160 miles in 20 hours = 8 knots over the ground. Other then the last three to four hours with the 3 we NEVER saw less then 9 knots and I'd say we were AVERAGING 12.
Oh well, we got the boat there and didn't break anything major that can't be fixed in time for the week. Get a well, rinse sails, rinse boat, rinse bow, dry out, swap B sails for A sails, eat, replace halyard clean up call Karl and Frank. As the .75 was in the KW race week picture, Henry had Frank call the loft and pick up the NM .75 before her left. Ahh, all is done, begin 72 hour drunk before returning home Sunday.
Did I mention Hip Kitty? Ah, a story for the future.........
Respectfully submitted to our friends and dock mates on the crew of Carinthia.
I dont know what they ate but 3 of the crew got food poisoning. Baker actually fainted in the bathroom last night and Don was so sick he was not able to go out with us this morning. 
Today it was at most at 9 to 11 knots wind speed. In the first race we got in the second row on the right side of the starting line. We thought Loose Fish in front of us was over early but it was enough for them to gas us. So the first part of the first leg was getting clean air. With the terrible start we managed to rope in boats ahead of us 1 at a time by good boat speed, tactics and handling. We had some good mark roundings especially in the leeward gates. We managed to polish off Cash Flow on the final leg and tied with El Ocaso. Unfortunately with his aluminum spar we give him 3 seconds a mile.
