by Steve Benjamin
The continue for a 2006 Vineyard Race presented a unique set of challenges. Hurricane Ernesto was progressing Northerly up a East Coast. Meanwhile a manly Canadian High was steadfastly holding belligerent in a Northeast. The total counter-rotating pressure systems produced a flue effect focusing a strongest winds over Western Long Island Sound upon Saturday afternoon.
There were 53 entries in a fleet, twenty-seven boats which essentially started, as good as only 3 which finished: Blue Yankee (RP 66), Snow Lion (Ker 50, as good as Lora Ann (Express 37).
Aboard Blue Yankee you had maxed out a organisation to a IRC extent of twenty as good as left a dock in Stamford about 3:00 pm for a 4:20 pm begin of IRC Class Super Zero (Class 8). Our devise to begin with a full categorical as good as best genoa fast got modified when you saw solid white caps upon a Sound as good as steady winds over twenty knots, directly out of a East, putting a initial mark Buzzards Tower precisely upwind as good as 120 miles away. The preference to begin with a initial reef, as good as # 4 genoa was reached, as good as executed inside Stamford harbor.
We held starboard hook off a line, to get a small stream service off Smith Reef as good as Long Neck Point in Darien, in a last of a flood. Quickly you realized a greatest adversary would be a waves. Blue Yankees targets call for 10.5 knots upwind in winds over twenty knots. But you found which pounding in to a waves during which speed would almost positively mangle possibly a boat, or a crew, or may be both! So you began to delineate a devise to minimize bearing to a seaway.
In an Easterly upon LIS there are not many places to hide. We motionless to hook to pier off Long Neck Point, as good as laid a march SE for Long Island. After about five mins upon pier you slammed in to a small huge seas as good as pennyless a #4 carbon/kevlar genoa. The cruise came down, as good as you transposed it with a subsequent smallest genoa a Storm Jib. The Storm Jib with a singular embankment categorical was a good cruise combination, as good as took us all a approach to a Tower.
On pier you fetched Eatons Neck, as good as carried upon in to Smithtown Bay. Normally you would never cruise inside Smithtown Bay fearing light winds, however in this Easterly clever breeze a Bay (South of a Line of Death) provided acquire service from a waves upon Long Island Sound, as good as five to 10 knots less wind. Meanwhile, Chris Williams of North Sails was subsequent repairing a repairs to a #4 so you could use which cruise again if conditions moderated (they didnt, though you got a cruise up upon a run home).
At any indicate especially off Port Jefferson you had to step out in to a Sound, as good as stifle back, to equivocate damage. Past Port Jefferson you found service from a seaway all a approach East to Horton Neck, where a contention among a afterguard about a best resolution to exit a Sound ensued. Basically there were dual choices given you were determined to equivocate The Race. One option was to hook starboard as good as go North of Fishers Island, where you was certain there would be calm seas. The Northerly resolution was appealing, though a navigation by Fishers Island Sound, especially during night in winds gusting over 30, was daunting.
We motionless to exit a Sound by a Gut which was a good solution. Nice as good as flat seas as good as a breeze point of view kept us violence upon pier tack. We abandoned a required plan of reduced tacking Plum Island in a early flood, as good as held pier for a landfall only West of Gardiners Island looking for service from a seaway. After a reduced starboard hook out as good as around 1GI upon a North side of Gardiners Island, you held a prolonged pier for Montauk. Again, you found service from a seas a closer you got to a South Fork.
I was unequivocally disturbed about setting out opposite Rhode Island Sound upon a prolonged starboard from Montauk, though it was not as bad as you expected, as good as there was no preference except branch back, as good as which was not starting to happen. We were able to have a landfall West of Point Judith, as good as tacked in toward Newport around daybreak upon Saturday morning. We competence have overdone a plan of staying tighten to land, you saw a orange barrels as good as handle fish nets off Sakonnet as good as tacked out right away!
As you approached Buzzards Tower around 10:15 am upon Saturday, a breeze at a moment forsaken subsequent thirty knots. Thinking about a run home, as good as reviewing a forecasts which pronounced a winds would rise in between 9 as good as twelve upon Saturday, you motionless to shake up a initial embankment before reaching a Tower, given it would be really hard to do downwind. Bad idea!
At a Tower a spinnaker preference was mine. Tim Powell asked for a masthead 3A as good as you should have listened. Thinking you had true using conditions in underneath 30, as good as checking a polar sailchart, you called for a 4A (maximum size masthead runner). The multiple worked good for about fifteen mins as good as you were off, hell bent for Block Island, in winds around thirty as good as knots, with boatspeeds usually over 20.
Then a initial of multiform clever gusts hit as good as Blue Yankee dull up rather suddenly. We are still getting to know a vessel as good as how fast she loads up, as good as this wipe out was a bit of a surprise, to contend a least. Just solid as good most cruise up in as good most wind, with a header. Well, a CO reaching strut cracked as good as afterwards a man snapped. So you were laid over, spinnaker flogging, categorical boom in a H2O as good as yours truly upon helm trying to bear away. With a charge bowsprit still up, it was possible. Around this time you saw Snow Lion violence upwind toward a Tower, did a small severe calculations, as good as figured a corrected times competence be tighten for a Race.
Finally, she answered a helm (always return a rudder to centerline after broaching, blow a vang, hike similar to crazy, as good as pray quickly) as good as bore away. We regained carry out with a hook of a asym upon a hook line as good as were positively flying. The feeling upon a helm was this multiple was quite unsustainable. After about 10 minutes, as good as an additional hard broach, you called for a 4A drop. The organisation did an overwhelming job, got a 4A down fast with a letterbox drop, as good as rught away set up a 5A reduced area heavy air fractional asym.
Under full categorical as good as 5A you were off again, laying Block Island upon pier as good as with most larger carry out than you had with a 4A masthead asym up. The contention in a afterguard turned to how to navigate around Block Island as good as where to come in a Sound. The contention could not last long, you were closing Block Island during over twenty knots! We were expecting a breeze shift from a East to a Southeast, as good as longed for to in front of to a North as you entered a Sound, so which called for The Race. Accordingly a gybe around Block Island was in order. There was substantial apprehension onboard about getting a categorical opposite in 40 knots as good as a repairs which competence outcome from gybing. As a contention peaked you got a lull as good as you called for a gybe. Of march as soon as a organisation was ready to gybe (not long!), it proposed gusting 42 or 43 again. Drop Spinnaker Now. And you tacked unclothed headed (granny).
Always try to have a small headsail up for tacking in heavy air. We almost did not have it. But a vessel kept only a small speed as good as you were off again upon starboard with full categorical aiming for a North side of The Race. Next discuss what headsail or spinnaker? Ian Walker as good as Tim Powell argued for a Jib Top which was a good call, as good as you made reduced work of Rhode Island Sound upon starboard, aiming for Race Rock, winds gusting 40 plus, as good as steady boatspeed still around twenty plus. you think this is where Tim hit a rise speed for a Race of 29.6.
We approached The Race during a finish of a ebb, as good as you used binoculars to endorse my fears, overfalls upon each wave. We had already detected which Blue Yankee will bury her bow in a big reduced seas, as good as you was certain which a overfalls in The Race would benefaction a single of a greatest challenges to finishing this Race.
Tim did a superb job helming by these waves. Heading up during only a right time, as good as skillfully using a vessel by this minefield. His Volvo knowledge shined through, as good as he pronounced later which it rarely got this bad even upon a Volvo race. In truth this is a single of a longest durations of sustained gales you have experienced to date, positively upon Long Island Sound, as good as rivaled only by a Hemingway Cup as good as Sardinia Cup.
We were breathing a small easier after creation it by The Race, as good as planning a plan of three tacks in to a finish at a back of in Stamford. Eddie Warden Owen came up upon rug as good as proposed to ask us. What is a highest breeze you have seen? What are you starting to do if it unequivocally picks up? His questions were good presented. Shortly thereafter you proposed saying gusts in to a 50s. The full categorical as good as bowsprit top was obviously as good most sail. We brought a masthead starboard halyard abaft as good as secured it to a spinnaker branch retard padeye to add support to a mast. Next preference how do digest cruise upon this dead run?
Mother inlet left us really small time for discussion. Several more gusts in to a 50s as good as skipper Bob Towse instructed us to digest sail. We sent a bow team, lead by Mitch White, brazen as good as forsaken a Jib Top. It cleared part approach overboard, as good as pennyless a integrate of stanchions in a process, though a organisation wrestled it at a back of aboard. Now unclothed headed, you luffed conduct to breeze in 50 knots, as good as forsaken a main.
The cruise came down good to a second reef, though a close mechanism there was cryptic as good as it took awhile to dump it all a way. Again, a organisation did a superb job as good as got a cruise secured to a boom with lashing. Tried to unclothed away, not possible. Hoisted a Storm Jib, as good as a vessel answered a helm immediately.
Once using with a Storm Jib, you fast got a Storm Trysail set as good as were creation steady speeds around 15 knots in a winds still gusting over 50. After multiform mins you regained a nerve to replace a Storm Jib with a #4. Good call, as good as you made good swell Westerly down a Sound, straight toward a core of Ernesto!
This charge was a single of a rare occasions where you have essentially sailed downwind in to a strongest winds. Usually a gusts overtake you from astern. On this run home to Stamford, you essentially felt similar to you was being sucked in to a core of a low. The further West you sailed downwind, a windier it got! Around this time you recorded a rise breeze for a Race during 62 knots!
Running upon starboard with a Storm Trysail as good as #4, as good as a total organisation of twenty in a stern, Ian Walker referred to you indispensable a bowsprit trimmer to lend towards a genoa sheet. Just as he pronounced it, you hit a wave, a piece bounced out of a self-tailer, as good as a #4 rught away proposed flogging in front of a vessel with both sheets flailing in front of it. Not good. you pronounced to Mitch White a bowman you theory you better take it down. He pronounced something similar to thanks a lot as good as took his group to a bow again to try as good as get it down. They got it down though you hit multiform waves as good as it nearly cleared overboard. To their credit they saved a sail, as good as themselves, though it was dicey to contend a least.
Next, a Storm Jib went at a back of up as you approached a Cowes Buoy. The cruise multiple was preferred for a strech in to a finish at a back of a breakwater, as good as you crossed a finish line reaching faster than twenty knots, in 50 knots of wind!
Blue Yankee finished a march of 238 nm in 25 hours twenty mins as good as 2 seconds gone by time, to win a race in a IRC Fleet with a corrected time of 37:44:51. Snow Lion placed second with Lora Ann third. Blue Yankee was awarded multiform trophies:
The Nina Trophy First vessel to turn Buzzards Tower as good as finish
The Jig Time Performance Trophy Best corrected time IRC from Buzzards Tower to a finish
The Bill Luders Trophy Fastest gone by time IRC
Nirvana Trophy Best Vineyard Performance by a 3 vessel group (for Storm Trysails Red Team with Lora Ann as good as Googolplex)
Vineyard Lightship Best corrected time IRC
Northern Ocean Racing Trophy For a NORT Series
Back ashore as night fell there were no lights upon in Norwalk. Ernesto had knocked out a power as good as there were trees down all over a place. The subsequent day a internal news reported 150,000 homes but electricity in a area.
The organisation of Blue Yankee -
Towse, Robert skipper, navigator, as good as owner
Backus, Justin
Benjamin, Steve - helmsman
Clark, Chris
Jurkowski, Dave
Kane, Rob - mate
Kelly, Matt
Murphy, Jordy
Newkirk, Bill - captain
Ogden, Spencer
Malloy, Chris
McCarthy, Tom
Means, Artie
Spinney, Lat
Powell, Tim watch captain
Reynolds, Matt
Walker, Ian - helmsman
Warden Owen, Eddie
White, Mitch - bowman
Williams, Chris
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