Hopes were high in the morning, when winds were clocked up to 20 knots. However, the extreme heat of the day caused the sea breeze to fight a near by pressure system, which caused the wind to die by the time the first gun was scheduled to go off.
After waiting 2 hours in 90 degrees heat, the race committee sent off the Sonars right before the time limit elapsed. Russ and Ethan left the line with strong starts. Russ played center right during the first beat and rounded in first. The wind from a northwesterly front continued to build during the race, providing the team with excellent practice changing gears, keeping momentum on the Sonar, and calling shifts. During the last upwind beat, the wind went 30 degrees right and picked up to 12-15 knots. Russ' team rounded the last mark a few boat lengths ahead of the next competitor, quickly set and gybed onto a reach. Thanks to the excellent kite trimming by Holt Condon, the team extended its lead and secured the gun on a blast reach finish. Be sure to read the Sailing World article for which Russ was interviewed (see below).
The team's success was due to a larger group effort. We want to thank:
- The encouragement and support from everyone back at the St Francis Yacht Club!
- The Boston and Eastern Yacht Clubs for their warm hospitality
- All the families in Marblehead who housed 8 salty sailors at the end of each day
- Ed Adams for the excellent weather forecast and trimming tips (good luck in the Chicago Mac, Ed!)
- Mike Kalin for constant information on the water and for driving quickly to Logan so everyone could make their flights
We look forward to learning more about the Sonars and honing our skills before the NYYC Invitational Regatta US Qualifiers in September.
http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/marblehead/silvestri-makes-it-a-cross-country-win
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