South Bay Family Sailing Series-August 21, 2021 Saturday, (7.9 nm)
Saturday, August 21, 2021 was a wonderful day for sailing.
Saturday morning in El Cajon the streets were wet and the rain was falling from ominous dark grey clouds. This was not quite the day we anticipated for our August race of the South Bay Family Sailing Series. There was much discussion as to whether we should skip the monthly race. Finally, we decided we would give it a try and see what the weather was like on the water. As our car moved further west the rain stopped, and the sun started peeking out from behind the clouds. The day finally became warm and dry.
Forecasters predicted 70 degree weather with scattered clouds and light breezes from the SW. High tide was at 0940 and a low tide at 1510. The tide would be going out for the whole race. At 1100 the winds were calm however by noon start the wind had picked up to 8-10 knots from the typical NW direction. During the race the winds were shifty and slowly increased to a constant 10-12 knots. IDEAL for South San Diego Bay.
Ten boats were circling the starting line for the noon start. This is a pursuit race and the first group consisting of KISS and Makai were off. Four minutes later the second group were off that included Miller Time III, Bon Temps and Estate Sail. Finally, the last group crossed the starting line at 12:08 Marilee, Astra, Consigliere, and Elusive. There was a new boat in the race as well, Serendipity III a Hunter 420. As instructed they started with the first group.
WELCOME Serendipity III. We are glad to have you and you will improve all our sailing abilities trying to keep up with you.
During the race two boats tried to raise their spinnaker to improve their speed, Elusive and Miller Time III. The spinnakers looked great, but the captains finally doused them as they evidently did not increase their speed to the mark. It was a great thought and we should all try out different sails to become proficient in their use. Bon Temps was “chicken” to sail his spinnaker.
Across the finish line winning times were Consigliere 13:32:32, Elusive 13:35:23, Marilee 13:35:37, Bon Temps 13:36:10, Estate Sail 13:39:23, Serendipity 13:39:30, KISS 13:42:20, Astra 13:42:32, Makai 13:45:27, Miller Time III 13:49:34.
Putting all these finish times into the Mike Collins Handicap System we get the following:
| 1 | MILLER TIME III |
| 2 | MAKAI |
| 3 | CONSIGLIARE |
| 4 | BON TEMPS |
| 5 | MARILEE |
| 6 | KISS |
| 7 | ELUSIVE |
| 8 | ESTATE SAIL |
| 9 | ASTRA |
| 9 | SERENDIPITY III |
http://sailingtracker.appspot.com/?fleetChoice=sbps&dateSelected=11%2F16%2F2019&submit=Select+Race
Putting all these results into the PHRF Rating System we get the following:
- Consigliere 2. Elusive 3. KISS 4. Bon Temps 5. Makai 6. Marilee 7. Estate Sail 8. Miller Time III 9. Serendipity 10. Astra
Congratulations to all racers! 10 boats of different sizes and different sailing abilities all finishing within 17 minutes of each other over an eight mile course. This is exactly what we are looking for in the South Bay Family Sailing Series.
Keep watching for changes in your starting group as we try to jockey positions to get every boat to cross the finish line at the same time.
Our next race is
Saturday, September 18, 2021
BRING ANOTHER FRIEND AND BOAT ALONG