Ladies Day Regatta 2024
Mother Nature kept the ladies off the water on the originally planned August day and that worked out okay. It gave the ladies a chance to race with maybe a few less lobster hunters and possibly a bit more wind than the original August date. Saturday September 7 was a typical Florida summer day. Temperatures in the 90s, sun blazing down, a few puffy clouds and a threat of afternoon thunderstorms. The wind was in the 8-12 knot range and waves were minimal. With the delay to September an additional boat was added to the roster, so 3 became 4 and the Ladies had a regatta! There were 2 monohulls ranging from 38-46 ft and 2 multi-hulls in the 30 ft range. Crews ranged from a crew of 2 to a crew of 7 on the boats. Each boat could have 1 male coach on board if desired.
The start was busy with Third Tri taking a close pass by the start mark for a clean get away to the east. For most of us, that was the last time Third Tri was visible within 100 ft. Cookie Monster and Commotion sailed close to the beach until Commotion signaled the need to tack to get away from the swim buoys. Lady Grey played it safe and crossed the start from the beach angle and headed on their way. Commotion and Cookie Monster tacked and headed east with a line of divers running from the south to the north, right in their path. Commotion found a path between divers that kept everyone safe and avoided a tack. Cookie Monster did not feel they could avoid the divers and tacked away. The race was on with boats heading in different directions and battling wind and current.
Thankfully, we had two club power boats that helped with mark duties. We had a club boat anchored as the east mark, which prevented the need for the dreaded virtual mark. The wind held steady, and the sun blazed down as the boats went around the course. The boats went around the course once and then headed out for a second rounding. Third Tri was well into the lead, Commotion in 2nd, Cookie Monster in 3rd and Lady Grey in 4th. The positions did not change through the second rounding. No matter how far ahead your competition is, you should never give up. Racing is all about tweaking the boat for speed, reading the water and finding the wind and the “what if your competition makes a mistake or as boats do, something breaks”. Thankfully, nothing broke on any boats and Third Tri made no mistakes. The crew on Commotion spent a fair amount of time asking, “where is Third Tri?” and the response was always “ahead of us, up there, way over there.”
People ask how a multi hull boat can race against a mono hull and if the race can be fair. Boats are assigned handicaps, so the faster boats received ratings to correct for their speed and help make the race fair. A boat can be rated fast, but a boat is just a hull in the water. If the crew does not know how to sail the boat, it will not be a fast boat. The ladies who crewed Third Tri knew what they were doing, and they sailed the boat well.
Third Tri finished 15 minutes before the next competitor. When the race was scored and the handicap applied, Third Tri took 1st place by 30 seconds. The crew of Commotion got to think about how minor mistakes can add up to 30 seconds, and bragging rights for first place!
Kudos to Mikayla Scott and Naya Mondrosch, both youth learn to sail students, both talented sailors.
Ladies Day and Fall 3 & 4 after race merged for a great party, all the way west past 441! 30+ people were in attendance. A lot food was shared and enjoyed. Laughter and chatter could be heard inside and out. And thankfully, no one hurt themselves on the patio step! Thank you everyone who participated in HISC race events the Sept 7 & 8 weekend.
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