Commodore Cup Regatta View from the Committee Boat

The Commodores Cup just like any regatta involves a lot of planning with many little tasks that make up the regatta as a whole. The tasks involved are securing a committee boat or beach committee, signing up the participants, creating the NOR to fit the expected weather, getting the rounding mark organized, which may mean picking it up and taking it someplace or asking a participant to bring it out. And don’t forget the leaf blower to blow it up! Getting the notice out in a timely manner or at least getting the updates out so participants don’t think you’ve forgotten that the regatta was happening. And helping members find rides on boats. A lot of herding goes into a regatta, and the planning happens days and weeks in advance.

This year I was fortunate that our friends agreed to bring out their new-to-them Freedom 40, Mermaid Spirit. The boat docks upriver in Fort Lauderdale. To avoid car parking issues and early morning bridge issues, Maria and Ross moved Mermaid Spirit down river to our dock and tied up to Commotion, our boat, on Friday.

Saturday at 6 am, the committee boat crew were up, and the morning lifeblood of coffee was injected into our systems; we were ready to head out for the 7:30 bridge. The rain had stopped for a moment and as we went under the 17th Street bridge a magnificent rainbow appeared in the western sky. We saw dolphins frolicking in the port. A good sign for the day! At least we hoped so.

The water was relatively flat with 1-2 ft NE seas and a few NE rollers. The wind was from the NNE, which is a little odd for September in south Florida. As we headed north, the rain came back, and foul weather gear came out. That was one of the many times the foul weather gear saved the crew from being drenched that day.

The rain departed, the eastern sky cleared up, and the sun came out to warm us up.

We dropped the mark at the Commercial Pier and hoped it would remain there until we could come back later in the day to retrieve it. With the coordinates in hand, we headed North. As we approached HI, we could see club boats coming out of the inlet.

We located an appropriate swim buoy to anchor opposite – establishing the starting line - and settled in for the day as Committee Boat. At 10:40 boat check in was requested. At 10:45 the course was announced along with the coordinates of the last known vicinity of the rounding mark.

At 10:55 the warning was given to the JAM boats for their 11:00 start. The boats milled about with Sharyn Leigh crowding the line too early for the start and was over early. Sadly, while maneuvering to return to the pre-start side of the line Sharyn Leigh made hard contact with Contrails. BAM! The noise no racer or boat owner wants to hear. After the boats separated and Contrails continued on their way, Sharyn Leigh withdrew from the race. Everyone else was clear from JAM fleet.

Multihull fleet started next with Aireze lying parallel to the start line in irons. An interesting way to start but it worked for them. Duet and Lady Grey had a bit of a shoving match with Duet heading towards the stationary Aireze. The horn for the start rang and Aireze came down to pick up wind and started moving. The multi hulls had a clean start.

Gunkhole boats started 5 minutes later and were clear on their start line. Spruce Goose was looking beautiful with new sails and good wind.

The Committee Boat’s 40 minutes of work was over and now we waited. We monitored the boats on AIS and checked their speed and progress. At this time, I shared with the others on the committee boat the fact that I was compiling a playlist for the day based on the Committee boat’s point of view. The crew got in on the fun and songs were shared.

The only item that cannot be controlled for a regatta is the weather. Mother nature served us with a variety of conditions this year that kept the crews busy throughout the race. The weather provided entertainment for everyone. The wind fluctuated and built through the day with reports of winds 10-27 knots, depending on the location and the cloud or thunderstorm each boat was under.

The waves built from 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 feet and came from the N and NE. Thankfully Mermaid Spirit rode the waves beautifully. Thankfully she also has a nice big Rocna anchor!

The wind god Aeolus and his sons, the Anemoi (including Boreas, Zephyrus, and Notus) caused a bit of havoc for boats with Aireze sacrificing all of their sails by the time they rounded the southern mark. Eximius’ crew fought with their jib valiantly until it won the fight and caused them to turn downwind and retire from the race. A few boats crossed the finish line with a lot of sail up and crews hiked out to try to balance the boat. Crews had a chance to practice using the reefing points, tweaking outhaul placement and using the cunningham. Sunday had tales of many tired crew members, and I am sure there were a few main sail trimmers who may have felt a pang in their arms when lifting their glass of Cove Brewery beer.

2 hours and 25 minutes after the start, Contrails came screaming into the finish. Flying past the stern of the committee boat for a beautiful photo op.

Tweety Bird came in next with a hiccup at their finish but a finish none the less.

Zephyrus came flying in from the SE, past the stern to give a clear shot of her very clean hull! The crew were hiked out to keep her as balanced as possible.

With the JAM boats finished, we waited for the Multihulls and Gunkhole boats.

Duet came in next with a quick stop and jibe at the finish.

Lady Grey took the east route searching for a push from the current which never appeared. We watched her dark sails against the eastern sky as she gradually approached the finish. She came zipping in from the SE for a dramatic photo with her black sails against a slate gray sky. After the finish, Lady Grey TACKED! She finally had enough wind to allow a tack! And off she went zipping to the south as if she was racing another leg.

Alebrije II finished next, looking lovely as she zoomed into the finish. During the race, the crew of Alebrije II experienced issues with their steering that they could not solve through troubleshooting. A quick turn it off and turn it back on again saved the day and the steering.

As the day wore on, the waves increased, and the weather did not get better. Consulting the forecast showed Thunderstorms moving in around 5pm. The committee boat had a 2-hr. trip south and a 1 hr. trip up the river. A decision was made to up anchor. We ask Spruce Goose and Feelin Nauti to take their own finish times. We passed both boats as they zipped towards the finish line and we headed towards the HI buoy for ports south. Both boats looked like they needed heavier crew to keep them balanced. No one could complain about a lack of wind or a lack of sailing opportunity on this day.

As we headed south, we questioned whether the mark was still in place. Did the wind take it, did the building seas up anchor it, did someone steal it? We have had marks stolen during previous races. When we got within 2 miles of it, the binoculars showed it was still in place. When picking it up, we did find it firmly anchored and a bit resistant to our Armstrong tactics.

3 miles from the PE inlet the engine temperature started to climb. The engine was hot but being that this was a new boat for our friends, none of us knew what was normal. Luckily the temperature went down, and we headed toward 17th Street Causeway. We motored through the bridge and were hit by the first wave of ganja smoke. Someone was having fun! We headed toward the triangle at the mouth of the New River only to have another wave of smoke roll over us. We looked at each other, and I blurted out “Smoke 2 joints”. The waves of smoke continued up the river with additional songs like “Everybody Must get Stoned” being offered up. We were tired and punchy and nowhere near home. Thank goodness it hadn’t started to rain again. As luck would have it, we got shut out by the railroad bridge so we waited at Andrews and milled about hoping it would not rain and everyone else could control their boats. At this point the band Train crossed my mind and any song by them was added to the playlist.

Our final maneuver was for Maria to back Mermaid Spirit down the canal and into her slip. The maneuver went off without a bump, and we were tied to the dock. We avoided the storms with only a fine mist starting to fall. 2 hours later I was finally home and upon walking into my kitchen realized I had major “boat motion” from being rocked and rolled all day long.

The playlist for the Committee boat is:

Rainbows Connection- Kermit the Frog

Laughing in the rain- Neil Sedaka

I can see clearly now- johnny Nash.

Anchor- Novo Amor

Crash Into You- Dave Matthews

Ride like the wind- Christopher Cross

Sail- AWOLNATION

If it takes Forever, I Will Wait For You- Connie Francis

Stormy weather- Etta James

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot – The Merrymen

Smoke Two joints (not us, but seemingly every boat we passed in FLL) The Toyes

Take me to the River- AL Green

Any song by the band Train