What a great way to end an epic summer of racing and cruising, the 2015 Maclean Memorial! The only regret I have is that so few Members were able to join in the fun. Only 8 boats registered to participate of which two could not make it. One unregistered boat joined in at the Narrows Marina bringing it to a total of 7 boats. Six boats were sailed double-handed. One was sailed with three aboard. Aquila switched “Jills” Saturday evening. What a fun week end of sailing.
It started with borrowed Aquila with Joanne and me at 1000. Saturday in very little, mostly 0, breeze at Oly Shoal. Next came Larry’s SJ 7.7 Seneca, Followed by John and Susan in the mostly new Gizmo, next both Scot and Rafe in Nirvana and the three guys on Miss Conduct. Finally McSwoosh started at 1106 with Justin and Courtney aboard. . The sun was out , the tides were favorable, and there were times of sail-able breeze for the double- handed crews.
By the time the boats were in the Islami Ledge area the handicaps were erased and boat for boat battles began setting the pattern for the rest of the week end. Aquila was the only boat that didn’t finish the short course with in the time limit as she retired when someone, me, jammed the roller furling system during a sail change. We became the photo boat, the advance representative at the Marina and dock master for the Club while the fleet slugged it out trying to finish the long course within the time limit. But no one did.
To our surprise the Hunter 36 Promise had come out and monitored the racing boats a bit and came to the marina to join in. The evening went well being moored together added to the camaraderie on the dock. Dinner was everyone on their own. I had the Clover Leaf Tavern deliver pizza to the brew pub McSwoosh, Aquila and Promise were there while other boats did hot dogs and other such they had brought along for chow on their boat or dock. We bedded down on the boats with many sleeping on deck in sleeping bags.
Aquila with Camille aboard, and an OK from the owner to hit the jamming collar on the head stay, was again first boat to start Sunday at 0900 at the Toliva Shoal buoy. The flooding tide was a concern not to get swept over the line early but a good breeze gave us enough propulsion to be OK. The boats once again got restarted as the wind died just past Eagle Island . Nirvana broke out first then McSwoosh next Miss Conduct, Gizmo, then Seneca.
Aquila found a back eddy and remained until most were out of sight. I was grumping a bit till Camille reminded me that she was there to sail and we now had wind to sail so ... we had a great sail all by our selves. It made my week end. She drove and I trimmed the jib and main while tacking up wind to Johnson Point where we rolled in the jib and started to motor sail to catch up to the fleet.At a distance near Boston Harbor we saw Miss Conduct, Gizmo, and Seneca putting their head sail/spinnakers down and start motor sailing . After getting to the moorings I talked to an tired but excited Scot about their boat for boat battle with McSwoosh finishing within less than a minuet of each other. Rafe drove by grinning from ear to ear. McSwoosh was busy sailing into town and back on a cool down lap.
Clark McPhearson, McSwoosh
Photos by Joanne Osband