Reprinted by 48 North, October 2004.
This was the eight Swiftsure for Koosah! The wind had died during the night and dawn revealed numerous boats around us at the Neah Bay mark. We rounded at 0825 Sunday and prepared for the 52-mile spinnaker sleigh ride back to Victoria!
We set the half-ounce spinnaker and steered the course for the Race Rocks. We jibed several times because the wind was light and our VMG would drop unless we heated up.
As the day wore on, the west wind from the ocean increased along with the rollers. Thank goodness both were from behind! Around 1400 the wind was in the high teens and we decided to preserve the Master Card and take down the light spinnaker. We had blown one out a couple of years ago on this race and experience taught us that caution often saves time as well as money.
We launched the ounce-and-a-half spinnaker. The wind kept building to the mid 20’s so we lowered our course, sailed deeper, and tried to make Race Rocks on one jibe. Well, we had to make a couple of jibes in the increasing wind. We used our twingers and choked the chute down by trimming with the guy.
We could see that several boats were in death roll positions. Of particular note a San Juan 34 was practicing dipping her spreaders in the drink on one side then immediately roll over and do it on the other side! Well, not to worry, Koosah’s fun was just about to happen!
There were gusts into the 30’s and an ebb tide in Race Passage. Koosah hit a tiderip with about a 5-foot wave on her starboard side about the same time a gust hit us on our port side! We knew what to do: Charlie Hanlin released the boom vang as Hal Wilson let the main sheet fly. Fred Aylstock released the sheet and Gary Newman tried to help. We went over! Sean Trew on Gadzooks who was behind us, stated our rudder was completely out of the water!
The water rushed over the starboard side! Carol Johnston was on the bow taking photos of all this while Mike Smith was holding on for dear life! Kelly Coon, our navigator was at the navigation table counting the salmon as they swam past the windows. I was standing in about two-feet of water in the cockpit holding on to the wheel that was steering air! A rooster tail was flying off the boom that was dragging in the water.
The rocks were getting closer and we had no steerage. I released the guy and the spinnaker flew forward and the boat resumed its normal position in the water. We had steerage but a spinnaker flapping in the wind with a lazy sheet and guy flapping along with it. We had to get the spinnaker down! Mike and Carol went to the mast and started to release the halyard when we all heard: “OH, OH, A DOG KNOT!” The halyard had a huge knot where it entered the turning block on the deck. The next thing I heard was Carol shouting: “Skipper, do you want me to cut the halyard?” I had visions of my Master Card melting and paused for a moment or two. Then we heard Mike state that he had undone the knot! With all hands the spinnaker was doused and retrieved without ripping it, loosing any sheets, guys or halyard.
We hoisted the blade and climbed back to 8.5 knots on our way to the finish line about 6 miles ahead.
Traditionally we polish off a bottle of Captain Morgan at Race Rocks, but prudence dictated that we wait until we were safely tied up at the dock this year.
Koosah was under control, going as fast as she could. We watched Marti Gras, Santa Cruz 52, take a couple of huge broaches and Gadzooks surf past us with their spinnaker. Gary Martin told us after the race they were doing 11 knots in his J-30.
Lessons learned:
We finished fourth out of 53 boats in class 3 of the Cape Flattery Race.
How Carol had the cool to take those two photos is beyond speculation! They are worth a thousand words, each!
Dave Knowlton, Koosah
Jim Lengenfelder also writes about the Race on Acquitted.