The first week in May I took my J 33, Zealot, up north to Seattle where I was joined by Geoff Raymoure to participate again in what is my favorite race of the year, the Race to the Straits put on by the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club. STYC is in many ways similar to our organization in that they have no clubhouse, employees or any of the normal accoutrements normally associated with a formal yacht club. The Sloop Tavern in Ballard is their meeting place and mail stop. They run their club much as we do down here in Olympia, informally and without pretense. The Race to the Straits has over its five years become one of the most popular races in Seattle by number of entries. Last year there were one hundred boats that participated. This year numbers were down slightly and the final number involved was closer to 90.
This event is different in that it’s a pursuit where the slowest boats start first and faster boats last, with assigned start times based on handicap. The beauty of this is you know all the time how you’re doing in the fleet. Also all the boats racing have only one or two people on board. Most participants have chosen to do this event double-handed flying spinnakers, as have I every year. I did miss one year’s participation, choosing instead to take a skills test for further certification in my career as a court reporter. I heard after the fact there was almost no wind that year. That was some consolation, but I didn’t pass the test either. I resolved then I’d much rather be on the water somewhere north of Seattle than at Green River Community College taking a test. I still don’t have that certification.
This year the wind showed up, at least on the trip up to Port Townsend. It was up and down, wet early on, and a beat the entire way with the current turning against the fleet late in the morning. A big tactical decision came at the mid-point at Double Bluff on Whidbey Island. Almost the entire fleet tucked into Useless Bay on Whidbey, short-tacking the shore for current relief. About five of us went hard left for Marrowstone Island, hoping for better wind and knowing there’s a significant back-eddy along that shore. It was a tough slog in light headwinds and two to three knots of adverse current getting across, and we looked like big losers for a long time. But once we got to Marrowstone, it was like getting on the fast escalator to PT. We found a bit more wind and with a 3-knot push quickly made up our lost ground. It was very satisfying to make a tough call like that, splitting with the fleet, and be rewarded. The difference was surprisingly small at the finish line given the leverage between the two sides, but it was enough and we finished in the top 15 for the day. As it was, a few smaller boats that started previously were able to maintain their lead and finish as much as an hour ahead of us. One of them being a Melges 24 that happened to be in our class. We were confident we had finished first in our class, and it was a bit disheartening to find we had been bested by someone we had been close to earlier in the race but somehow got away from us.
The fine food at the dinner put on that night was helpful in salving this, and soon after sating ourselves we made our way back to the boat for much-needed rest. The following day dawned sunny and pleasant, and Geoff and I sat down to a fine breakfast at the Blue Moose where my sister Becky and her husband paid us a visit. Their 54-foot Monk happened to be in the yard for some repair, and we were able to visit with them over breakfast before setting off back for Seattle.
With the wind still from the north and light and some leftover ebb still to contend with, tactics were going to be a big part of this day. The wind was up and down, quite a bit lower in velocity than the day before when it blew zero to 15, where today it was zero to 6, with lots more time closer to zero. As it was, we seemed to consistently choose favorable places to put ourselves, finding wind while others wallowed, and staying out front after about the halfway point. Just north of Meadow Point a few J-105s got around us which was a bit maddening, but their sprit-flown a-sails gave them an advantage for the conditions we couldn’t quite answer. At least we’d bested all of them the day before. As it was we finished 7th overall for Sunday and still beat most of the J-105 fleet over the line. To know how we did for the combined two days, we have to wait until May 19th when the awards are presented at the Sloop Tavern, still a few days away as I’m writing this.
I’d like to encourage anybody else who enjoys a good challenge on the water and experiencing unique sailing conditions to do this race. For me it’s worth taking two days off work and making a 4-day weekend of it, delivering the boat to Seattle Friday, racing Saturday and Sunday, then delivering back down Monday. This is a bit much for most folks I know, but for me it’s well worth it. Give it a try, you’ll like it.
Rafe Beswick, Zealot