2011 StFYC Spring Keel Regatta
By: Brock de Lappe
Posted: March 28, 2011
As is often the case with mid-winter weather, this year’s Spring Keel Regatta at the St. Francis Yacht Club suffered for lack of wind.
After a 9:45 AM competitors meeting at the club Saturday morning, crews relaxed at the docks waiting for the light early morning easterly wind to clock around to the west.
It was well after noon before the postponement ended and boats headed out of the harbor.
There was also the added complication that Saturday was the last race day of the Golden Gate Yacht Club’s Mid-Winter Series with Chris Herrrmann (USA-108) and Richard Keldsen (USA-107) in contention for first place overall.
By the time the St.FYC race committee had launched five classes on their first race, there were only three Folkboats in the area prepared to start; Peter Jeal (USA-113), Andreas Schwerte (USA-67) and Brock de Lappe (USA-121). At the same time, the Folkboats racing the Golden Gate Mid-Winter were just finishing their final downwind leg off Ft. Mason so a call went out on the radio to the race committee to ask if they could hold off our start until they finished. The race committee obliged, but said we’d only get one race in that day.
As it turned out only Chris Herrmann and Richard Keldsen came down for the Spring Keel race (Chris having just won the last of the Mid-Winter races to take the championship). By the time all five other classes were started on their second race, we had five Folkboats on the line. Given the early ebb tide on the City Front and a bit of a southern angle to the westerly, the pin end was the favored end of the line. Brock managed to just clear the pin committee boat, with Peter hot on his hip. By the time we tacked to port, Peter had overtaken (probably helped with his brand new Doyle mainsail) and covered to the windward mark. When we started downwind, the wind died and it was a struggle to make much headway against the growing ebb tide. As a result, both USA-108 and USA-67 called it quits on the downwind leg, leaving the finish order in the first race USA-113, USA-121 and USA-107 on a shortened course with a downwind finish.
Sunday was grey with a persistent drizzle of rain, but there was enough wind that the race committee headed out on time to set a course. The problem was that the wind was from the east, unusual for racing on the bay. The starting line was offshore of Presidio Shoals with a windward mark about a third of the way between the west basin breakwater and Fort Mason. As it turned out, the position on the line at the start was the critical factor in the first race on Sunday. The place to be was the farthest north, pin end of the line. The starting order off the line, Peter (USA-113), Richard (USA-107), Brock (USA-121) and Andreas (USA-67) held for the balance of the race. By the time we got back for a second start, the wind completely died. After the starting gun went off, everyone drifted away from the line headed out the gate in a growing ebb tide. Four minutes past the starting gun, the race was abandon and fortunately a committee chase boat came to the rescue to tow us all back to the harbor.
Not a very auspicious beginning to the season, but at least it got the mothballs off. It really can only get better as we head into the 2011 season.