OG Roadmaster Nobody’s Girl
Hard to say whether the growth in attendance of this year’s DHF was due to the 2020-induced explosion short-handed sailing, or just fleet momentum the last few years. Either way, nine Moores of 39 boats was a fantastic showing. So many (relatively) new boats in this near offshore scene:
Patrick Haesloop and Erik Jensen on Puffin, #62, which was Andy Hamilton’s former Pac Cup ride. Patrick often sails with Kelly Gregory, who is off sailing around the world
Nick Voss and Andrew Lorenzen on Enamored, #19, which is fully equipped for a Hawaii ride and has been doing double duty in both fleet racing and offshore
Mackenzie Cook, Sydnie’s new boat partner in Nobody’s Girl, and Stan Martin, took her up from Santa Cruz on her first trip outside the gate in 21 years (!!).
Erica Siegel and Robin Jeffers on Moorigami, getting ready for 2022 Pac Cup.
Steve McCarthy’s Ruby with Conrad Holbrook. Bolt on the VHF, borrow all of Conrad’s gear and get this stripped out bouy racer out there and win it.
… but the true stars of the show were Mark Moore and his 8-year old son TJ on Moore Havoc, ushering in the next generation, and bringing tears of joy to our eyes. What an incredible experience to sail this race at an age when most kids are stepping onto Opti’s for the first time.
TJ, showing us how it’s done
Look out for TJ at RYC Wednesday night beercans driving his Dad’s former Pac Cup boat, and give him a high five.
BAMA held the event in September again, which is just such a pleasant time. Is everyone getting old and soft? Did we just realize this should have been held in September all along? Easy for the Moores to laugh, as these boats are more enjoyable going 3.5kts than most anything else out there. The forecast was super unstable in the days leading up, and many of us were wondering whether we should even put the boats in the water. As much as it looks gloomy, it was warm, dry, and the breeze filled.
Nonetheless, the fleet started on port tack at the pin end in a 5-6kt southwesterly. Like those that won the other divisions, Ruby was launched off the start. The very tail end of an ebb let us out the gate. The breeze softened on the way to the farallones, and it was anything but classic conditions. Light and shifty. Down the rhumbline playing the shifts seemed to be roughly the right call. Snafu went the southernmost and parked it under a dark cloud.
The hilariously inaccurate HRRR model that just adds more curveballs to tactics
The flat water light air sailing was just beautiful, and the ocean was teeming with sea life. Seals fleeing sharks, whales breaching, jellyfish galore, the usual avian abundance. The light was flat, almost monochromatic, the boat quiet.
The shifts challenged even the most veteran among us. Big gains followed by big pains. Around mid-afternoon it really seemed like there was no chance we were going to wrap this race up. GPS ETA based on current VMG said something like Monday. But the wind filled as we approached the islands just about directly upwind, and then gave its last whopper of a 30 degree right hand shift about a mile from the islands. Those below took that lift right to the leeward side of the island and routed CW. Most of the fleet gladly took that lift right over the top. A few of us indecisive boats tacked on that lift and painfully crawled up to windward layline.
That pile of rocks
Mas! and Mooretician rounded clockwise, which Dave Hodges on Timberwolf found to be THE move of the day, opening up his lead over his main competition Jonathan Livingston and Andy Hamilton on Punk Dolphin. The rest of our fleet rounded CCW.
Erica on Moorigami was looking super fast, second around the islands behind Ruby, followed by Puffin and Nobody's Girl. On the back side of the islands was John Siegel, who came out to visit Erica in his rib - if that’s any indication of how chill it was. Felt like a big family reunion back there.
Happy sailors Erica and Robin on Moorigami
Bart in form
Patrick, looking for pressure
The run back was moderate, and some played high, some played low. The breeze was more westerly than usual, so it was a fairly deep kite run all the way back. The north shore re-entry was the correct call once again, against the ripping ebb.
The long race meant we were committed to sailing after dark, something we don’t get to experience out in the ocean very often, and another part of the type II fun that this race is.
The reentry on Enamored
Mark and TJ crossed the finish line at 23:35, before the midnight cutoff. A long day for that young kid. The consensus seems to be that we’re all more excited about TJ’s race than our own. Thanks all for coming out to play. Congrats to Steve and Conrad for a well-deserved win.