2014 Wrangle Regatta

by Pam

Results (below)

The calm before the storm. OMG! We were a flipping and a tipping this weekend. The weather-guessers told us Saturday was going to be WINDY and Sunday was going to be just about perfect. When we arrived at the lake, the wind and water were looking quite lively. This left some of the light weights and less experienced on the fence about whether to rig and go out on Saturday. A wise decision was made to sail only two races on Saturday and three on Sunday so that more people would be able to sail. But Mother Nature had different plans. Little did we know that Saturday was the calm before the storm.

Having been a mere participant, I have no info about the details of the regatta. I believe we had 22 Butterflys and maybe 15 Lasers registered. I know Bowman had a big hand in the organization of the event and also had many helpers to whom she delegated tasks. Everyone did a great job. Good food, good trophies, good t-shirts, good race management, challenging racing and some really busy and much appreciated rescue boats/crew.

The PRO took us to the South end of the lake for, I presume, some consistent wind and less debris. For us Butterfly folks who usually just take a quick sail to the start line on the North end, getting to the start line was a hurdle in and of itself. Upon arriving, I realized there is a bit of a psychology to being that far from the club. Less likely to call it quits and head back because finishing the race and staying with the rescue boats was safer than venturing back alone.  It was the perfect time to get in a little experience in windy conditions … the water was warm and there were multiple rescue boats on the water. What could go wrong?

The wind was blowing a steady 20 mph at times on Saturday. As the Lasers started the first race, three tipped before the gun. Not a good sign. The Butterflys got in two races as promised with minimal tippage and took a long lunch and called it a day while the Lasers headed out for more abuse but the wind actually died down a bit. I had some moments of being up with the big boys in the second race with a 4th place that I held until the last leg but the wind kicked up a notch and Frank and Bruce took my hard earned finish away from me. Bruce even had the bad manners to roll me right at the finish line. It was a fun race and a fun day. I almost felt like I was getting better in the big wind. Until Sunday ...

Sunday started out with rain and really light wind. It was a challenge even getting to the start line. The Lasers' sequence started, then postponed and the wind seemed to be building a bit.  The Lasers started a second time and the wind was still building and it was starting to rain. The Butterfly sequence started and WaBam! it was really blowing. Gusts up to 28 or 30 mph. Afterwards Doug and Paul would both agree that it was the strongest wind they've ever been in, in a Butterfly.

I made a very poorly timed gybe with a minute to go and that was that. For the duration of the race, I was up, down, up, down, up, down, half way up, down, half way up, down, down, down, half way up and finally, with the help of two rescue boats about the time the race was ending, I was finally up, exhausted, and my old Fighting Lady was a swimming pool inside the hull. My day was over.

Many thanks to the rescue boats. They did everything absolutely right but the old girl was not cooperating. When we finally got her up, there was about 3 feet of mud on the mast head and about a foot of mud at the end of the boom.

So, the racing … Paul or Doug won every race with Paul getting the overall win and taking Doug out the competition with a crossing that left Doug in the drink unable to get up without assistance. When I saw Burton, he was almost always ahead of me so he must have been having some consistent races and he came 2nd overall.

I saw plenty of Gary. He is my usual dance partner and we trade the lead back and forth with me getting him sometimes on downwind finishes but he almost always gets me on upwind finishes. Then there was Bruce. You can't keep that man anywhere near the back of the fleet under any circumstances. Bruce and Gary tied for 3rd with Gary getting the tie breaker.

So how'd the girls in the fleet do? Cathy, Maria and I all sailed on Saturday braving the "big wind" but Sunday's wind took me out, Cathy wisely left the race course, and Maria's boat had come apart on Saturday so she didn't come back out on Sunday. Laurie and Bowman chose not to sail on Saturday and instead sailed in the "really big wind" on Sunday. The girls rocked! I ended up with top woman by chance but any one of them is capable of winning it. I believe Laurie sailed in the longest in the biggest wind.  Well done!

Then there was Marshall. Marshall had the misfortune of tipping the first day and just couldn't get the boat up and learned the next day that if you accept assistance, you are scored as DNF. When he tipped on Sunday, he decided to get creative and not even mess with trying to get on the centerboard and used an old catamaran trick. He pulled out the end of the main halyard that was stuffed up next to the mast, left it cleated, tossed it over the side behind the side stay, swam around to the bottom and grabbed the halyard and put his feet on the gunnel on the side under water, then pulled the halyard and pushed the gunnel at the same time. He popped right up, stuffed the extra halyard back up against the mast and was on his way unassisted. Because you are pulling toward the front of the boat and pushing toward the middle/back of the boat, it has the effect of bringing the boat up into the wind so it doesn't flop over again. He says it will even pull it out of the mud. I've gotta try this.