Three Bridge Fiasco Race
Posted by Paul at 1/29/2008 9:45 PM and is filed under uncategorized 
We were the first Olson 911 to finish and 5th in the San Francisco Bay 30 fleet.
The race was a typical "fiasco." The race course is start at St. Francis YC, round Treasure Island, round, round Red Rock (under the San Rafael Bridge), to Blackhaller Bouy (near the gold gate Bridge and back to St. Francis in any order one wishes.
Our race plan was to round TI first, then to Red Rock, Blackhaller and then finish. A flood tide at the start of the race favored our plan. We hoped that the ebb tide would begin when we rounded Red Rock. We started in a 15 knot southerly, rounded TI and set the chute and flew up to Red Rock on a following breeze and the flood tide.
The wind died at Red rock then came up to 4-5 knots. We labored at speeds of 2-3 knots closed hauled with a few tacks on course to Racoon Straight (between and Angel Island and the Tiburon Peninisula). We reached the Straight only to become becalmed, but the ebb favored us. We could see the boats behind setting spinnakers on a new fresh northerly. Teh norhterly blessed us and we set a spinnaker again and slipped by our rival Olson 911, Jane Doe. It was then on to Blackhaller where we jibbed too late and had trouble raising the jib for teh closre reach to the finish. Tangled halyards caused the jib smozzle. Nevetheless we stayed ahead of Jane Doe and finished well. WE were elated at our successful day. Our next race is the Double Handed Farallones, Spinnaker Cup to Monterey then the Pacific Cup to Hawaii.
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We thought you might enjoy a picture we took during the TBF. http://www.pbase.com/estey/image/92209660
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Hey Tom, Great picture thanks!
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