Shell Lake Recap 2012
It is an honor to be part of this community. The highlight of the weekend was singing Happy Birthday to Brianna in the party room of the America’s Best Inn and Suites. She gracefully accepted our tribute with a smile that lit up the room. I am always impressed how much support and encouragement exists in a group that comes together to compete against one another.
Winds were a challenge, “light and shifty”. In most races, a couple of rabbits steadily moved ahead of the fleet as if they were sailing in different wind, but for the rest of the fleet, it was like “stop-n-go” traffic during rush hour. Wind lanes were distinct. Being only a few boat lengths apart could quickly result in a separation of 100s of yards if one boat was in the wind and one was not. The trick was to be in the right lane at the right time and to avoid getting stressed. Being in a wind lane would sweep you along moving you clearly ahead. But when your turn was over all you could do is watch as others sped across the lake while you bobbed in place. Did anyone else take this time to notice the eagles soaring overhead or the unusually shaped clouds? I swear I saw one cloud that looked like a growler filled with ice-cold 90 Shilling Ale.
The start of race 2 was something to be experienced, but only once. With 2 minutes to the gun, the winds shifted then subsided to less than 1 knot. Again a few rabbits at the pin-end got clear of the line and sailed away, while the rest of the fleet floated aimlessly like rubber ducks in a tub – partly wishing for the wind to return and partly wishing for the drain plug in the bottom of lake to be pulled and free us from this predicament. Finally a dusting of wind appeared and we were all racing again. After a lunch break, we headed out for one final race of the day. Mark, in his Falcon, was third across the line but was corrected over by 3 other boats.
One significant observation of the day was that while spinnaker boats sailed a fast then slow downwind traverse across the course, the Hobie Cats moved slow and steadily toward the gate without giving up any time. (I assume this was true for Howard as well in his A-Cat but if wants to be mentioned in this write up he shouldn’t sail so far ahead of the rest of us.) Sue and Dave on the Hobie 20 were only 2 points out of second place after the first day of racing.
Sunday morning started with the strongest winds of the weekend. We were all so anxious to sail in this wind that we had two general recalls before we were able to restrain our excitement and get a clean start. The winds lightened as the races progressed and became similar to day one. The wind lanes were just as pronounced, but the holes had a bit more wind than the previous day. The fleet was not nearly as spread out as the day before with a few boats finishing just seconds apart in each race.
Congratulations to Minnesota for regaining the Broken Rudder. With more Minnesota boats at the line and our superior intellect, good looks, and all around you betcha getter done attitude, Wisconsin never really had a chance. Congratulations also go to Howard, Clay and Deanna, and Guy and JJ. Thanks to Brent and Chris for organizing, Dave and Russ for race committee, and Debbie and Bill for chase boat, and Bill’s local support.
Sean Brown
