August 14-15, 2004
Pictures by Nick Peters (this link will open a new window)
The Commodore - Gibson involved a trip to Port Ludlow and back. Seven boats participated, Blaze (David and Rosemary Blakemore), Branwen (George Fogg and Linda Loux), Diva (Joe James, Suzanne Diess, Kelli West and Alyssa Farber, plus Judy James, who came by car with the blueberry pies), Indian Summer (Russ and Barbara Cohn, joined by grandson Nick Peters), Outlaw (Cindy Gossett and Derek Storm), Whirl Wind (Bob and Marge Isaak, with Nick as radio operator and deck hand) and Yankee Rose (Ted Miholovich and crew of three). Blaze and Indian Summer came to Port Ludlow from elsewhere and chose not to race on the return trip. Whirl Wind, being a power boat, was not eligible for the races, but instead offered to be the committee boat for the race starts.
The races are nominally between Meadow Point and Foul Weather Bluff, but if there is not enough wind to sail, we have the option of trying starts at Apple Cove Point or Point No Point. On Saturday, for the Commodore race, there was no wind either at Meadow Point nor Apple Cove Point, but some of us thought there was wind at Point No Point, and anyway, this was the last chance we would have to sail, so we did. There was a light wind from SE to NE which enabled boats to move at a couple of knots through the water. Unfortunately, the water was going the wrong way at a couple of knots, except near shore where there was not wind to speak of. Nobody made Foul Weather Bluff by the 1730 time limit, although Branwen, Diva, Outlaw, and Yankee Rose gave it a good try. Diva got the furthest.
The potluck was sumptuous, with a variety of hot and cold dishes and plenty of wine. Even though the race was not completed, everybody got a prize for something, and the big red crown went to Bob Isaak for the great job as Committee Boat Captain.
On the return trip, the Gibson race, again there was no wind until the last starting option at Apple Cove Point, where, as the previous day, there was possibly enough wind to sail. This time, however, the tide was with us, and we managed a somewhat shabby start on the South Easterly which turned to a Northerly just at the start. Outlaw got her spinnaker up first, but Diva, with the three women who usually crew on Joe's old boat, Thatuna, managed to eke out a winning position a boat length ahead of Outlaw. Both had to set a headsail to beat the final 100 yards to the Meadow Point Bouy, where the wind dropped and the current was strong. Third was Branwen, and fourth, Yankee Rose, whose crew almost got their wish for an upwind race, but who were thwarted at the last minute and without spinnaker could not keep up with the others.