October 20, 2004
Dear PSSC Competitors,
To the great disappointment of many, including our race committee, the last race on the North Course of PSSC was abandoned after some competitors had received a finish. Because of the circumstances many competitors left the venue before an explanation could be given. Here is a brief description of the events that led to that difficult decision.
During the second race on Sunday at the North Course marks drifting because of strong wind and tide became a problem. In particular the leeward mark began drifting away rapidly. A whaler was dispatched to manage the leeward mark and shorten the course there. The race committee's plan was to have the whaler take the first few finishes while YC5 (the race committee boat) pulled anchor and motored to the mark. With two boats on station a finish line could be maintained with out relying on the mark holding position.
While stationed at the leeward mark and displaying a code flag S the whaler was taking waves over the bow and had to bail while on station. This became such an effort that the driver had difficulty calling in finishers while trying to keep the whaler stable. As a result there was question as to whether the operator had fairly finished the competitors crossing the line.
In addition, after YC5 hoisted anchor and began to power to the mark the engine failed. The working assumption is that the constant pitching while at anchor stirred up sediment in the fuel tank that then clogged the fuel filter or fuel line. At that point YC5 was adrift.
Under these circumstances, the race committee found itself unable to score the finishes fairly. Our Primary Race Officer made the tough decision to abandon the race with full consideration on the impact this would have on racing boats.
CYC of Seattle continuously tries to improve our ability to hold the highest quality races. We are looking into changes that will prevent these events from repeating themselves. However, the Puget Sound waters are some of the most challenging in the world in which to set marks. Suggestions are always welcome.
Sincerely,
Jim Lyle
Commodore
Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle