The Big Daddy Regatta was held at the Richmond Yacht Club on March 12-13. Known also as the Spring Tune Up race, it seemed like a classic summer day on the Bay. The first day was buoy racing and the Olympic Circle (better known as the Slot) was the destination for the Ultimate 20 fleet along with the Express 27, Moore 24, and J70s. The day started cool with winds in around 8 to 10 knots, but by the time the racing started had moved up to 15 with gusts to 20. Strong ebb tide during the regatta, but it seemed the going right was a good move on the upwinds. Downwind was a drag race with boats quickly reaching planning speeds. The second race started well, but winds were soon hitting a consistent 20 knots at the windward mark and some pretty spectacular knockdowns and spinnaker twists on the downwinds. The race committee called for some pretty long races and it was decided that two was enough for the day--with Scott Hester winning, Dave Woodside second, and Phil Kanegsberg third. Free beer, snacks and a great evening dinner and party allowed most of the crews to unwind but none stayed for the end of the dance party as we all headed to the bunk early.
Saturday the time clock moved ahead an hour while most of us slept in to prepare for the long distance race--any direction around Angel Island and Alcatraz and back to the club. The wind came up early and stayed full on for the race. With the strong ebb tide, 90% of the fleets headed close hauled through Raccoon Straits on the first leg and once around Angel Island, headed to Alcatraz on a reach that allowed U20s to leg out. Once around Alcatraz and its swirling currents, it was another drag race back to the Club. This is where U20s excelled going consistently between 10-12 knots over the leg with all the crew weight in the aft end of the boat. In the end, Mike Josselyn was the first in the U20 fleet and came in 11th overall in a fleet of 90 boats. John Wolfe was second in the U20 fleet. The most successful boat in the race was the Wylie Wabbit--getting 6 of the top 10 positions.
Guess we are set for the summer!