Shaw Island Winter Classic 2013

Note:  This blog is under construction and photos need to arrive,  soon come.

CF

Winter Shaw Island Classic 2013, hosted by the Orcas Island Yacht Club:

It was a good weekend on the water with a bit of an unexpected rough start.

Driving UP was in a total downpour but arriving in Atown was to nearly full sun and 5-10k breeze.  Rear Admiral Papajani elected to put on the small headsail and we went with a full main to start which we reefed right away in Guemes Channel where we had low to mid 20s of apparent wind.

Jah Mon vs Lucky Dave in a one man bar fight:

Lucky Dave went below to secure some gear but a bit too late as he was attacked by a glass quart jar of strawberry moonshine that launched into space and shattered it's base on his head!

Polisher trimming and Lucky Dave driving.
The one man bar fight didn't slow him down!

He made his way to the sink in the galley and informed the Count "there were issues below" and his presence was required.  Triage first determined he was not cut too badly (although his finger was a good bleeder with blood about the cabin a bit), a rinse, compression, then a bandage was his first aid with some aspirin for his dented head.

The other side of the fight was totally destroyed in the tussel.  The entire bottom of the glass quart jar was all over the salon and Lucky Dave along with the moonshine and strawberries which had been in for flavor.  This shattered combatant had given a good account but Lucky Dave came out the winner.

Then there was a second casualty:  

Lorenzo (the culprit who brought the moonshine) assisted in the clean up was cut in the finger during that 1.5 hour ordeal.  The cleanup was not assisted by the intrepid crew running the boat above, of JP and Mastman, who were dumping gear off both sides of the boat's interior from places that never launch.  eg... the glasses came out of storage!, a drink on the gimballed stove went, starboard cushions (both seat and back) off the settee, all the gear off the nav table, etc..

Lorenzo wondering how those boats got in front of us.  Good thing he brought two quarts of moonshine and a bottle of whisky!

Add to that, way more broken shards than one thought possible and of course the moonshine waste.

Sorting took some time but as we took a more sheltered path between Cypress and Guemes, instead of beating all the way across Rosario Strait, we were able to restore order.  SO MUCH glass from the one shattered quart jar!  Hopefully it is dealt with and history.

Delivery (continued):

The rest of the delivery was fast with the boat motoring near 8k most of the way with a full main  that we just kept from rattling.  We chose a path UP Bellingham Channel between Cyress and Guemes Islands in the shelter of the blustery west winds.  We shot across Rosario Strait and entered the San Juans with no issues.

'Mastman' discovers a mast!  He was an animal on the main trim!

We decided to stay at West Sound Marina as there was a Schwenk (legendary party animals) birthday party at a local house.  That docking took some skills but with 4 line handlers and some extra line we managed to get in without losing gel coat.

The Dock and Shore Party:

We had lots of visitors come by and enjoy the luxury of heat so cocktail hour was boisterous with our local large rigger partaking in some now legal substance!  The Count counted to 10-12 bodies at one time but it was a fun gathering with a constant change of personalities.

Click on this for a sideways view of the fun

The Rear Admiral did a fine job of cooking up some onions and brauts for our lunch meal and libations flowed enough to fill our garbage twice in the one night.

Andy, Lucky Dave, and the Rear Admiral wonder what monster is
coming aboard.  Women?

We went to the potluck birthday bash which was a  very loud affair.  JP and the Count got a ride with two cute girls, one of which was VERY happy on an alchohol buzz, and the other was probably legal to drive, just.  The house was about 1/4 mile away but tricky to find in the dark. We were happy to have found the ride.

Birthday girl Stephanie Schwenk gets dipped by the Count!  Good form!

The shore party was hosted by our wharfinger of West Sound Marina, Betsy.  It was a potluck with way too much food.  There may have been 40 bodies there and it was boisterous and a bit tough to talk to anyone that wasn't within 8" of your mouth.

Lorenzo and I were back to the boat around 8 and the rest of the crew filtered back in by 10 and then Andy Schwenk came in again.  It was amazing he was vertical.  I guess practice helps.

Race Day:

The next day we collected 6 crew from the ferry and another off a sailboat from Friday Harbor so we were 12 (10 boys and 2 girls) with some good sailing talent on board, a clean bottom (launched Friday) and good attitudes for the race.

The Start:

This is the reason the Count races.  LOVE the start.  This line is about a mile long between the shores of Orcas Island and Shaw Island using the race committee most intelligent use of resources on the deck of the Orcas Hotel and a flag pole on Shaw Island.

The start with Chinook showing off her new sails!  This was the only time we had a lead on her.

There may have been 20-30 boats starting in all classes.  Jah Mon was the scratch boat in the "Heavy Fleet" in terms of rating (PHRF 123).

We opted for the most air pressure we could find, hitting the line on starboard at full speed with clear air above us and all of the fleet below us.

Rear Admiral having fun at the start.

We won the start by a mile but by the first rocks on Orcas near the marina, we were zooming backwards to the faster boats including Chinook and Wild Rumpus.

Big Foot in black with Ptolemy crossing easily on our first set of tacks.

Chinook, a Cal 39, fully restored and captained by Jimmaaa Roser went on to win our class with a well sailed race and a crew that included at least two pro sailors, new fast sails, and a rating of 132.  Why we owe them time is a mystery of PHRF.

Being in 1st place is fun but hanging out with friends trumps!

It was a light beat all the way to Turn Island and then the chute came out to Wasp Passage.  It was a fast race as we were done by 12:45 and set sail for Atown immediately.  I was in my car at 5:30 and heading for home.

No rain and good wind for the entire day!  The crew performed excellently and no gear broke at all, plus we all ate too much.

The Count rates the leisure rating of this event at a 9.2 out of 10.  It really was too cold for the girls to be in bikinis....

Count Enrico Ferrari
Photo by JPJ

This video link below is very fun and worth the 3:10 you need to watch.

Click here to see a video of Winter Shaw 2013