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View Full Version : 2023 Drakes Bay Saturday Recap



fauxboat
08-06-2023, 01:34 AM
Drakes Bay is an unusually complicated race because it it part of both the SSS series AND the YRA series. Which means two NORs. Two sets of sailing instructions. Two sets of entries. Two sets of jibeset POB lists to track, and account credentials to use for scoring. Two groups trying to make class definitions and agree on start orders and who-starts-with-who and who gets to post which document first. If that were not enough, there are two completely different race committees involved. Thanks to Laura at YRA and Milly for helping make this work.

Saturday's combined SSS & YRA race had 37 boats registered in 15 (!) classes. There was almost no wind at 0830 when checkin began, but it built to a very reasonable 10-ish by the first warning at 0940, with some helpful ebb. Twenty-one boats started from St Francis YC for Drakes Bay, and were lost in the fog past the Golden Gate Bridge within an hour.

The first retirement happened around Pt Bonita for a radio problem. The Race Committee would like to thank the sailors that put safety ahead of racing.

Twelve boats finished and nine boats retired before the cutoff time of 2200. Only three of the finishers were SSS entries:
* Freedom, corrected time 07:36:28
* Zaff, corrected time 07:54:21
* Bombora, corrected time 08:01:48

Congratulations to those who finished, and hats off to the nine who tried.

The last retired just entered the gate at 0122 Sunday, and I'm heading to bed, so we can do it again for the Sunday race. But before I do, I'd like to thank today's SSS volunteers for the SSS & YRA Drake Bay Saturday:

Carliane, DRO
Shawn
Beccie

They arrived by 0830 to take people's checkins, and did a nice job confirming not just who turned out, but important safety information.

They handled the reocrding of who started, and the line-sight job of confirming boats were not over early.

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Just as important were the non-SSS volunteers from Inverness YC, led by Milly. They sat out in the cold and exposed hillside in the fog from 1400 through 2130, writing down finish times. Then stayed available to help scoring until 2315.

Milly also enlisted a Capitola collaborator on the computer who watched AIS for the team to keep track of boats for RC. Knowing roughly where boats is enormously helpful.

This race would not have happened without Milly and her team.

Richard, 2023 SSS Race Co-Chair