Local yacht club completes fall series

The Rendezvous Yacht Club completed its Fall Series of Wednesday night races on Sept. 5, with the committee of Colin Hewitt and Sue Karsnia setting up a triangular course.
With strong winds out of the northeast, Hewitt and Karsnia opted to modify the usual Olympic triangle course by requesting not six, but seven legs.
Five boats competed, finishing fairly close together.
Ron Bowman’s “In Tune” won the race with a corrected time of 40.12 minutes. Quinn McCarthy’s “Sedna” took second place just ahead of Jack Bartlett’s “Mad Hatter.”
They completed the course in 43.11 and 43.58 minutes, respectively.
This past Saturday (Sept. 8), Bowman again took top honors in the annual Fall Classic. Unfortunately, with rain in the forecast and several sailors with fall conflicts, only two boats competed in this North Arm course.
It was a close battle between Bowman and McCarthy over the 13.5-mile race, which started north of the Causeway. From the start line, McCarthy’s “Sedna” jumped to an early lead staying just ahead of “In Tune” as they sailed north toward Risky.
McCarthy was able to maintain the lead until just before Crowe Island. Then Bowman’s crew got close enough on the windward side of Sedna to “steal” some of her air, thus slowing down the leeward boat and pulling ahead.
From Crowe Island, the sailors headed northeast around three islands on the south end of Hostess Island. Then they lifted their spinnakers for a downwind run back to the Causeway.
Bowman pulled away after the islands but about halfway back down the course, McCarthy started to gain back the distance. He slowly closed in on “In Tune,” but it was not enough to catch him before the finish line.
After the race, the two captains contemplated what may have happened had the course gone just another half-mile!
The final race of the Saturday Series—and 2007 season—will be the Pumpkin Cup on Sept. 22. There will be a captain’s meeting at 10 a.m. at La Place Rendez-Vous, with the race starting at 11 a.m. and finishing near the Island View.
If you’d like more information, visit www.rycweb.org or contact Diane McCarthy at 1-218-283-1060.