Fleet 61 2008 spring series: week 1 (May 21)

The season opened with J-Puddleduck, Trouble, and Don't Panic sailing the first night. Wow did RC. The wind was light and shifty, out of anywhere from northwest to southwest, at 6-8 kts. Rain was threatening all evening, but the wet stuff held off long enough to get two races in.

The first race started in a north-westerly. Don't Panic won the start in what turned out to be a starboard-tack fetch to the first mark. It was anybody's race at the first mark, but both Trouble and J-Puddleduck had troubles getting their chutes flying and Don't Panic opened up an insurmountable lead on the downwind leg after a nice gybe set.

By the second upwind leg, the wind had gone left enough to turn it into a square beat. Don't Panic played it conservative and covered the fleet, while dodging the EBYRA division 6 boats who were using the same mark. J-Puddleduck was ahead of Trouble by a couple of boatlengths near the top of the second beat and held on for a second place finish.

By the second race, the wind had gone even more left, turning the first beat into a port-tack fetch. While Trouble and Don't Panic mixed it up a bit near the RC boat, J-Puddleduck owned the favored pin-end of the line, opened up an early lead, and led at every mark rounding. Don't Panic almost caught Trouble on the first run, but couldn't quite drive through them to leeward. It was follow the leader as J-Puddleduck, Trouble, and Don't Panic finished in the order they started.