Miami Mid-Winters
Day 1
March 11, 2003
By Richard Bukowsky
It was Monday night, the weather was warm, and the crew would be flying in tonight. Traci first, then Bob Shaw. Bob’s plane was scheduled just a little later that Traci’s, so we would hang out at the airport waiting for his. The boat was rigged, some last minute repairs completed earlier in the day. Then the phone calls started. Bob’s flight had been cancelled, and it was the last for the evening. He did manage to get on the first flight the next morning to arrive in Miami at 10:00 a.m. First race scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m., 1 hour drive from the airport, OK, we’re missing the first race.
Tuesday morning brought another day of fair Florida Winter in Miami, 82 degrees, sunshine in the morning, and clouds in the afternoon with the threat of local showers. Traci and I woke early and went directly to the club to enjoy the wonderful breakfast they provided. The plan was for Traci to drop me to rig and launch the boat while she met Bob at the airport, and would drive him straight back.
I was hanging out, waiting for everyone to launch and depart, then I would drop the boat in the water and wait for the crew. I kept waiting, and except for the early birds already in the water, everyone was in a holding pattern too. The winds were light, but there was wind. Finally boats began to launch, much later than I had expected. The last boat left the harbor at 10:45 a.m., the last boat except for us that is. Traci had already found Bob, and they were on there way, but traffic was heavy…
Bob and Traci made it just as I had finished launching and putting the trailer away. It was late, and Bob was anxious to get going, he still had aspirations of making the first race. So we paddled and we sailed, and we paddled and sailed. The fleet was across the bay, at the South East entrance to Biscayne Bay. Apparently that’s were the wind was, because it was pretty light were we where. As the 11:30 a.m. deadline approached we were still a mile from the fleet, with little hope of making it to the starting line before I time expired. But as 11:30 approached, things didn’t seem to get anymore organized. Boats were still working to weather, flying chutes, nothing indicated the organization of a start. When we finally arrived to the starting area, it was just in time for the RC to move the starting line ¼ mile to the east and south to adjust for a wind that was beginning to clock to the left, but it was also beginning to build. The promise of some great racing was looking better, and it looked like we had made it in time to race in all three race for the day.
It would turn out to be one of those nasty days for the RC, as the wind just teased all day, building, then letting off, shifting 80 degrees and building again, and letting off, shifting back 60 degrees.
The RC did a great job with the day. Race 1 finally started around 12:45 or 1:00 p.m. For us, we usually anchor the back of the pack, so the first start was a real surprise to us when we started well, kinda’ like the textbooks, where you are supposed to start in clear air and find a good lane. We sailed a nice first weather beat, staying in a freshening breeze the whole time. We were all afraid to say anything, but this is why we keep coming back, the hope of getting it right, and just doing better. So we rounded the weather mark in a pack of boats, and there were lots of boats behind us, this ain’t bad we thought. The first downwind went OK too. But at the end of the second upwind, there we were, we had been chewed up and spit out the back of the fleet again.
Race 2 proceeded right after the downwind finish of Race 1. Just a little time to set up the course and we were back in the sequence. The first race was light winds, probably 6-10 variety. Race 2 was looking like it might be more exciting with winds building to 8-12. And there were plenty of shifts, and lots of velocity changes, so the game was on. This time we didn’t even get any teasing, we just got spit out the back right off the bat in this race. But the wind began to show signs of building again, and along with that, the wind went left some more. Way left. The RC adjusted well and started the second weather leg 100 degrees to the left of the first course.
Race 2 finished, and RC began to get ready for Race 3. But the winds wouldn’t cooperate. The wind would shift, the RC would postpone, the wind would come back, then it would change, and the poor RC just kept struggling to get a race started. Finally, it looked pretty good, and the gun went off. I was toward the boat end, and as we were starting I suddenly saw the entire fleet flop over to port. Signally something significant was about to happen, we waited for the shift, flopped over to port, and realized we on the layline. The RC didn’t like the way things were shaping up, so a quick abandonment flag, and the race was over, and we would try again.
RC was bound and determined to get Race 3 started. I figured we would be finishing in the dark, but they were dedicated in their effort to start the race, and that’s why we were all there. So they were finally successful in getting the third race off, and we were treated to a glorious sunset over Biscayne Bay as we sailed into the club.
Day 1 at the Miami 2003 Lightning Mid Winters was now just a memory, but oh what a great memory!
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