Sunday, September 16, 2007
THURSDAY 13 SEPT. 07-- ROLEX BIG BOAT SERIES REGATTA
This was the first day of the four day regatta-- the biggest regatta of the season,
and the day started with no wind; a light wind coming up in the late
Winds were still light when we left port about 12:30 pm, hoping to catch some of the end of the first day of the race.
As we headed toward Blossom Rock, hoping it would be the leeward mark for some fo the racers as in past years, the lagging J105 passed after rounding that mark.....
... as did this J105.
The J105s were followed by the 1D35s-- this one being one of the leaders around the mark.
Now here's DOUBLE TROUBLE approaching the mark under spinnaker....
...dousing the spinnaker as she approaches.....
...starting to gybe the main sail while starting to round the mark....
... and then hardening in the sails to head upwind on starboard tack.
Following the 1D35s, came the J120s, and here is one starting to douse her spinnaker ....
....and shrimping the spinnaker [dumping it in the water like a fishnet].
Sometime later, the J105s were heading downwind under spinnaker-- the fleet spread way out over the bay, more so than in most past races, perhaps because of the light winds.
The larger race boats had already completed their first race, and here is SWIFTSURE just roaming around east of the starting line, waiting for the next race to start.
This Farr 40 was undergoing some repairs, apparently, as it wandered around waiting for the next start.
Meanwhile, HOWL was heading for the finish line under spinnaker.
GREAT SENSATIONS was apparently leading the 1D35 fleet toward the finish line.
SWEET SENSATIONS, another 1D35, was quite a ways behind the leader.
DIABLITA was also many boatlengths behind the lead boat.
ZSA ZSA, a pier 39 neighbor boat, was dead last in this fleet.
DAYENU was looking good as she blasted toward the finish line-- not sure in what fleet she was involved.
After the last of the fleets headed downwind toward the finish line passed us, we headed toward the cityfront to await boats taking up wind after the next race start.
After a couple of tacks, we passed the GASLIGHT a charter schooner out of Sausalito that was tacking around along the cityfront.
Soon some of the larger boats, the part of the IRC fleet, were beating upwind along the cityfront, like KOKOPELLI, a Santa Cruz 52.
And, here is VELOS heading upwind on starboard tack as well.
This Swan 45 was also beating upwind, here on port tack.
Z, pictured here, was also on starboard tack at this time.
Here is ASTRA, a Farr 40, heading upwind on port tack-- this is the boat on which my friend Olivier is crew chief.
VELOS and SWIFTSURE, other IRC fleet boats, were now blasting downwind under spinnaker.
Here's ASTRA, now heading downwind under spinnaker.
Soon we spotted some other boats rounding the windward mark and heading downwind under spinnaker.
Soon a large fleet of boats were rounding the mark and heading toward us under spinnaker.
We arrived at the windward mark, just as SAMBA TI RA, a Transpac 52, rounded the mark and headed downwind under spinnaker.
We started tacked back and forth just west of the windward mark to watch the mark roundings, and saw this larger race boat overtaking a smaller boat named ESCAPADO....
... and passing her as she approached the mark....
...and raised a large asymmetrical spinnaker to begin blasting downwind.
Another Transpac 52 was now approaching the windward mark.
We passed the windward mark and headed downwind to watch the mark roundings and the boats heading downwind under spinnaker, like BAFFLEHEAD here.
Here are a couple of sailboats approaching the mark.
Here are a couple of sailboats approaching the mark.
We headed downwind toward home port, and watched some more of the fleets blasting upwind, like this large race boat.
Crews were on the rail as their boats blasted upwind, like this one....
... and this one...
.. and this J105 with a smaller crew on the rail.
The J105 fleet was beating upwind as we sailed toward home port.
Other fleets were also beating upwind with crew on the rail, like LOW SPEED CHASE pictured here.
This was also a J105, I think, heading toward us with crew on the rail, but not very heeled over.
The city was enjoying brilliant sunshine as we approached home port.
We doused sail after passing the marina and motored into the marina, anxious to download all the racing photos that we took during our four hours on the bay...
over 300 photos-- so the ones included in this photo blog are just a representative sample of all the shots we took Hope you enjoy them.
This was the first day of the four day regatta-- the biggest regatta of the season,
and the day started with no wind; a light wind coming up in the late
Winds were still light when we left port about 12:30 pm, hoping to catch some of the end of the first day of the race.
As we headed toward Blossom Rock, hoping it would be the leeward mark for some fo the racers as in past years, the lagging J105 passed after rounding that mark.....
... as did this J105.
The J105s were followed by the 1D35s-- this one being one of the leaders around the mark.
Now here's DOUBLE TROUBLE approaching the mark under spinnaker....
...dousing the spinnaker as she approaches.....
...starting to gybe the main sail while starting to round the mark....
... and then hardening in the sails to head upwind on starboard tack.
Following the 1D35s, came the J120s, and here is one starting to douse her spinnaker ....
....and shrimping the spinnaker [dumping it in the water like a fishnet].
Sometime later, the J105s were heading downwind under spinnaker-- the fleet spread way out over the bay, more so than in most past races, perhaps because of the light winds.
The larger race boats had already completed their first race, and here is SWIFTSURE just roaming around east of the starting line, waiting for the next race to start.
This Farr 40 was undergoing some repairs, apparently, as it wandered around waiting for the next start.
Meanwhile, HOWL was heading for the finish line under spinnaker.
GREAT SENSATIONS was apparently leading the 1D35 fleet toward the finish line.
SWEET SENSATIONS, another 1D35, was quite a ways behind the leader.
DIABLITA was also many boatlengths behind the lead boat.
ZSA ZSA, a pier 39 neighbor boat, was dead last in this fleet.
DAYENU was looking good as she blasted toward the finish line-- not sure in what fleet she was involved.
After the last of the fleets headed downwind toward the finish line passed us, we headed toward the cityfront to await boats taking up wind after the next race start.
After a couple of tacks, we passed the GASLIGHT a charter schooner out of Sausalito that was tacking around along the cityfront.
Soon some of the larger boats, the part of the IRC fleet, were beating upwind along the cityfront, like KOKOPELLI, a Santa Cruz 52.
And, here is VELOS heading upwind on starboard tack as well.
This Swan 45 was also beating upwind, here on port tack.
Z, pictured here, was also on starboard tack at this time.
Here is ASTRA, a Farr 40, heading upwind on port tack-- this is the boat on which my friend Olivier is crew chief.
VELOS and SWIFTSURE, other IRC fleet boats, were now blasting downwind under spinnaker.
Here's ASTRA, now heading downwind under spinnaker.
Soon we spotted some other boats rounding the windward mark and heading downwind under spinnaker.
Soon a large fleet of boats were rounding the mark and heading toward us under spinnaker.
We arrived at the windward mark, just as SAMBA TI RA, a Transpac 52, rounded the mark and headed downwind under spinnaker.
We started tacked back and forth just west of the windward mark to watch the mark roundings, and saw this larger race boat overtaking a smaller boat named ESCAPADO....
... and passing her as she approached the mark....
...and raised a large asymmetrical spinnaker to begin blasting downwind.
Another Transpac 52 was now approaching the windward mark.
We passed the windward mark and headed downwind to watch the mark roundings and the boats heading downwind under spinnaker, like BAFFLEHEAD here.
Here are a couple of sailboats approaching the mark.
Here are a couple of sailboats approaching the mark.
We headed downwind toward home port, and watched some more of the fleets blasting upwind, like this large race boat.
Crews were on the rail as their boats blasted upwind, like this one....
... and this one...
.. and this J105 with a smaller crew on the rail.
The J105 fleet was beating upwind as we sailed toward home port.
Other fleets were also beating upwind with crew on the rail, like LOW SPEED CHASE pictured here.
This was also a J105, I think, heading toward us with crew on the rail, but not very heeled over.
The city was enjoying brilliant sunshine as we approached home port.
We doused sail after passing the marina and motored into the marina, anxious to download all the racing photos that we took during our four hours on the bay...
over 300 photos-- so the ones included in this photo blog are just a representative sample of all the shots we took Hope you enjoy them.
# posted by charlie bergstedt @ 1:13 AM 
