On August 5/6, nine boats and about 25 people had a fabulous Commodore Gibson race/cruise to Port Ludlow and return.  The weather forecast was for beautiful weather but light breeze, and it was spot on.  Saturday morning was sort of clear / sort of foggy (you could see the sun overhead, but patchy fog on the water).  But more critically there was zero breeze.  

The Commodore Gibson rules allow a solution to this problem – it allows for a second chance start line at Apple Tree Point (just NE of Kingston) so we all motored there.  There was a modest north breeze there, so we were able to start and have a pleasant sail towards the Foulweather Bluff finish line.  Note the use of the word “towards” rather than “to”.  Even though we had favorable tide, the wind shut off here and there (but held in other places), so that ultimately Charlotte, Those Guys, Wildfire, Altair, and Wind Dancer were able to finish before the wind totally shut down.  The other boats wisely decided to motor the rest of the way.

Once there, Dave Dumont’s Beneteau 44.7 “Monte Solaro” hosted the group to adult beverages and treats, prior to a potluck dinner in the big tent at the Port Ludlow marina.  Theme music for the evening’s festivities was provided by a Spotify channel that featured pirates singing sea chanties.  Who knew that there was such a thing?  That was followed by the ever-popular white elephant prize exchange that featured a wealth of regifted items from previous years.

Sunday breakfast featured communal dining for those who didn’t over indulge on “kamikazes” (the prior evening’s beverage of choice).  The first choice start line at Foulweather Bluff had conditions of zero wind and a 2-knot adverse tide (a twofer), so we motored to the secondary start line, which was just south of Point No Point.  This likewise had zero breeze and plenty of adverse current, so we motored to our last chance start line at Apple Tree Point.  Here there was a light south breeze and minimal current, so it was time to go sailing.

And sail we did, with all the boats making it back to the Meadow Point finish line in lovely conditions.

Results can be found on the CYC race results webpage – http://racing.cycseattle.org/results/registrants-results.html

Make sure to mark your calendars to attend next year’s race/cruise on a summer date TBD.