Spring Races
Posted: July 10th, 2016, 10:54 am
Miami To key Largo, 42 mi: Last weekend of April. Any size multihull and monohull may race.
This race is a 42 mile dash down Biscayne Bay sailing generally south. I think there were about 75 boats in the race. The mult's were RC30, N20Carbon, I20s, M20s, Stil23, H16s, Tris etc. The wind forecast was ESE 6 to 9 knts. The actual wind was ESE but the strength turned out to be 12 to 16 knts. The race started at 8:00 AM. Port tack start sent everyone headed right down the race course about 196 degrees, slightly west of due south. The RC30 got a jump on the fleet at the start due to a normal mid starting line sag by the fleet. The RC30 did not sag with the fleet. The first shallow area for daggerboards and keels is called Featherbeds Bank about 10 miles into the race. The course to Featherbeds is about 3 degrees higher than the more straight line, shortest distance, course, 196 degrees. Boardless beach cats sail the 196 degree shortest distance course, the ideal course, and do not worry about the Featherbeds Bank. At the Featherbeds the RC30 had a few mile lead over the next boats back. The M20s and the N20C and the I20 were close together at this point.
The next shallow area for board and keel boats is called Cutter Bank. The course to Cutter bank is another 2 degrees higher or 191 degrees on the compass. At Cutter Bank, the board boats and keel boats are a little over 2 miles east of the 196 degree boardless beach cat path. From Cutter Bank down to the Card Sound Bridge is 228 degrees, a high speed jib reach, 27 mph max, for the RC30. The beach cats sail a 210 degree course, a high speed reach for them also.
Everyone goes under the Card Sound bridge near center span. The finish line is 5 miles away at the mouth of Jewfish Creek on a 180 degree course south.
When the RC30 got close to Jewfish Creek entrance, there was no Finish Line Boat . WE took our time at a channel marker as 9:54 AM located at the mouth of jewfish Creek. This is an hour and 54 minutes to complete the race. This is only the second time in the 50+ year history of this race that 2 hrs has been broken. We sailed around for a while at th mouth of jewfish Creek waiting on the Race Committee Boat, Finish Line Boat. Pretty soon we noticed an outboard rig with a flag anchoring to leeward of Jewfish Creek channel and a couple of hundred yards further off shore from Jewfish Creek where we took our finish time. We gave our finish time to the RC and headed back to the MYC 45 miles north. In a few more minutes we passed the N20C and I20 and M20 all headed for the finish line and close together.
This race would have been the perfect race to have had a camera on the boat. The ocean was a beautiful light blue green color, the sun was bright all the way and we averaged a little over 21 mph, a mile every three minutes. This is not the record low ET for this race. The record was set about 20 years ago on an RC27, a racing boat. The RC30 is the cruising version of the "RC27 racer".
This race is a 42 mile dash down Biscayne Bay sailing generally south. I think there were about 75 boats in the race. The mult's were RC30, N20Carbon, I20s, M20s, Stil23, H16s, Tris etc. The wind forecast was ESE 6 to 9 knts. The actual wind was ESE but the strength turned out to be 12 to 16 knts. The race started at 8:00 AM. Port tack start sent everyone headed right down the race course about 196 degrees, slightly west of due south. The RC30 got a jump on the fleet at the start due to a normal mid starting line sag by the fleet. The RC30 did not sag with the fleet. The first shallow area for daggerboards and keels is called Featherbeds Bank about 10 miles into the race. The course to Featherbeds is about 3 degrees higher than the more straight line, shortest distance, course, 196 degrees. Boardless beach cats sail the 196 degree shortest distance course, the ideal course, and do not worry about the Featherbeds Bank. At the Featherbeds the RC30 had a few mile lead over the next boats back. The M20s and the N20C and the I20 were close together at this point.
The next shallow area for board and keel boats is called Cutter Bank. The course to Cutter bank is another 2 degrees higher or 191 degrees on the compass. At Cutter Bank, the board boats and keel boats are a little over 2 miles east of the 196 degree boardless beach cat path. From Cutter Bank down to the Card Sound Bridge is 228 degrees, a high speed jib reach, 27 mph max, for the RC30. The beach cats sail a 210 degree course, a high speed reach for them also.
Everyone goes under the Card Sound bridge near center span. The finish line is 5 miles away at the mouth of Jewfish Creek on a 180 degree course south.
When the RC30 got close to Jewfish Creek entrance, there was no Finish Line Boat . WE took our time at a channel marker as 9:54 AM located at the mouth of jewfish Creek. This is an hour and 54 minutes to complete the race. This is only the second time in the 50+ year history of this race that 2 hrs has been broken. We sailed around for a while at th mouth of jewfish Creek waiting on the Race Committee Boat, Finish Line Boat. Pretty soon we noticed an outboard rig with a flag anchoring to leeward of Jewfish Creek channel and a couple of hundred yards further off shore from Jewfish Creek where we took our finish time. We gave our finish time to the RC and headed back to the MYC 45 miles north. In a few more minutes we passed the N20C and I20 and M20 all headed for the finish line and close together.
This race would have been the perfect race to have had a camera on the boat. The ocean was a beautiful light blue green color, the sun was bright all the way and we averaged a little over 21 mph, a mile every three minutes. This is not the record low ET for this race. The record was set about 20 years ago on an RC27, a racing boat. The RC30 is the cruising version of the "RC27 racer".