Hospice fun & filling the cup!

Now a Catalina 30 outfitted for cruising is not your typical race boat. That said, normally once a year, usually at the Hospice Cup, she gets a chance to stretch! This is the year.

Heading for the start

One of 36 boats in the Hospice Class (i.e. we’re most of us non-racers), with a high handicap (PHRF 198) we got the early start in a pursuit style race. That is, the slow boats go out first and other faster boats likely pass us on the way to the finish line. The day began cloudy, but cleared and warmed turning it into a beautiful day to be on the water. Over eighty boats were participating the the Hospice races, and many others were out to watch or simply sail.

The fleet behind us

On the down side, the predicted winds were right on – less than 10kts. In fact, mostly what we had were in the 4-6kt range. The start and the first legs across the Bay were on a reach and, while slow (4-5kts) we were at least moving in the right direction. Turning on the far mark set the fleet directly into the wind – the beginning of the end! After several upwind tacks we were approaching the turn for home when the winds died. We were then drifting in the wrong direction with the incoming tide — enough, and with a call to the race committee we reported us as DNF.

Disappointing as it was as a race, we had plenty of other DNF company, and the after party was terrific! Moreover, it was a great success for Hospice with over $30K in donations for that great cause.