Jennifer Harker
The day dawned dull and grey – and flat calm – for Day 2 of the North American 5.5M Regatta. By race time a light breeze had stirred itself, but it was patchy at best.
Having your boat in the right place at just the right time was key today. Skippers needed to pull out all the tricks as you couldn’t count on powering through a turn and sometimes just the motion of raising or lowering a spinnaker disrupted what hull speed they had mustered.
Race 1 saw Nantoria CAN 22 clear away with Mavi USA 103 moving out quickly as she continues to shine and solidify her place in the North American fleet.
Pride USA 31 was moving well, enjoying a much improved day as her novice crewmember gained familiarity with all the moving parts.
Nantoria opted for the north side of the bay while the rest sailed along the southern line and both were a good choice as O’Kelly CAN 79 and Nantoria made it to the windward mark together, with Firestorm USA 87 not far behind.
Spinnakers gave some speed for the downwind leg but most were strategically dumped well before the leeward mark to ensure there was no unnecessary movement as they navigated the turn.
After a full day of rigging work, Jalapena USA 96 joined the fleet partway through the race and immediately showed her nimble speed, proving she will be one to watch. With Mavi and Jalapena now in the mix the North American fleet is getting interesting and unpredictable.
Firestorm took the lead at the third mark and kept if for the finish while O’Kelly and Nantoria competed for second.
Mavi was showing her speed, flirting with the evolutions and finishing just behind them for a solid first place finish in the classics. Summer CAN 80 had another strong race, taking a second, followed by Pride and Purple Haze USA 51 while Summer School CAN 31 aborted the race and headed to shore to address some rigging issues.
What wind there was disappeared after the first race and the theme seemed to be the Canadian classic novel by W.O. Mitchell entitled Who Has Seen the Wind. The answer is no one. You can’t see the wind, but you can feel it – that is if it’s there. And it was not today.
However, the fleet gamely lined up and for the first time in the North American 5.5M Regattas there were nine boats on the line.
Jalapena showed her moves early and often taking two firsts on the day. Owner and skipper Dan Rossi said, “At one point we bore off and built speed. She did exactly what a fiery red pepper would do, we burned up the course.”
After all the restoration through the winter and a full day of putting her rigging together Rossi was pleased with her performance and all the work paid off. “She responded well, even in the light air. There was a little puff and the kite filled. She is remarkably different [than his other 5.5s Purple Haze and Savage] in light stuff with the shallower hull.”
He is already connecting with the boat and said, “I felt a good vibe. Jalapena certainly performed well in the light stuff, she’s very slippery and handles very well. It will be interesting when the breeze comes up to see how she behaves. It does look like she could be at the top of the fleet.”
Now that restoration is essentially complete Rossi said he will also need some new sails. “I’ll need to get a deep runner to further exacerbate performance and be a real threat to the other boats on course.”
He said it’s good to have it all together now, although more organization onboard is definitely required. Sailing with Rossi, crew Larry Donaldson remarked rather ruefully, “You look in the cockpit now and it is a macramé of lines.”
Alongside his own success, Rossi is also pleased with the fleet’s growth. “Now with nine boats the season is starting off well and we could conceivably have two or three more boats in the fall. We continue to grow which is excellent.”
On board Mavi USA 103 there is also growing excitement with two firsts and a second on the day to lead the classics. Skipper Hugh Loughborough said, “Our day was great – and we didn’t break anything. Yesterday’s repairs are solid, although they weren’t really tested in the light air today.”
Sailing with family can be tough, but Loughborough said, “Our onboard teamwork has been fantastic. Nobody needs to be told what to do.”
Alyssa Loughborough said, “It’s nice to sail together as a family again. I used to race Albacores with my Dad and it’s fun to be racing now with him with my own knowledge, experience and strength and some of my own racing experience.”
Having sailed other 5.5s Hugh is enjoying this year’s racing. “Mavi is really growing on me. She literally sails herself upwind; when she stalls a bit, she corrects, luffs a bit and corrects.”
Checking the standings so far, he said, “We are leading the classics, we just have to keep it up now and keep Summer behind us.”
There has been lots of movement in the classic fleet, and plenty of frustration too. There have been flashes of brilliance on Purple Haze USA 51, but skipper Matt Cowan said, “We can’t get the boat in the groove yet and it was a frustrating day for Purple Haze.”
He did find some positives and said, “Our crew mastered the spinnaker this year so it’s onward and upward. And we did find some wind in the last race.”
They currently sit in third in the classics with Mavi in the lead and Summer just behind.
Firestorm is leading the evolutions, with Nantoria and O’Kelly tied for second. Although Jalapena is in fourth, her outstanding first day performance indicates those results could shift in the days ahead.
Two days of racing remain.
Day 2 brought smiles to Pride USA 31’s team as skipper Joe Strelow and crew Michael Bloor are introducing sailing to Bloor’s son Collin who stepped aboard a sailboat for the first time yesterday.
Mavi USA 103 spent a lot of Day 2 mixing it up with the evolutions like Firestorm USA 87, showing her speed and manouvrability.
After many months of restoration Dan Rossi was thrilled with Jalapena USA 96’s performance on her first day of racing, finding her response and quick, even in the light air.