The casual Friday evening racing series is well underway on Port Townsend Bay.
Six Thunderbirds showed up to participate and were shown up by a lone Spittsgatter in the outing Friday, April 30. Sailed by Sean and Inger Rankin, their Spittsgatter came out on top under the handicap (PHRF) rating system.
“This race was an almost exact re-run of last week’s,” said race committee captain David Burrows.
“The wind was a tad stronger at times but just as shifty,” he noted.
Port Townsend Sailing Association president Roland Nikles said the inconsistency of the wind caused some doubt amongst the participants, as to whether the race course they were sailing was the same as before.
Courses for the weekly races are posted on a board at the end of City Dock, next to an orange flag marking one end of the starting line.
The April 30 the course sent the boats to mark “I” off Indian Point — near the Tides Inn off West Sims Way — then to the green channel entrance buoy across the Bay, near the Navy loading dock, and back to I-Mark.
“The convention is to round all marks to port unless the lettering on the race board is dashed and underlined,” Nikles said.
The two front-runners, Raven and Kolus, incorrectly rounded the I-Mark to port on the second pass, and in the best tradition of sportsmanship and the honor system under which these races are run, they disqualified themselves from the results. It was a moral victory for Raven and Kolus, who finished first and second, but bragging rights went to the Spitsgatter.
Friday, May 7, saw blustery winds and only four competitors come out.
Thunderbirds “Falcon,” “Mabuhay,” and “Blew Bird” completed the course in 52:16, 57:05 and 1:01.
The fourth competitor, Cito, the Spitsgatter who had previously laid the smack-down on her fellow competitors, did not complete the full course, abandoning the race after her first rounding.
There will be no Casual Friday racing this week on Port Townsend Bay, as the 22.1-nautical mile Race Around Protection Island is scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 15.
Whitecap PHRF (Friday) Race No. 5 Results
First: Falcon - Roland Nikles
Second: Mabuhay - Greg Barron
Third: Blew Bird - Bill Broekhof
DNF - Cito - Sean and Inger Rankins
DNC - Cat 22 - Michael Gaede
DNC - Raven - Sarah Kolbeck
DNC - Kuma San - John Lynes and Jim Heumann
DNC - Kolus - A and J Brantly
DNC - Varya - Jen and Peter Bates
DNC - Habanero - Piper Dunlap
DNC - Pacifica - Doug Jones
DNC - Blue Fin - David Jacus
Whitecap PHRF (Friday) Race No. 4 results
First: Cito - Sean and Inger Rankins
Second: Falcon - Roland Nikles
Third: Kuma San - John Lynes and Jim Heumann
Fourth: Mabuhay - Greg Barron
Fifth: Blew Bird - Bill Broekhof
DSQ - Raven - Sarah Kolbeck
DSQ - Kolus - A and J Brantly
DNC - Cat 22 - Michael Gaede
DNC - Varya - Jen and Peter Bates
DNC - Habanero - Piper Dunlap
DNC - Pacifica - Doug Jones
DNC - Blue Fin - David Jacus
FINAL WHITECAP WINDWARD/LEEWARD (WEDNESDAY) RACE STANDINGS
First: Dorado - Joe Daubenberger
Second: Possum - Hans Daubenberger
Third: Owl - Dale Dunning
Fourth: Kuma San - John Lynes and Jim Heumann
Fifth: Raven - Sarah Kolbeck
Sixth: Kolus - A and J Brantly
Seventh: - Falcon - Roland Nikles
Eighth: Caveat - Doug Bolling
Ninth: Blew Bird - Bill Broekhof
10th: Tsieu - Scott Walker
*DNF (did not finish); DNC (did not compete); DSQ (disqualified)
UPCOMING RACES
Sunshine Series Windward/Leeward racing kicked off Wednesday, May 5 and will take place at 6 p.m. every Wednesday until
May 26. The Whitecap PHRF Series will continue at 6 p.m. every Friday through May 28.
The next Distance Series race will be held at 10 a.m. on June 26 and will run through June 27 during the 40.2 nautical mile Watmough Bay overnight race.