Day 2 of the Laser Midwinters West produced three races, two races were sailed in a very light and dying northerly wind, but the third race was in a strong 15 knot westerly.
The first two race starts were complicated by an ebb tide, pushing the fleet over the line prematurely. After the first recall, the committee went to the black flag. It did not help that the leeward end was heavily favored. A number of boats were caught out on the next attempted start. I decided to make sure I wasn't one of them so my strategy was to start on port tack ducking boats on the line looking for a clear opening. Good for not getting black flagged, but not great having a good start. I spent the first two races working my way through the fleet. It was a good challenge, especially because the courses were only one lap around the trapezoid.
When the wind completely died and I thought we would be heading in, the westerly came roaring in with full force. It happened in less then two minutes. I have seen this many times before. It was fun hearing one sailor rave about how great it was and how he had never seen anything like it before. He couldn't stop talking about how great it was to have it go from a flat calm to perfect racing conditions in lees then five minutes. And he was right! It is like some turned on a fan and completely transform the day in an instant.
The final race was a classic Berkeley circle racing. We sailed a full course for a change, having an extra run and beat to sort out the fleet. The top of the leader board has not changed with Sean Kelly putting on a commanding performance and holding a seven point lead going into the last day.
road trip
large group of Canadians competitors are here
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