SBYRA Summer 2005 - Race #1 Results

The 2005 SBYRA summer racing season has begun. The first race of the seven race series was held on April 16th. Currently, there are two divisions: a spinnaker division with 7 boats and a non-spinnaker division with 11 boats. As additional boats sign-up throughout the season, other divisions may be added. Since only the best five finishes for each boat will count toward the final standings, boats that sign up for the SBYRA after the start of the season can still get in their five races.

SBYRA Summer Race #1 was hosted by Coyote Point Yacht Club with Robert Hu performing Race Committee duties aboard Mist. Fourteen boats participated in Race #1:

Division A – Spinnaker – six boats

Division B – Non-Spinnaker – eight boats

With steady winds of 12 knots from the northwest at the start of the race, the race committee selected a twice around course. Course # 1, a 5.8 nm course, was chosen for both divisions. The twice around course length was 11.6 nm. The first start was at 12:00 for the spinnaker division, with the second start at 12:05 for the non-spinnaker division.

The race started with a few boats, including Windwalker and Mer Linda misreading the red, white and blue “T” (twice around ) flag as the “Numeral 3” pennant. This miscue resulted in those boats heading toward Channel Marker 6 (course #13) instead of the “A” mark (course #1), which increased the distance traveled by those boats by approximately 1 nm.

Additional miscues included Spirit (Hunter 37) not initially going through the start/finish line following the first lap of the course, as required by the SBYRA Standing Race Instructions, but correcting the miscue by coming back and going through the start/finish line.

The last bit of excitement toward the end of the race, as the winds were building to 17 knots, occurred at the finish line. Barking Spider touched the Race Committee boat and then caught the end of the fishing line on board the Race Committee boat as she proceeded through the finish line. The fishing pole began letting out line at a rapid rate until it reached the end, at which point the several ton boat won out over the 25 lb test line.

In Division A, the top three finisher were separated by under 3 minutes, with Summertime (Luther Izmarian) finishing in first place, Windwalker (Jim Benson) in second place, and Mer Linda (Mark Hale) in third place.

In Division B, Dolphin (Robert Young) finished in first place, with Spirit (Wayne Weathers) finishing in second place and Far Better Thing (Charles McArthur) in third place.

The awards ceremony for the SBYRA winter 2004 races was held at CPYC following the April 16th race. Unlike the summer series, the winter races were individual races. Award certificates and West Marine gift certificates were presented to first, second and third place finishers in Division A, B and C for each of the five individual winter races.