Thursday, July 2, 2009

Long Beach Race Week

We spent the last weekend racing Hull #104 "BoomSlang" at Long Beach Race Week. Alamitos Bay is the perfect venue for the sportboats, the Viper 640 in particular. This turned out to be the first year of a one-design start for the Viper. We had 6 boats on the line. Two were chartered from local owners and the furthest traveled was a tie between us and Laurent from Phoenix.

We pulled up mid-day on Thursday to a freakin' sandstorm it was blowing so hard. A quick rig up and we're out on the water having a ball.

Friday the wind subsided considerably. We softened up the rig a bit and managed two thirds. Still trying to make the boat go fast in lighter air. The highlight of Friday was the second race, a one-hour, 45-minute, six leg ordeal. The top three boats finished within 1 foot of each other screaming downwind. Dave Morse and Glen VanHeel traded places a few times on the final leg of the race with Dave's #38 "Sheriff Bart" taking the win. The poor race committee had no time to blow three separate finishes. One-design racing at it's very best !!

Saturday the wind filled in a bit and we took a 2nd in the first race, then finished up the day with two firsts. Team Coup De Rouge lead by Skipper Laurent and crewed by Viper veterans John Riddell and Lucian Sahali put the pressure on with great sailing and solid tactics.

On Sunday the competition was hot with the International 14 veterans led by Jeff Young on #33 "Happy Endings." We traded place on 1st and second finishing within seconds of each other.

Our goal is to double the size of the fleet for next years Long Beach Race Week. Come join in the fun !!

photos courtesy of Rich Roberts

1
104 BoomSlang Drew Harper
3
3
2
1
1
2
1
13
2
38 Sheriff Bart David Morse
2
1
4
3
3
3
4
20
3
34 snake eyes Glenn VanHeel
1
6
1
4
4
4
3
23
4
33 Happy Endings Jeff Young
4
2
5
7 dnf
7 dnc
1
2
28
5
31 Coup De Rouge Laurent Dion
5
4
3
2
2
7 dnf
7 dns
30
6
601 Aqua Baby Tom Dent
6
5
6
5
7 dnf
5
7 dns
41

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Racing is one of the most awaited summer events this season. This is the time of the year that boat owners across the country gather in different locations to test their sailing skills.I liked the photos that you posted for the long beach race week. Amidst some weather problems, it seemed like a fun activity for everyone.

I also have a race boat that I launched in marina Massachusetts last year. My husband and I are planning to join the local races soon.

Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

sf venues are easier to choose and plan for than many tend to think, with a little planning, best ones can be chosen.