I raced on Actaea for the Lipton Cup in New Smyrna April 18. We did very well in this race. The wind was light and this boat moves well with light air. Our starts were not the greatest but we were able to make up time along the course and placed second overall with a possibility that we may get a first overall due to some enter yacht club maneuverings.
It was just Skip and I on board and with the light air that was plenty of hands. I drove most of the time and Skip handled the sail trimming. We were able to sail in close to the beach before the starts and could see our families waving from the beach.
It was almost 2 hours getting out from our mooring to the race start line so we had lots of time to chat and take in the sights along the inter-coastal waterway there. We had a couple of bridges to go under one of which we had to wait on as it is on a fixed opening schedule. The last day on the way back in a Manta Ray jumped all of the way out of the water 150′ in front of us. It was probably 8′ across or more!
I decided to stay Sunday night in New Smyrna to help bring the boat back to St Augustine on Monday. We couldnt decide whether to go off shore like we brought the boat down or to go along the inter-coastal all the way back. As we approached our turn where we had to make a choice we hung a left and went what is called “inside” or “up the ditch”. It turned out to be a good decision as a big storm blew down from the Northwest in the afternoon. It blew through right as we were passing Matanzas Inlet. Later a bridge tender told us there had been 50 knots with it. Skip and I went from sweating to freezing in just a few minutes. The temperature dropped quickly and we were soaking wet….I will not grab the wrong foul weather gear again….I was so cold Skip’s wife was wanting to know how we were doing and I could barely hold the phone and fingers steady enough to type!
But we made it back safe and sound and I went home and jumped in the hot tub!
Here are some pictures of the weekend…
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