Lake Erie Interclub - Port Dover to Port Colborne Race

Up at 5:30am, asking myself "Why am I doing this?" but greeted at Unison with an extra large Tim Hortons coffee and I'm ready to go again.

Through the lift bridge, past the lighthouse and out onto the lake.

Light wind again!

Interesting sky and Tenacity, a Dover boat.

Chuck instructs us to fly the postponement flag (on the right) and the follow me flag (on the left) and start motoring down the lake towards Nanticoke Shoal.

The fleet is all around us, some motoring , some motor sailing.

Time to swab the deck,

dry out the sleeping bags,

find a perch

or try out the spinnaker.

This is when we heard the bagpipes.

After a while, well before Nanticoke Shoal, Chuck decided there was enough wind and we anchored and he set the start line.

The pace went from leisurely to high gear. Sails went up and the nearly 40 sailboats all clustered around the start line.

It was to be a down wind start. These are exciting to watch and nerve wracking as well. The skippers can opt to sail a spinnaker from before the start or to start first (with more control and maneuverability) and then haul up the spinnaker. We knew that the first fleets were more likely to be cautious and the later fleets more likely to be aggressive.

My job was to make sure no one was over early and after that I could take pictures (until the next fleet was ready to start). Here some have spinnakers up already and some are just starting to get them up and flying.

Off they go, into the sun. Shaibu and Venture.

Some cut rather close to the Committee Boat!

and to each other.

There was some yelling

Things would quiet down when all the spinnakers were up and they could spread out a bit.

Then more yelling as the next fleet would start, as it didn't always go perfectly.

Flyer, with Danielle on crew, got a good start.

Dreamer's spinnaker sock wasn't co-operating.

Finally it was up and she was off.

The second to last fleet went off without a hitch.

Just the 3 fastest boats were left now, "chomping at the bit"

I am going to save my pictures of their start for the next post ..........