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09/22/2007: "Go Baby Go"

The big race during the Musket Cove Regatta is the Around Malolo event. This was the one that some of the yachts get serious over. I took a hard look at Chaotic Harmony to try and determine what I could do, and what I was willing to do, to make us go faster. The race week has been the largest ever - over ninety entrants - and those with a performance base would do the race around the two islands. There was no way I was going to unload stores and school books etc. Anything unloaded had to either had to sit in the dinghy or on the bottom. We dropped the 60lb CQR anchor and 45m of 10mm chain to the bottom and put the lightweight Fortress anchor on deck. I was already down to only a small amount of fuel in the tanks and the watet supply ran out on the way to the start line. In the dinghy I put the gas bottles, spare fuel, bar-b-que, second dinghy motor and heavy mooring ropes. We left the dinghy behind on a friends boat and en route to the start I could feel the difference in the handling. We had probably removed close to 1000kg off the boat.
For crew Estelle bought two friends - Zoe from 'Sea Eagle' and Nathan from 'Sweet Low'. We left Baden and Fletcher with our dinghy minders as they had play plans that did not include tense racing!
For the first time in three weeks the wind piped in. It was blowing 20 knots at the start and required perfect timing and accurate transits to hit the line at speed and in clear air. We crossed about fifth, on the pin and moving at speed. By Wandigi Island we were in third place and there we remained, unable to close the gap to the two leaders and managing to hold the fleet that stayed on our tail to the finish line. Like most yacht races we had our drama - a spinnaker wrap, close tacks near reefs, a slipping sheetline. To the credit of the crew we did fly and gybe the kite in 20 knots (cruisers do not usually do this!) and Chaotic Harmony speed along at 13 plus knots. All placegetters - including Chaotic Harmony in third - broke the race record. The party started aboard Chaotic Harmony when we had safely crossed the line and motored, exhausted, back to our mooring. Thanks crew, job well done.