Coyote Point YC Hosts Winter Sail #3

Super Bowl Sunday arrived with another cautious forecast and an optimistic plan: a long,10-mile idea of a course, designed for sailors who hoped to finish in time for kickoff. Ventus took up rabbit duties and eased the fleet into a light-air beginning, the boats moving as if they were thinking things over. Surprise!, Ventus, and Svea traded glances near the front early, while Sweet Grapes and Paradigm worked patiently from behind, measuring tide, angle and time.

Surprise! found the first real opening and rounded C ahead, stretching toward Z with purpose. Ventus followed, Svea close enough to keep the pressure honest. Paradigm quietly improved position, slipping past Sweet Grapes with the course — and expectations — trimmed to a familiar C-Z-C-Z-8 run home. Even then, there was talk of making it shorter still.

Then the Bay changed its mind. The breeze arrived with conviction, touching the mid-20s and turning hesitation into action. Sails filled, wakes lengthened, and suddenly everyone was sailing again. The entire fleet finished, rewarded for sticking it out.

On corrected time, Surprise! took the win, followed by Svea, Paradigm, Ventus and Sweet Grapes — proof that Sunday still has surprises left, if you wait long enough.