Coyote Point Yacht Club Hosts Winter Sail #5
Some races arrive with wind. Others arrive with questions. Coyote Point Yacht Club’s Winter Sail #5 brought the latter.
Six boats — Chablis IV, Paradigm, Sirius, Sweet Grapes, Surprise! and Svea set out on a clear, warm Sunday that looked generous but held its cards close. Forecasts had wandered all weekend. By race time, the breeze had mostly gone with them. What remained was light air, bright sun, and a steady ebb that would matter more than any sail choice.
Sweet Grapes led the fleet off as rabbit. The start was gentle, almost polite, until Surprise! found a line and carried it forward to C, rounding first with Paradigm close behind. Sweet Grapes, after an early tangle and penalty turn, settled back into the race. Already it was clear this would not be decided by speed alone.
On the leg to Z, Paradigm set a spinnaker and began to close, the sail drawing just enough to turn possibility into position. Boats spread across the course, each searching for something reliable in air that refused to commit. Svea worked into third, with Sweet Grapes, Sirius and Chablis IV trading places in a quiet contest of angles and patience.
Then came the run north from Z to 6, where the race briefly found its rhythm. The ebb was in full voice, offering a two-knot lift that felt, for a moment, like real sailing. At channel marker 6, the water rose and folded on itself, a standing wake marking the strength beneath the surface. Paradigm led, Surprise! followed, Svea held third. Boat speed told one story. The current told another.
Beyond 6, the breeze loosened again. By the time the fleet reached for the Birdcage, the wind had thinned to a suggestion. Spinnakers collapsed. Courses softened. Decisions became smaller and more personal. Sirius retired first. Paradigm soon followed. Sweet Grapes, having fought back into contention, also chose “Enough.”
The course was shortened to Birdcage and home, though even that felt ambitious. The Bay had settled into stillness, and the race became less about finishing than about recognizing the day for what it was.
Those who stayed were rewarded with something quieter: a bright afternoon, a moving tide, and the kind of race that reminds you why you come out at all. Not for certainty. For the chance of it.
So far we have had 10 boats participate in the series. Here are the standings after race #5 of six:
1. Svea
2. Surprise!
3. Paradigm
4. Sweet Grapes
5. Ventus
6. Will o’the Wind
7. Sirius
8. Chablis IV
9. Bucephalus
10. Pelican.