Sailors Choose Their Own Course in Inaugural Navigator’s Race

Frank van Diggelen of the Santa Cruz Yacht Club competed in the first-ever Navigator’s Race, organized by Evan McDonald of the Berkeley Yacht Club, aboard Frank’s Sunfast 3300 Sun Dragon. He sent us the following commentary on his experience.

Think Three Bridge Fiasco on acid. On Saturday, August 9, the inaugural Navigator’s Race provided a mind-boggling format, with different start points and choice of routes. The format, copied from a similar race in Narragansett Bay, was described fully in the July 21 ‘Lectronic Latitude.

As a summary, just look at the chart. Sail from your chosen start location (A,B,C, or D) past as many of the listed marks as you like, but using only the red lines as routes, and traveling no red line more than twice. Finish at Berkeley Yacht Club between 1500 and 1530, or face time penalties or DQ. Longest distance (adjusted for handicap) wins.

Ten adventurous crews set out early on Saturday to play this game. Adding to the fun, the start is from anchor with sails furled, and there’s a five-minute motoring allowance to help at the start, although it may be used, incrementally, anytime.

I was sailing Sun Dragon singlehanded, so I chose start location C, Aquatic Cove, for the easy anchorage. This turned out great because the sandy bottom meant the anchor came up perfectly clean — no sticky mud to clean off! Caliente joined me in Aquatic Cove while most others chose Angel Island (B).

My pre-race strategy was to reach as much as possible to maximize VMC, such as routes, and loops, in the North Bay. As it turned out, reality changed this plan very quickly into a much better approach: Sail where the wind is. As soon as I ventured close to Sausalito, or north of Angel Island, the wind shut off. The beauty of this race is that you can decide, “Let’s not go to that mark,” turn around, and choose something easier. Also, a couple of minutes of saved engine allowance really helped in getting around Mark 19 in current and little wind.

Little wind was not a problem as soon as we were in the Slot. The classic summer conditions built and built to the high 20s. All finishers found the target time window of 1500 to 1530. Sun Dragon squeezed a few more miles out of the course in the last hour, taking a chance at bagging an extra couple of legs, and finishing with exactly one second to spare.

If you’ve enjoyed the chaotic adventure of the Three Bridge Fiasco, and want 10 times more of the same, with wind, come and do the second Navigator’s Race next year. The race was excellently planned and run by Berkeley Yacht Club PRO Evan McDonald. They successfully communicated the fiendishly unusual race rules so that we all (kinda) knew what to do, and when.

Results:
Monohulls: 1. Sun Dragon, Sunfast 3300, 34.30 NM; 2. Elise, C&C 40-2, 28.64 NM; 3. Arch Angel, Antrim 27, 28.60 NM (handicap-adjusted distances).
Multihull: 1. Caliente, Explorer 44, 29.34 NM.