What’s Going On in the May Issue Cover Pic?

The May cover of Latitude 38 features a photo taken by Erik Simonson of h2oshots: “SSS Round the Rocks racers seeking tide relief and breeze through Raccoon Strait.” It turns out that the boat closest to the lens was skippered by Lex Bland. He sent us his story about the race.

“That’s my boat, Calypso, J/92 hull #89, sailing out of Alameda. We’re flying our A3 spinnaker on a tight reach here, clawing our way back through the fleet after a costly equipment failure had stripped us of first place mid-race. A blown clew ring on the J3 was all it took.

“With the J4 badly undersized for the day’s conditions, we were left making the best of a difficult situation, pressing on with what we had aboard. Although my jib inventory was limited, my kite quiver was deep, and we ended up sailing upwind through that final stretch of Richmond Reach on my windseeker, passing heavier boats stuck in the punishingly light conditions.

“It was a race that could have easily ended in a retirement. Instead, after digging through the V-berth for a sail I’d never touched in a race before (the J4 — I use the windseeker all the time), we salvaged a hard-fought fourth place. Special thanks to my stalwart crew, Kevin Jennings, for keeping my spirits up when the day started getting expensive.