Connecting the Dots
Connecting the Dots
With winds streaking and shifting across the three racecourses of the Sperry Top-Sider Marblehead NOOD, good finishes were a matter of getting around the holes and getting around the marks.
Last year at the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta in Marblehead, Mass., we started off with a windy rain-soaked Noreaster that kept everyone ashore on the first day. And while the rain eventually came today, conditions were good enough for everyone to get in a pair of races in light conditions. Three classes that started the regatta yesterday (IODs, Etchells, and Rhodes 19s) piled on a few more races to their scorelines.
With the light air came some entertainment at a few starts and mark roundings, especially for the Viper 640s, which attempted one start in which two boats were called "not over." Eight boats carried on up the beat while 11 others went back, but the race was abandoned with the lead boat just shy of the weather mark. Interesting...
Otherwise, the light air kept the mistakes and boathandling mishaps to a minimum, but the NOOD team has a new video camera and came away with a few fun highlights, including a sweet leeward mark rounding, Jud Smith schooling the Star fleet, a slow-motion J/105 leeward gate, a bit overstanding. Check 'em out, and check the results for the low down on who stands where. More racing on tap for tomorrow with a forecast for a bit more wind, and unfortunately, some more rain as well. We'll take the wind though.
