Andrew, Keith and I left Benicia early Friday Morning and tested the new truck (GMC Envoy) by pulling Puppeteer up the hill. The V6 did an admirable job and we arrived with no incidents around 10:30 AM at Meeks. We chose to launch at Meeks since I had used that launch ramp before in my only other trek to Tahoe (so I at least knew where it was).

We had planned ahead for any contingency and had brought camping gear, etc. in case it was too windy and we had to anchor. But, we expected the best, in which case we would garner a moor in Tahoe City and spend our nights in Keith's place at Donner Lake. So, Andrew and I motored from Meeks to Tahoe City while Keith took the truck and trailer to Tahoe City.

After launching and rigging, we met Kevin and Gail on the water. Kevin gave me some "brief" on the Trans Tahoe likely course and marks and some wind information. It being nearly dead calm at noon, I was hoping I wasn't in for another weekend of drifting. Kevin left us around Sugar Pines to search for wind, Andrew and I motored to Tahoe City (Kevin had pointed it out to us).

Keith was waiting for us, but there really wasn't anyplace to tie up while we left the boat. Thanks to planning for contingencies, Andrew had pumped up the inflatable as we chatted with Kevin. We succeeded in setting the anchor and let out scope until we were adjacent to the (Danger Shallow) bouy and tied the stern to that. We paddled ashore and left the inflatable hanging on a hook while we sought luncheon and Eric Connors.

It was beautiful. We had lunch at one of the harbor eateries while we looked over the gorgeous deep blue water split by mountainoud grandeur on the horizon with a cap of Baby Blue for the sky...It doesn't get any prettier.

After Lunch, we went to the Tahoe Yacht Club and sought Eric...didn't find him, but spoke our magic words to one of the TYC helpers for the regatta, "Eric said we could use a YC moor!" The gates of helpfulness opened and we were directed to the gas dock, where once again we spoke the magic phrase, "Eric said we could use a YC moor!" and once again it worked. We then paddled to Puppeteer, and motored to the moor.

Friday at 5 pm, there was supposed to be a fun race. Well, it was delayed a little, there wasn't any wind for a while. BUT, it did pick up. The start sequence threw me. I was expecting the start of one fleet to be the warning of the next...nope, they waited and then blew a warning. SO, I wasn't sure and I went into starting sequence mode as did Freedom Dance (Jerry Grant) with Andrew as crew (did I mention that I'd hauled Andrew up so he could crew for Jerry?). But, Jerry was leeward of me and I was reaching along the line looking back to see if this was really our start, when the beep sounded, the M (Multihull) flag did not come down, so I knew it wasn't our start, but then I looked dead ahead and there was Jerry starting. I had to fall off rather quickly to avoid him. So Jerry started a minute early. I still didn't know when we'd start, so I just watched Bert (Sea Puppy). At the next beep, I saw the M flag come down and so I started (about 30 seconds behind everyone). Naturally, I was behind everyone at the windward mark, as well, but I think I had made up a couple boat lengths on Bert. As we rounded, we hoisted spin a little faster than Bert, but Bert was windward and heading (IMO) too low, so we gybed so we could get some power in the spin. Worked well as we passed all the Multihulls to the leeward mark and were first around (even passing Santosha, the F28R and Jerry who had started a minute early). We did a nice gybe drop and managed to stay in front of the F24s (the 28 is just too fast upwind) to finish first of 3 one design boats. To be honest, though, only Bert flew his spin downwind, Santosha and Freedom Dance went with screachers.

Jerry had some problem with a batten and we wanted to gather Andrew to head for the barn, so we bumped together and did a crew transfer. Then we played around and while we noticed the other boats still looking like they were racing, it never dawned on us that there was a second race!! We found that out after getting back to the yacht club for libation and camaraderie...

The reception that evening was great. I got to meet with Bert again and make new acquaintance with Jerry and his wife Corinne. Brian Burke (and Delores) was also there (but not on the start line). Kevin (wasnít there), but I had brought his wishes to everyone. Kevin is such a great guy, did you know that he offered the use of his spin and screacher to Brian (who doesnít own either)?

After the reception, we hauled down the road to Keithís place at Donner Lake, watched a nearly full moon light up the beautiful mountain Lake, sip some 15 year old Cabernet and relive a great day.

Skippers meeting the next day was over by 10:30, but there wasnít any wind, so we were anxious. I had a chance to meet with Mike Staudenmeyer before the race and talk about Corsair 24s. Mike was also without spinnaker, but did have a screacher. At the skippers meeting I clarified the starting sequence.

All the boats milled about at the starting line and the wind built so a nearly on time start occurred. The course was a half mile upwind beat, a long close haul to Sugar Pines, a downwind piece to a research buoy (more on that later), a beat back to Sugar Pines then a reach to the finish. Keith coached me to a near perfect start. But my beating technique keeps me inside the laylines (in case of shifts). Freedom Dance was a little ahead by then (did I mention that my boat doesnít go to weather as well as other F242s? I think it is a result of the aluminum extrusion roller furled jib.) Anyway, I had to duck, when I did, Jerry executed a perfect, "camp on" my wind (Good move Jerry). Anyway, I was OK eating his bad air for a while as I knew heíd point higher and Iíd get good air again in a short while. It got lighter on the right, so we tacked back to the left (on STBD tack). We kept going, but noticed Santosha on collision course. We hollered STBD!!. No apparent notice. We hollered again, no joy. I was hollering as LOUD as I could and was about to maneuver when I see Timís head poke up and finally SEE us less than 2 boat lengths away. WHEW!. We continued to the layline, tacked onto Port and watched Sea Puppy round, then Freedom Dance, then Santosha, and then me (behind us were Brian (Jubilant) and Mike (Hard Core (I think)).

Freedom Dance did a really tight rounding, we continued a little ways so we could get clear air and then tacked. We had thought we might be able to use screacher on the next leg, no joy, it was too close. So -we dropped screacher onto deck and then tacked. The close reach to Sugar Pines was uneventful. We footed some and passed Freedom Dance to leeward. I noted that the monohulls in front kept getting lifted to the mark, so when the other multihulls tacked, I stayed on Stbd. As expected, we were lifted onto the layline for the mark and were the second multihull around (Adrenaline, the C class catamaran (rating -120) had pulled away. Freedom Dance was only a couple boatlengths behind, Sea Puppy a little behind them. It was crowded at that mark. I had to choose a good line between a couple Melgi 30s. I split them and had the chute up but we were in the way of the windward Melges who gybed and ducked behind us. I immediately gybed (on his wind which must have pissed him off). By then the wind had built into the mid to upper teens. We got sorted out while underway and had a nice run at 13-15 kts and passed a couple monohulls. I gotta admit, I was impressed with their speed, these planing monohulls (Sierra 26 and Melges 30) are just as fast as us. I caught glances behind and watched Sea Puppy launch and Freedom Dance have some spin problems, but mostly I was focused ahead.

About 4 miles later, we come to a research buoy. At this time, there were only 5 boats ahead of me. One of them (the Sierra 26) rounded it. What to do? This buoy was the right color, it seemed to be in the right spot and a local boat had rounded it, no one had said anything about there being more than one research buoy and certainly the buoy wasnít marked on any charts. So I rounded it and headed back. Everyone else kept going. I watched the spins of the boats I had been even with, dwindle in the distance, and even though I was pretty sure I wasnít right, I had already lost so much distance I figured I may as well have a great day of sailing and finish the race, even though I may not be sailing the right course. So we did. We beat back to the Sugar Pines mark, passed it and flew screacher for a while, then launched spinnaker behind it and furled screacher, toward the finish line it got pretty windy, so we dropped spin and finished with just main. We got line honors finishing about 10 minutes before Adrenaline. Then we went to the committee boat and told them we probably sailed the wrong course and withdrew.

Jubilant followed me (assuming I know what I'm doing isn't a great idea Brian!!). Freedom Dance uses a snap shackle on their spin clew, with the kinds of wind we were seeing, the occasional luff and POP was enough to open it, so they had some difficulties. Sea Puppy had their spin rip so finished the race Jib and Main. I don't know what happened to Hard Core, but the score sheet the next day scored them as DNF. Final results for the Corsair 24s, Freedom Dance won first, Sea Puppy was second, none of the other one designs finished the race. Next year I'll get a GPS so I can find the marks (but I still think the RC should have told us there was another research buoy right on our path).

The awards ceremony on Sunday was fun, Jerry had had so much trouble, he figured he'd be an "also ran", instead he finished First place in the Multihull division. The F28R was second, Sea Puppy was third and Adrenaline finished 4th (corrected time put him about 10 minutes behind Freedom Dance). We helped Jerry lower mast and we came home. A great sailing weekend in some of the most beautiful waters on the earth.

Thom Davis,
F-242 #284, Puppeteer