Round Prevost Race Report

Wind out of the SE with some rain greeted the boats jostling for starting position on the Round Prevost Race of 2024. The lee end was crowded but a slight starboard lift in the final seconds squared the line and a good start was had. Ogopogo claimed the pin and took off for Goat Island at pace. Slippery When Wet and Shingebiss kept close and it occasionally looked like the lead might have changed hands, but they were getting too far ahead for the reporter to be sure. Four Flying Fifteens started the race, but one turned back early as the conditions started to get gnarly. Single handing on the Kay D I was going to windward with about 1/4 of the mainsail inverted and feathering up in the gusts to keep the boat on her feet. Jill Oakes and Jane Squier were hiked out hard and sailing Robyn Hood flatter and faster than me and were grinding down my tiny lead. They took an extra hitch just by Welbury Spar and picked up a shift moving them into the F15 lead. Once we were into into Captains Passage, the wind picked up and I was now luffing 3/4’s of my mainsail and Robyn Hood was also overpowered. We sailed neck and neck to the Channel Islands, matching tacks and having a blast. I noticed that ahead the leaders were deploying spinnakers and that the ebbing tide had carried Steller J high of the lay line. By tacking to starboard early and letting the tide carry me up to the lay line, I was able to edge ahead of Robyn Hood.