On June 29-30, seventy C420s gathered at Wianno Yacht Club, Osterville MA, to compete in the annual New England’s Championship. The venue was very unsuspecting at first, with the club being very small and launching a bit chaotic, but it was soon evident that it was shaping up to be a great event.
We saw very light air at the beginning of the first day, which quickly built to a steady and pretty average day. We had marginal trapping conditions, except for the last race when it picked up more. It was incredibly difficult to start well and hold a lane with such a large fleet. It was also a challenge to start with a midline boat, since neither my skipper, Emily Doble, or I had much experience with it.
The second day was much better for us, minus the OCS in our first race. The wind was very consistent pressure-wise, with some oscillation and a geographic shift near the shore. We kept our eyes on our compass and navigated the race course, tacking on headers and connecting the dots between puffs. Our best finishes, a 12th and a 9th, were raced after the OCS, due to our recent advances in boat handling, and good starts allowing us to sail in clear air. We were very excited to finish so well in such a large fleet.
Thank you to SDYC for supporting me in attending this great event, and I’m excited to continue racing in the C420 summer circuit!