2018 QUEENS CUP

Last Friday was the 80th running of the Queens Cup, a race across Lake Michigan beginning outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, on the west side of the Lake, to a finish outside of Grand Haven, Michigan,on the east side, some 69nm. Legacy has done this race about 9 times, with (1) 4th, (2) 2nds and (2) 1sts in our division.  Usually 160-190 boats compete and a division is generally 10-20 boats.  This year, our division was 16 boats. The professional weather models all predicted winds at the start of 12.5-17.5K. In fact, winds were 22K. I had my #1 genoa (155) on the furler, so before the race began we switched that out for my #2 (135) and decided to take a reef in our main.  Legacy always sails better on her bottom and it's easier to shake out a reef than put one in, especially while racing. Seas were about 6'. One of the big differences between Lake Michigan sailing and ocean sailing is the time between waves.  On the Lake, there is none.  Waves come one after the other. As we put the reef in, the bowline in the reefing line tied around the boom came loose and before we noticed it we had pulled the reefing line through the boom.  To complicate this situation my "correction" did more to hurt than help.  As a result we were 12 minutes late to the start line and had a very ugly and inefficient reef in the main. Pointing suffered.  We ran the rhumbline making pretty good time but not getting further north which was where I wanted to be.  As predicted, the wind diminished about half way across the Lake and clocked around from the North to NNE, then to NE and eventually to E.  The good news was that the waves dimished as well. 10 nm from the finish I found myself heading south of my goal.  I could either tack north and then sail SE to the finish or I could hold course for another hr or so to see if I would get a wind shift as we approached land at about 3AM. I chose the later course but bet on the wrong horse. The winds stayed out of the east.  Eventually we did tack North and then sail to the finish, about 1 hr behind our division leader (on both actual and corrected time).  Most important, everyone was safe, we enjoyed the race and we learned some things. Looking forward to our next race.