Blur Racing

Tag: liveaboard

  • Something Funny Happened on the Way to Blakely Rock

    The first race of the Center Sound Series, Blakey Rock, was fabulous wake up call after 5 months of winter hibernation. It was also a reminder to stay in shape in the off season, because sailing will kick your ass if you don’t. Saturday morning began with a forecast that promised some strong breeze. At the start line, we were seeing 12 knots of solid breeze with occasional puffs to 14 or 15. No big deal. The weather was unbelievable with blue skies, sunshine and a solid northerly. For this race the usual starting order with slow boats going first, was reversed. So as one of the smaller boats on the course, we started nearly last. It was fun watching the TP52s duke it out in the first start, winches squealing and lines popping as those leviathans launched off the line. Soon after, the larger ORC boats took off followed by the J/105 fleet, with an unusually serene start – no screaming or yelling was heard from anyone. We figured they all must have been hungover.

    When they finally got around to starting us, the fleet was already halfway to the first mark in Edmonds. We got a bit of a late start on Blur. We saw some of our favorite competition Sabotage, Zephyr, Gaucho, Outlaw and others strike northward. Windward isn’t Blur’s favorite mode, so we took up the tail end Charlie position and waited for our chance to pounce at the windward mark. The wind continued to increase as forecasted and by the time we reached the windward mark, it was somewhere around 20 knots with the occasional puff to 25. As we rounded the windward mark, the man overboard alert sounded. We anxiously listened to the VHF and scanned the horizon for boats dropping spinnakers. I’m not quite sure what happened, but after a couple of alerts, they signaled that it was a false alarm. We popped the chute, firmly in last place.

    The ride down the sound with 20 to 25 knots was delightful. We surfed at about 10-12 knots the whole way and the big waves made the ride especially exciting. At one point, one of our lifelines parted and we almost lost one of the crew. For one magical moment, I had a foot in one hand and the tiller in the other. Fortunately, he was nimble and we didn’t have a man overboard drama. Note to self: Dyneema may be strong, but it still can abrade over time. Gotta keep up on those “little” repairs too.

    We made it to Blakely Rock in about an hour and we passed a few boats along the way. This is where Blur gets up and dances. Everyone was smiling when we reached the rock. We hooked a big left hand u-turn around the rock, dropped the chute and began the slog back up to the finish line at Shilshole. 2 hours later we crossed the line, not dead last (but darn close).

    It was a heck of way to start the race season. I was thoroughly exhausted. That was a very physical first race of the season. Zephyr took first, Cherokee second, and Sabotage third. I’m looking forward to 3 Tree Point next week.

  • Bellingham Race Week – Day 1 Recap

    Bellingham Race Week – Day 1 Recap

    Sunshine, Speed, and a Little Bit of Chaos

    If I ever had to introduce someone to the sport of sailing, Day 1 of Bellingham Race Week would’ve been the perfect way to do it.

    We trailered the boat up from Shilshole on Sunday, got her rigged, splashed, and tucked into the harbor. The weather? Absolutely stunning—70 degrees, sunshine, snow-capped mountains on the horizon, and of course, Bellingham Bay. Couldn’t have asked for a better welcome.

    The Racing

    We had a guest tactician, Alex Simanis from Ballard Sails, on the boat for the day and it really showed in our performance. He played boat whisperer and helped us up our game across the board. From improving the rig tuning to fine tuning the sail trim, he did an amazing job. 

    Our first race of the day started after a short delay. We’re sailing in the PHRF B division, so we got to watch all the other classes start before us—so we had front row seats. The big ORC boats, the sleek J/105s and J/80s, the nimble J/70s, and the Melges 15s all made for some exciting starts and tight action.

    I’ll admit it: starts are my favorite part of racing. Maybe I’ve got a tiny adrenaline junkie buried in there somewhere, but the chaos, the yelling, the jostling for position—it’s electric. And when you nail it? When you pop out on the line with clean air and good speed? For just a second, you feel like a rockstar.

    That first race, we sailed clean and fast and came in third in our class. Not a bad way to start the week.

    Wind and Tactics

    The breeze in the morning was steady—around 13 to 15 knots—which gradually tapered off as the day went on. The course setup heavily favored the left side of the bay, so most of the fleet bee-lined it toward Fairhaven, hit the weather mark, then gybed their way back down to leeward. Tactically, it was pretty locked in—go left, or get left behind.

    Then in race two, we found our groove, hit our shifts, and brought home our first bullet of the week. Race three, we got another third. By the end of the day, we were sitting in second place overall in Class 7—easily one of our best performances to date. I was over the moon.

    After the Racing

    After a full day on the water, we wrapped things up at the race pavilion with beer, music, and the usual suspects. It was great to reconnect with old friends, swap stories, and soak up the atmosphere. Nothing quite beats tired bodies, sunburned smiles, and a good result on the scoreboard.