Rally the troops and go racing

With normalcy in short supply due to health restrictions, boating provides distancing from the limitations that impact everyday life. But what about racing? Eric Robbins describes what’s occurring in Tampa, Florida:

Davis Island Yacht Club took our first baby step to re-start sailboat racing on May 9. Twenty boats participated in the Spring Couples’ Race, with two persons on each boat, ranging from a Capri 14.2 and a RS Quest to a 47-foot Beneteau and a 40-foot custom catamaran rating -105.

In these challenging times, this was a Pursuit Race with handicaps applied in advance and individual starts. The Race Committee consisted of two people on a 30-foot signal boat, observing social distancing.

After a 6.78 nm race in glorious sunshine and very shifty breezes, the twelve-boat Non-Spinnaker class was won by Dave German in Sacred Cow (the big Beneteau) and the eight-boat Spinnaker class was won by Dave Clement in his Melges-24 Whiplash, just ahead of the IC-24 skippered by Tito Colon, who led until the last quarter-mile.

For results, click here.