Was it windward/leeward? Well, one mark was up there and the other was down there and we had a number of spinnaker runs with the wind on the beam with the mark dead ahead nudging 16 knots and spray all over but I guess they were. We had 3 F-27's with the reins slack and each of us stretched out to let 'em run and run they did. We chased each other and we chased Kim Alfreds' F-31 Cheekee Monkee. Sometimes we caught each other and sometimes the Monkee.

Mark Gumley in Y-III and his young son Trent (a 6th grader) double-handing caught the Monkee once and Chris Sherman with Raven caught the Monkee twice. Four F-boats correcting to within 6 and a half minutes and that was just the first race.

Race 2 was even closer with all boats correcting to under 6 minutes and that was with Linda Adams and I doing the minuette at the finish line avoiding a gaggle of mono's. With the line laid on starboard tack to just miss the committee boat, we came charging in and FORGOT we were on starboard. I really would like to see the video. I think I remember three tacks and there may have been a jibe as well. One of the mono's came by and hailed with the question, "Why?" It dawned later that the converging boats would have had to do their own dancing and their slower times could have helped those ahead. Oops!

Race 3...OK Linda and I are over our jitters and I can handle the chute by myself and I am after Raven. I know we can sail with him...just no mistakes. At Race Week he was a bit faster upwind but he had to double slot the chute downwind to keep ahead but today the winds are too light to fill both the chute and jib. He went wide early and we headed for the heavier chop for more wind. Y-III was right there, 4 lengths to leeward. Raven has changed his mind and here he comes, reaching down a bit for speed and slowly closes the gap. Three boats flat out like this for 3/4 mile. We would gain five feet and then Mark would gain it back and all the while Raven slowly closed with us. I even waited until Mark looked over and waved. He waved back but it didn't do any good.

Raven tacked for the mark and Linda says "Hold course" as Y-III finally tacks as well. We can lay the mark on a bit of a reach. I hoist the sock 100 feet from the mark and as we round Linda manages to get the tack out and as I open the chute she dumps the jib halliard. Raven, just ahead, has their chute up as smoothly as always. Y-III rounds and ties their chute in a knot. Finally, after nearly 15 minutes, we are MORE than 100 feet apart. That naughty bird is double slotting their chute by unfurling part of their jib but to this Linda calmly says, "Set my sails to go fast" or something like it and promptly drove the curl of the chute with movements I could scarcely feel. After another 30 minutes, Raven corrects 30 seconds ahead of Cuttlefish and 30 seconds behind Cheekee Monkee. It took Y-III less than 9 minutes to get straightened out as they screamed across the finish.

I am sunburned and exhausted. I hurt and want nothing other than to curl up in a ball and sleep. What fun!

Day 2...More wind...high clouds...extra Advil…we have a secret weapon! Linda and I have double handed Cuttlefish for most of the last 2 years we've been sailing it but during Race Week we discovered how great it was to have a 3rd crew. One of Raven's crew said he knew a girl who would sail with us but only Sunday because she "was bucking hay bales" on Saturday. Annette was great. Been sailing as crew for about a year. Never been on a multi but listened and integrated flawlessly. Great kid! Someone up there should find her a home on a boat!

Race 4. Here we go again. The 3 F-27's in a tight pack with everything drum tight. All three boats are heeled the same, amas nearly awash and pressed hard. It will be another "who makes the first mistake" race but look at Cheekee Monkee go! They are flying but make it look effortless. They went east but we three go west. Raven tacks and starts east but I opt for the known path with higher winds and they promptly come back west with the two of us. Once again it is a dash for the weather mark a tight rounding, chutes out and flat out downwind. Annette's extra hands shave a few precious seconds and Raven's running ahead with Y-III just behind. Raven runs wider than us and we make the best take down at the lee mark yet. Then it’s a tight pack back upwind with another spinnaker set for the run down wind. “Raven’s torn the bottom panels off their chute!” No mistakes and we will beat them for sure. Y-III is right behind us and Linda drives to the set of the sails we give her. After 1 hour and 36 minutes and Raven with a torn chute, we correct 12 seconds ahead of Raven and a minute ahead of Y-III. Kim and the Monkee corrected under 10 minutes ahead for 1st. Several of the other boats that night commented that the Monkee flew past.

Race 5…crunch time…wind is gusting to 20 knots but there isn’t the nasty chop Bellingham Bay can develop. What a beautiful start with all 4 boats over within 5 seconds and the dueling begins again. A quick tack and the 3 F-27’s start west again. I noticed the Race Committee had moved the weather mark way to the west and with the boats hard on the wind we could nearly lay it. Linda commented that we weren’t going fast enough, although a glance showed 9+ knots. I tweaked the main and sheeted another inch of jib and it was all I could do. Raven hung it all out and pressed their upwind advantage pointing higher and sailing faster as did Y-III. We overstood just a mite and were nicely setup at the mark. Once again Annette’s hands made the spinnaker set smooth and almost effortless. Raven seemed to be having a problem with their spare chute and we passed with Y-III close at hand. I’m not sure if it was here or the next windward rounding but Raven went shrimping and ended up with the chute wrapped around both dagerboard and rudder. Y-III went wide. I trimmed the chute to bore sight on the lee mark which put the apparent wind at 90-110 degrees and 15 –16 knots for the whole run. Trent, Y-III youngest crewman (His 16 year old sister was also there) said they saw 19 knots. The second lap was more of the first and as we turned to the finish line here was Y-III to our port slowly overtaking us. Cheekee Monkee corrected 1st, 6 ˝ minutes later we crossed 2nd and a minute later, Y-III 3rd . Raven made a fantastic recovery somehow and finished 3 ˝ minutes after Y-III.

Final results: Kim Alfreds in Cheekee Monkee 8 points (1st), Chris Sherman in Raven (aka Naughty Bird) 11 points (2nd), Linda Adams in Cuttlefish 15 points (3rd), Mark Gumley Y-III 16 points (4th). What a rush…windward leeward!