A Regatta Done Right!
- tonileebeaton
- May 18, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: May 20, 2021
Paul and I had the absolute pleasure of crewing on a 41' 411 Swan this past weekend named Albireo, in a 2-day Regatta event for both racing boats and cruising boats. It was an incredible experience, and with such a great skipper and crew, an unforgettable one as well.
Saturday's events held three races in total - the first two were in Simpson Bay, and were short tracks in which we needed to tack and jibe around specific markers set up in the bay. These short races were an incredible amount of work for our "grinders" - Paul, and another crewmate also named Paul! The huge genoa sail needed to be tightened down very quickly, and by the time Paul & Paul were finishing winching the sail down, it would be time to tack again (completely releasing the side of the genoa they had worked so hard to bring in, and then winching it in on the other side). These short races were exhausting, and everyone felt bagged afterwards. The excitement and stress of the races made them a whirlwind experience.
Photo courtesy of: St. Maarten Yacht Club
Since all the racing vessels (six in total) plus the two cruisers started all together, our skipper had to be extremely careful not to collide with any other boats by the start line. We had one extremely close call - we're talking a difference of 2-3 seconds! - where we would have rammed into Bunglebird's bow. I was stationed on taking care of the main sheet and adjusting the traveler during tacks and jibes. The skipper called me to "ease the main," which means to let out the main sheet so that he is able to properly steer. In this case, easing the main meant avoiding a collision into Bunglebird's port side! Phew!
Unfortunately our one competitor - the infamous Nonsuch Bunglebird (whom we had the pleasure of racing in our previous regatta) - makes these courses look like a piece of cake! Because of the way his sail is configured, tacking and jibing, even 360 degree turns, are easy peesy. Not so much for us, but we got through it! The first out of the two shorter races did ultimately get 'thrown out' on a protest - a miscommunication on start times for the racing boats vs. the cruising class. This was good for us, as we had lost the first two shorter races in Simpson Bay.
Photo courtesy of: St. Maarten Yacht Club
The third race of the day on Saturday was a longer course, which began in Simpson Bay and ended in Great Bay. We followed a specific course around markers, buoys, and even whole rock formations! One of the most exhilarating parts of racing was when all of the crew would sit 'on the rails' - when the boat was heeling so hard over, we needed to sit on the high side of the boat to help balance it out. While sailing close hauled, the angle of the boat (i.e., the mast to the water line) was about 55 degrees - so walking sideways and
watching your step was a must!
Coming in to Great Bay, we were the first boat to cross the finish line, winning the last race of the day. We were about 10-11 minutes ahead of Bunglebird, which was enough to win the day! A bottle of champagne at dinner was our hard-earned reward. Paul, myself, and another crewmate named Maggie, stayed overnight on the boat in the marina for a well deserved sleep.
On Sunday, we had another 3 races, with the longer race starting off first at 10:00 AM. We basically ran almost the same course in reverse (Great Bay back to Simpson Bay) and then had two more shorter races in Simpson Bay. For our longer race up against Bunglebird, we had a disadvantage when sailing with the wind. Bunglebird has one massive sail that propels it forward like a bullet. We worked really hard when sailing into wind to try to get a bit of an advantage on time, which unfortunately just didn't pay off. Because Bunglebird has only one sail, whereas we have a main sail and a genoa jib sail, Bunglebird has a handicap in their overall race rating which allows them extra time to race. It amounts to about 5 extra minutes for every hour of sailing. We did pass them and finished first, but not by enough time once you factor in the handicap. But.... who crossed the finish line first? These guys!!
Ultimately, we did cross the finish line first for 3 / 5 races. We got into one hell of a groove as we all learned our roles and what to expect going through the courses. Sunday evening awards and prizes were held at the St. Maarten Yacht Club. Overall, Alberio and her crew came 2nd in the cruising division of the Carib Marine Regatta. I feel very lucky to have been a part of such a great weekend!
Our skipper, Petro, had a very heartwarming speech after the prizes were
awarded. He thanked each crew member, and the captain, specifically for their part in the regatta. As Petro was going through thanking each person, and ultimately coming to the captain, Steve, both Paul and I began to think he must've forgotten about me. But that wasn't the case, as Petro saved his thanks for me for last. He congratulated me on being the MVC - the Most Valuable Crewmate! - on board Albireo during the regatta. He praised me on my work with maneuvering the main sail, as well as listening and responding to instructions immediately, which ultimately saved our boat from colliding into Bunglebird. Having thought of myself as a nuisance and an impediment to the crew more than anything else, I really took this congratulations to heart. It meant very much and gave me a bit of a confidence booster as a newbie racer! The little gift of mojito chocolates were also a delight!
Photo courtesy of: St. Maarten Yacht Club
The team! L to R: Petro, Maggie, Paul, Toni, Paul, Steve, Peter
Overall, here are my top lessons learned from this past weekend's regatta:
Communicate with each other and always listen to your skipper. It could mean the difference between a collision or avoiding that catastrophe crash!
Wear gloves. Always wear gloves. Appreciate your gloves. Your fingers will thank you for it! My blistered fingers (which blistered, burst open, then blistered over once more) are currently quite upset with me.
Don't be afraid of the boat when it is heeling. Be confident in your equipment and know that it's doing its job right.
Have fun! If you're not having fun... something's wrong. According to our captain, "racing is the most fun people can have at 10mph."
Now Paul and I are eagerly looking forward to inviting some crew members onto our boat for a LEISURELY (and I do mean leisurely) cruise this weekend. Our weekends are numbered, as mid-June and our departure from St. Maarten truly is not so far away.
That's all for today! Thanks for tuning in!
MVC Toni
For more information, here you can read up on the regatta directly from SMYC:
"The cruising class of two boats was won by Bunglebird, the Nonsuch 33 that held back an ever-improving Albireo, a Swan 411 owned by Steve Burzon and helmed by Petro Jonker. This boat had taken a 30-year break from racing, and is now slowly eased back into racing with an excellent and fun crew."
Here is the St. Maarten Yacht Club Photo Gallery:
P.S. Here are some GoPro videos of the regatta:
And here's some cockpit video footage of the organized chaos!
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