2012 Racing

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Our first racing season we knew was going to be a learning curve for us. With a new boat, the one only in the country, and a new crew, it was going to take some time to get up to speed. Also was the matter of the sails... we focused money on other systems, and figure we could get a year out of the old ones while we trained crew and go to know the boat. A learn we did.

We learned that with the current sails the boat needs 8 knots of breeze or more to move and be competitive. Below that we were slow. Above that it was more of a 'BlueJ kind of day'. And we didn't have a set crew, so we took who ever we could. Here Lisa and Pete join us for a race.



Things were better when some of our Kestrel (our First 36.7) crew could join us. Here Tim (our bowman) joins us and trims kite as well as bow work. Great race!



Later in the race we had to duck a J22 coming upwind while we were under spinnaker. The 260 is several times bigger then the J22. Watch the crew on the rail of the 22 lift their legs as we point the bow at the cockpit of the little J for the duck.





My daughter Amanda joined us for a around the island race. She managed to do a decent job as ballast technician as she texted friends.



And then Nik (who trims or subs in on bow on Kestrel) joins us for a Commodore cup race in light airs. Good thing we could reach over with the kite, or the light airs would have KILLED us.


Even with old sails, BlueJ did OK in distance racing, most notably when the breeze was up. With John and Amy and Jessie as crew, here we set the kite in 20 knots during a Commodore Cup race towards the end of the season.




All told, we learned about about the boat, and got ready for 2013 racing season.

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