Who's going to the Statue of Liberty race this year?!
I guess they gave up on their "objective 100"
From what I hear they have been having issues with their website and webmaster.

The race is this Saturday.
I'll be there Thursday night/ Friday morning on Nacra 20 #642
-Todd

I will definately be there! This is a great race and they throw an awesome party each year too. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> See you Friday morning.
Chris
www.acceleratedchaos.com

Velocity Sailing will be there sometime on Friday.

Chris, Thanks for the ride last month! I'll be rooting for you. May you have a safe breakage free sail!

so 3 nacra 20s.... we have like 10-15 last year right? hopefully we'll see the same again!

Anyone of the race organizers have any insight on the plan for incimant weather. I'm looking forward to coming down for the race, but want to make sure there is going to be one with the t-storms likely for saturday and sunday per most forecasts. (I keep trying to find a forecast that doesn't make the chances of lighting quite so high.... )
Thanks!
Chris

News? Results?

Serious drifter. Wind started to fill in around 10:00, so they started us just before 11, the first boat made it to the bridge in about 2 1/2 hrs, it was a capricorn followed by a whole bunch of boats about 20 minutes later. It was a bit of a luck game on being on the correct side of the course when the wind filled, then died... then filled again, and died again. About a mile up the bay under the bridge, we turned back as the GPS was predicting a very long afternoon/ night on the water. Boats all around us did the same. It was a downwind drift to the statue and winds were not predicted to fill much more than they were doing. The thought of an upwind slog in the dark with the traffic of NYC harbor did not sound like fun to me. It was a tough decision as this was the first distance race I decided to turn back on (must be getting old) but one I don't regret. Huge props to those who kept going! In the end only 8 boats rounded the statue, or so I was told. First boat was a N20, followed by a H20 spin, and the capricorn in third. These results are all second and third hand as I was part way home by the time the first boat finished. As usual, great party with good food on friday night! Band cancelled, but we had a good time with a party that resembled a college regatta party with flip cup and funnels being enjoyed by many. Three boats even went for a night sail to watch the local fireworks on the 4th. We had 4 people, the dog, and an amazing show on our boat. Bummer on the conditions, but a great weekend all the same.
Chris
www.acceleratedchaos.com

Here are the results from the statue of liberty race held on Saturrday July
5th. The winds were extremely light and only 8 of the the 30 registered boats
were able to complete the course. Since only 8 boats finished, almost everyone recieved a trophy of
some sort.

Statue of Liberty ~ another Point of View

Contrary to what has been posted, the race was not totally a drifter. Otherwise, no one would have made it through the flooding current at the Narrows which was reportedly 4 knots at peak ebb.

The start was very light but built to a rather steady 5-7 one-jibe run to the bridge after the first turn at the Naval Weapons pier. Most boats held high and ended up bucking the stronger flow in the main channel. We went low to stay out of that and got a nice push into the bridge from the flow out of Raritan Bay. About 10 boats converged at the bridge and spent a frustrating hour or so gaining and losing ground, but always moving decently through the water. One by one someone would punch through into the better water inside.

It was still tough going but I thought very interesting and exciting to see the dynamics change back and forth. There were seams and back currents that made the difference…just like finding wind.

We were very surprised and disappointed when the Tybee folks bailed on us. Almost immediately the whole situation changed and a nice breeze filled in to allow the “chosen” to start making their approaches to the Statue. Every sense you had came into play. There were tide lines, moving ships, anchored barges, wind shadows and oh yeah…….the big orange Staten Island Ferries that came from both directions at warp speed. There was a new challenge every time you looked around and fortunes were gained or lost many times.

Eventually we converged with several of the leaders for the rounding which could be in either direction. I had planned our approach to go counter-clockwise but as we got close, commercial traffic forced us the other way. We held a slight lead over Jon and Ladi on the I20 coming in from the Brooklyn side. The Capricorn (Bracco/Saffer) squandered a big lead going to the Hoboken side. They came in behind and jibed inside us going around while we all had to stay clear of the security zone and park ranger boats.

Once around it was a beat all the way home in a building sea breeze and haze. The highlight of the race was double trapping, pacing the Staten Island ferries. We jumped the stern wake of one going one way and found absolutely flat water in it’s wake. Another one going the other way carried us on it’s bow wake for awhile and eventually drove over us. We dropped in behind him and he sucked us all the way to his dock.

After that, it was a very pleasant close reach/beat all the way back. We all misjudged the heading going back across Raritan Bay and bore off too soon in the haze. That meant that we had to tack around the Navy pier mark after giving away the height we had in the bag.

We arrived on the beach just after 7pm and the wonderful folks at Sandy Hook Bay Catamaran Club helped us ashore and fed us again.

Although the harbor was very intimidating, we never felt in danger. The SHBCC chase boats were always nearby. This was absolutely the most interesting and exciting cat race either of us had ever done.

Jack - are you calling Chris a lier or a pansy!? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Congrats on the win!

Trey turned back too :P

Although I would have done the same. Remember that when it stops being fun, why keep subjecting yourself to torture?

Jack - are you calling Chris a lier or a pansy!? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

just a PANSY!

Yeah.

What a pansy.

I was talkin' about the Tippy Cup party the night before the race.

Never in doubt is the epic voyage dipicted above in this year's Tybee. That is historic by any measure.

Even pansies need to get home!

Great write up, and great job on the race.

Way to go Jack!

We had Zhikspeed!

wow! I look away for a day, and look what happens around here!
Jack, I know that you are bitter that we (our drinking team including your great crew Barbie) kicked your butt at flip cup round after round... but my god, a pansy!?!?! I think all we can do is call for a rematch soon! Perhaps next years tybee??? Steeplechase??? or something sooner like the New England 100?
seriously, major props to you for finishing and the win! You join a list of great sailors on the trophy. Add your name proudly, and while you are at it, would you mind making up the plaque from 2006 for me?
Chris

You know? I bet we could probably talk Jack into something like the Tybee....hmmmmm....

And Chris, you know better than to turn your back on this gang.