The 2004 Vanguard 15 PCCs was a phenomenal success. Most sailors arrived Friday night at the Paradise and Fremont Campgrounds in the hills above Santa Barbara. a total of 36 sailors, friends, and family hung out around the campfire relaxing and catching up. We had 19 boats show up in Santa Barbara as part of the Semana Nautica Regatta.
Saturday dawned early and sunny as we drove down the hill to find southerly breeze, not a great indicator for the day. The breeze never topped 6 knots for the day, making for some challenging conditions as everyone fought to get their boats up and running and enjoying the awesome 75+ degree day. A total of 5 races were completed and after running the gauntlet through the surf in front of the Yacht Club, everyone was drained. Nick Adamson and Jago Macleod were leading the way with 3 bullets to end the day.
The BBQ and live band at SBYC relaxed everyone until the skateboard races started in the parking lot (this is southern california). Dodging moving cars, water hazards, and sand as different sailors raced through the boat yard trying to get the best time while not spilling their drinks. After this fun we headed for the hills with lots of supplies to build a huge fire, laugh, drink, and stay up late. Discussions that night included bribes for going to movies, how much the breeze was going to be the next day, and what to expect as the night wore on.
Sunday dawned a better day, as we all rushed to get out of the campground to avoid paying extra for all the cars. Rolling down the hill we found more westerly breeze that was already waiting for us. After another entertaining rush through the surf, we found more wind and much better conditions then on Saturday. The breeze was 8-11 knots as the entire fleet started racing hard. A total of 7 races were run as we caught up with the races that had been scheduled for Saturday. All courses were double windward leeward, as the day wore on the chop got nasty on the lower right side of the course and a big boat race at the top of the course made for some interesting decisions. Rich Feeny and Sarah Deeds made a big push along with Adam Deermount charging hard after Nick and Jago, but in the end nobody could catch them.
Thanks to everyone who came to SBYC and i hope all of you plan to return next year for the 2005 Semana Nautica. |
