Thrilla in Cabrilla

San Pedro CA, April 24-25, 2004

Four Worlds-bound San Diego teams competed in the Thrilla in Cabrilla at CBYC in San Pedro this past weekend. Once again, Don and Margaret Zinn hosted a great regatta with some of the best hospitality on the west coast. Saturday started out light but soon built up to its typical 12-15 knot breeze (w.s.: to give the guys who had troubles some credit, the wind was closer to the 18kt range both days by the end of racing) which made for some great wire runs. The small start line coupled with the strong current running up the course resulted in several general recalls and made the starts rather challenging.

For those that were there it was a unique sight to see some of the Team Tues guys suffer from boat handling errors as well as some minor gear failures. Some of the highlights were Thompson/Zinn losing their mast ram and later falling in the water, and Howie Hamlin losing his spin halyard into his mast (result of a poorly tied knot). It was these misfortunes that skewed the result to our advantage. Team Tortuga went in early when they broke their tiller extension. But the major loss of the day was had by Mike Jue when he snapped his boom. The Good guy award goes to the Billings for lending them their boom since they would not be sailing the next day. Bill and I managed to get through the races with no breakdowns or capsizes and some pretty consistent results. Another shock to the racers was that Bill and I did not have any beer on board the boat that day.

Saturday night claimed another one of the Team Tuesday teams. Ben Benjamin did not fare well after his birthday blow out, probably a result of too many visits to the "luge". Both he and Andy were not seen on Sunday allowing most teams to move up a notch or two. I think they discovered that it's tough to get old.

On Sunday the fog rolled in causing very limited visibility near the breakwater lighthouse and the RC decided to run races inside the harbor. The wind was blowing in the 15 knot range but this time we had flat water, conditions very similar to south bay sailing. Once again boat handling and gear failure plagued some of Team Tuesday with Thompson/Zinn having spinnaker problems while Howie fell off his boat. The first race was the most difficult with the weather mark hidden in the fog. Most of the group stayed together on the first windward leg. Luckily one of the chase boats escorted us around the course. The fog lifted for the next two races leaving us with great wind and sunny skies. Bill and I blew our best race when we ran over our spinnaker on a douse. We went from 3rd to 6th while trying to straighten it out. The good news is we managed to pass two of the boat as they had their own issues that needed attention later in the same race (w.s.: like pointing your centerboard at the sky is an "issue"!).

All in all, a great weekend of racing and some valuable experience for those going to Santa Cruz.

Dan Merino

USA 8411

Results can be found at http://www.cbyc.org/admin/cms/upload/uploads/CBYC505042504.htm

Late breaking news from Kitty dad JB2

Great sailing conditions & a cordial Zinn family & 5o5 fleet greeted Team Kitty & the whole traveling 5o5 group from San Diego in Cabrilla. I believe this is one of the best places to sail (fairly consistent wind) in SoCal. Being only 2.5 hours away, it is the real deal. As we drove over the last suspension bridge (same one used for a stunt in "Gone in Sixty Seconds") both JB3 and I were amazed by the growth of the container shipping end of LA's harbor. Huge!

Feed the Kitty sailed much better this year in the breeze and made it around the course without the RC hauling out the marks before we got finished! Helps to have an 18 yr. old rather than a 15 year old with more weight in the breeze. This year we did not use any trick knots, and stuck to secure stuff. Nothing came loose. Kitty was good too, and stayed on the trailer heading back to San Diego.

Our upwind performance improved as the wind built, but we had some sail handling issues downind. We were more aggressive & on one ocassion, as I was dousing the chute (boat nearly turtle)..while John was enjoying the view up top next to the centerboard....he notice the three other San Diego boats pulling away, until each, (except for Dan and Bill) did something and went over. Our major mess ups were missing things (e.g. putting a sheet in the jaws of the pole..etc.) due to the swell.

The wind ended up being a steady 20 mph in the afternoon, more inside.

As we sailed just one day, we made the most of it until the chute got so fouled up we had to come in, missing the last beat and run of Race 4, Saturday.

Best racing we have had this year (so far) & everything got properly tested.

- John Billings