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Saturday June 22, 2013 - Krikkit started the 2013 race season on January 1st in the TCYC New Year's Day race, and it proved to be a taste of things to come, with a mid-pack finish behind our principal competition. Things didn't get better from there, either: despite our best efforts (and some very close races, with Krikkit no more than a few seconds behind the podium boats) we wrapped up the VARC Opener Regatta with a weekend full of last-place finishes. (Left: Krikkit in the VARC "Close, but no cigar" Opener)
The distance racing has proven a little more productive so far: In the Collingwood Channel Race Krikkit finished 7th out of 15 boats, and actually ahead of a couple of our main competitors. And this year's Round Bowen Race proved to be the best Round Bowen ever, with Simon, Kevin and our sons Ian and Liam making up a four-person, two-generation crew, and using the largely consistent winds to work our way around the island in record time and in 8th place in our division (the biggest division in the race, too, with 29 boats), again ahead of several of our key competitors (though behind a couple of others). (Below, right: The Krikkit Crew in the Collingwood Channel Race)
The always-entertaining FCYC Spring Thursday Racing was fun as usual, but rather shy on prizes for Krikkit, with only one 3rd-place podium finish in the entire seven-race series, and a string of 4ths, 5ths and 6ths. Credit goes to Jason Vandergaag's freshly-hotrodded Catalina 36R Nimue and Martina Sonderhoff's increasingly well-sailed J/29 Rhumbline for really upping the ante, and to the consistently fast Santana 30/30 Jasmina for continuing to keep everyone on their toes. Throw in the well-sailed and vastly slower-rated C&C 29 Marbella, which managed to finish 10 minutes behind us a couple of times and still correct over us, and the suddenly much quicker Aqua Perla, which pulled off a 1st-place finish in race three, and there were simply far too many well-sailed boats playing musical chairs for those three podium seats.
It likely didn't help that Krikkit's keel had once more developed acne, but there was a reason we were suffering through the spring series with blisters on our lead: we were waiting for warmer weather so we could (hopefully!) solve the problem for once and for all: We hauled in late June, AFTER the racing had finished, and stripped the keel back to bare lead, then had Superstition Boatworks prep and encapsulate the keel in two layers of glass cloth and epoxy, then fair and paint it. With the rest of the bottom sanded as fair as possible and repainted, Krikkit was splashed just in time for the cruising season, but looking forward to what we hope will be a little more pointing ability and speed when we get back on the race course. And if anyone knows of a good inexpensive used Kevlar 155-percent headsail for a boat with an I measurement of 39.9, a J of 12.75 (LLJ is 38.25), let me know!
(Below, left: Krikkit returning from Round Bowen with the boys) (Below, right: Splashing after a long haulkout and keel renewal project)
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