Senior Salty Sailors Pursuit Race, December 28

Just 5 boats on 28 December. Temperatures were in 50s - everybody layered well to stay warm. Course for the day was #11 at 6.6 NM. The wind for the day was about 15 knots at the start with a maximum of 23 knots during the reach from Mark 30 to Mark 39. The two J109s split tacks at the start, with Shadowfax going right and Raptor tacking to starboard and heading to the outer breakwall. Shadowfax crossed Raptor ahead. Both J109s used the next tack to put more tension on the jib halyard. Raptor came out the the tack with a strait jib luff and sailing better. Shadowfax came out of the tack with the jib on the deck. There is only so much tension an old jib can take. Windhaven and Macs were already around Mark 30 and heading to Mark 39 (near Shoreline.) Macs and Windhaven went to windward of a freighter on the way to Mark 39. Raptor went straight line to Mark 39 and to leeward of the freighter. Raptor was going 8.5 knots in 15-23 knots of breeze, but only slowly catching the smaller boats. After rounding Mark 39, Macs latched onto the quarter wake of Raptor and got towed 3/4s of the way to Mark 38. Raptor finally had enough and broke the tow by heading up and doing an (unintended) round up. Macs hung with Raptor and finished less than 30 seconds behind. Great day of racing in a big breeze the end of December in Southern California.