Chris T, Mark, Erin, Chad, Mayo, Todd, Jon & Chris aboard Excitation
Chris T, Mark, Erin, Chad, Mayo, Todd, Jon & Chris aboard Excitation

It had been 10 years since I last sailed the Down the Bay Race, also on Excitation and we were hoping for a little less excitement this time around from the high winds in that edition. We got what we wanted in Annapolis with a light air downwind start. With a storm off the South Carolina coast the wind from this area was being sucked south south. That storm would slowly move north and begin to impact the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday.

We were the 2nd class to start in PHRF-A and we had a front row seat to the ORC start 5 minutes ahead of us. Most boats were approaching on port with spinnakers ready or hoisted as they were approaching the line. Nanuq timed it perfectly coming in on Starboard at the pin and jibing just at the start and hoisting. This had the affect of causing their competition to give way and one of the boats already under spinnaker under port tack had to duck behind Nanuq, miss the pin and ultimately douse their spinnaker to get back upwind to the pin to start.

While we had considered a similar move, our much larger fleet would have made that more chaotic and given we were a symmetric boat, we wanted our spinnaker up below everyone else and took the wide open part of the line down by the boat. We had a good start just a few seconds late and had our spinnaker flying before we crossed the line.

We sailed downwind for a couple hours down the bay as the fleet stretched out and boats took different angles and lanes in the deeper or shallower water. We criss-crossed the bay sailing our angles under spinnaker – generally favoring the eastern side and the deeper water. We did 4 spinnaker changes and used all 3 spinnaker as the wind went up and down and we got pretty adept at pulling one spinnaker down, swapping the lines and putting the new one up in about a minute.

Mid afternoon we were still going down the eastern side of the bay and had a close rounding of the Sharp’s island mark. As we went west of it we noticed the boat Allegiant just on the other side of it and we radioed to them that they missed it. Within a few minutes they had their spinnaker down and were going back upwind to round it. Just after that, another boat radioed Raven who was even further east and they had an even longer slog back to the mark. We continued an easterly path down the bay sailing deep under our symmetrical spinnaker and caught up and passed some of the faster boats who had gotten ahead of us, and even one of the faster boats in the class ahead of us who all were much further west sailing asymmetrical spinnaker angles.

By early evening the wind was building and we had switched down to the smallest spinnaker. I was driving and I could see boats a mile or two ahead of us with upwind sails up going nearly the same angle we were headed. We quickly raised a genoa, dropped the spinnaker and soon the wind was dead and we hunted for a few minutes before continuing in the new wind.

By then we were approaching the Potomac and the wind continued to build. Just before dark the wind was starting to get into the teens and we switched down to the number 3 while we had daylight. We all took turns going below to change into our heavy gear for the night and we carried on across the mouth of the Potomac as the seas and wind built.

Another 20-some miles we were off the Piankatank and we retired from the race and turned in for our dock at Fishing Bay. With the storm south already making for winds in the 20-25 and possibly more by the time we got south, the fun factor wasn’t going to be there and risk to breaking something on the boat ahead of a big regatta the following weekend wasn’t worth it. We pulled in to our slip just before 1 and were all in beds at Mayo’s house by 2. In the morning we cleaned up the boat and took some of the crew to Hampton by car to retrieve their vehicles.

PICTURES | VIDEO | EVENT WEBSITE

On the signal boat for the start of the Down The Bay Race
On the signal boat for the start of the Down The Bay Race

I am in Annapolis with some time to spare before helping with a boat delivery tomorrow so I was able to join the Race Committee for the start of the Down The Bay Race. There were at one point 38 boats signed up, but given the windy and potentially storm conditions of this afternoon – a large number of boats dropped out with only 14 making it to the start. We started out in the bay just outiside of Annapolis at a mark known as R2. Visibility was only a couple miles and the wind was 12-16 out of the south. We rolled through the starts and got the boats going and I took a few photos.

Start of the first two PHRF fleets in the Down The Bay Race.
Start of the first two PHRF fleets.

EVENT WEBSITE | PICTURES

Friday’s Down The Bay Race (read my account of it here) kept my hands pretty busy.  I was only able to catch a few minutes of video during the calmer/clearer times.  In these shots you are looking at the backs of the waves, so it looks much calmer with smaller waves than it was.

2013 DTB Race Crew on Excitation

Friday morning we set out on Excitation – a Farr-Dickinson 37 for the Down The Bay Race from Annapolis to Hampton in what would be an epic race.  The forecast was for north west wind moving north and bringing the wind right down the bay making for a very fast trip south.  Sailing the race were 30 boats ranging in size from a 24-foot J-24 to a 52′ TP52.

The race started just after 10am in Annapolis with winds in the mid-20’s and light drizzle.  We got underway in the A2 fleet and headed down the bay on a broad reach under full main and #1 (our largest headsail).  Many of the boats with asymmetrical spinnakers were able to carry them and they all just took off.  Some of the symmetric boats were able to carry them as well.  For the early part of the race we just cruised along rarely under 8 knots and with 1-2 knots of favorable current we averaged over 9.5 knots over the ground for the first 3/4 of the race.

2013 Down The bay race after the start

Every hour we switched off drivers and main trimmers.  They were both working hard keeping the boat moving through the 4′ seas in the early part of the race.  We’d surf waves when we could and all competed to see who could drive for the top speed of the day.  At first we thought hitting 11 knots was fast.  Before long we were getting bored with only hitting 10 knots in a boat that rates 87 PHRF.

2013 Down The bay race after the start

About 1/3 of the way into the race the waves stabilized a bit and the wind was down into the low twenties and we tried to put a small kite up.  It was a bit squirrely and we just couldn’t keep the boat under the sail.  Eventually we lost it, almost broached and wrapped the chute around the head stay a few times.  After a few  tense minutes trying to unwrap it and get it down we got it on deck and continued under main and the number 1.

2013 Down the Bay Race loosing the spinnaker

By mid-afternoon we were approaching the mouth of the Potomac.  The Potomac is a very large river with a lot of current that comes out of it and into the bay.  Here we found the most confused seas and with waves now 4-6′ it was a handful to keep the boat going especially with random waves that would occasionally break into the cockpit.

South of the Potomac the waves got a little more regular and the wind stayed in the 25-32 knot range.  Occasionally we saw low 20’s and up to 36.  Through this part of the course we continued reaching along the rhumb line.

Last year at 5:30 am we were passing the Piankatank River (our normal FBYC sailing area just south of the Rappahannock River).  This year we were there by 5:30pm and making fantastic time down the bay.  As we got into the lower part of the bay the wind stayed steadier in the 28-32 range and the waves built to 6-8′ and even some 10′ for the final 20 miles down the bay before rounding a channel marker and taking a right turn to sail the last 9 miles into Hampton.  It was this downwind stretch that we did some of our fastest sailing.  Not because we were trying to push it, we weren’t – we were trying to sail conservative and safe, but because we had to sail the boat entirely by feel with almost no light to see the waves with.  It just felt right to go fast.

At one point we just dropped into a 6’+ wave and it felt awesome with a nice trough to our right and I just rode it for all I could.  It was just like sailing a dinghy down waves – except this was a 11,000lb 37′ boat.  We had hit some 12 knots earlier – but on that wave I hit 13.46 knots through the water.   What a rush to have such a big boat slicing across the water like that.

2013 Down the bay race reaching at the bottom of the bay

At the final mark to the finish we’d have to go from broad reaching to close reaching.  With full main and number 1 genoa up we knew that would be a challenge – and it was.  With no way to carry the genoa, let alone the main, we had a very difficult time getting the genoa down so we could finish under main alone.

The course record was around 13 hours set by a 60′ boat back in 1974.  We finished at 30 minutes after midnight which was in 14 hours – just one hour off the record.  Over 1/3 of the boats sailing finished under the old race record.  The new record holder – the TP52 Irie finished in just 7 hours.  They were at the bar just after 5:30 pm.  That’s an amazing record that’s going to stand for a very long time. Full Results.

We docked shortly after 1 and it was a relief to all be back safe and sound and on dry land.  We swapped stories with other sailors in the bar.  Only 2 boats wouldn’t finish the race – one after a demasting.  Eventually we all just crashed on the boat – exhausted from an epic ride we won’t soon forget.  (Update: Watch some video of our trip here)

I’d like to thank owner Mayo Tabb for doing the race this year and having me and to the other crew who did a great job keeping us going in some very difficult conditions.

VIDEO

Tomorrow starts the 2013 Down The Bay Race and I’ll be racing on the Farr-Dickinson 37′ Excitation owned by Mayo Tabb from Fishing Bay Yacht Club. We’ll be sailing with 8 other boats in the A2 fleet among 32 boats sailing the race. They range from 24′ to 52′. Here’s the scratch sheet.

The typical wind for the Chesapeake Bay this time of the year is out of the south, sometimes the west and occasionally the east. When it blows out of the North it’s often not for long. This is a rare year that the wind will be blowing strong out of the North from the start of the race in Annapolis to the finish in Hampton. It’s almost certain that the course record of 13 hours by Running Tide, a 60 foot Sparkman and Stevens design owned by Al van Metre,
will fall this weekend. It’s possible half the A fleet might finish under the record. Either way it’s going to be a wild ride and we are going to have a blast!

Finished up this video from the 63rd Down the Bay Race for the Virginia Cruising Cup May 25-26, 2012 aboard Glenn Doncaster’s Sabre 42.6 Nanuq from Fishing Bay Yacht Club.  Read more about the trip here.  Photos can be found here.

This was shot over two days with the Nikon D7000, 3 GoPro Hero2, an iPhone 4s and a Canon SD-1400.

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Here is the crew aboard nanuq as we started the Down The Bay Race this morning. PHRF had a bit of a crowded start with some boats wanting to be in other boats space. The wind started out pretty light but we did get a couple hours of good wind as we passed Thomas Point light house. Later this afternoon the wind has died to under 4 and we are currently off Sharky’s Point lighthouse using all of the current we can find to get south.

On Friday the Annual Down The Bay Race starts in Annapolis, Maryland and races to Hampton, Virginia.  I’ll be aboard Glenn Doncaster’s Sabre 42.6 Nanuq from Fishing Bay Yacht Club.

Here’s the breakdown of the 39 boats that will be taking part.  I’ll be posting updates and pictures as time permits on Twitter: @jondeutsch.