Yesterday I rolled into town after spending the last 45 hours in a pick-up truck driving from Miami to San Diego and I saw that no-one had posted anything on the circuit in Nassau yet so I thought I would give my version.
This was my first Snipe circuit and there so there was some learning going on. Usually if you go to a major event there isn't any problem going out late every night because there is always the week after to recover. I quickly found that there was no week after here and I spent all of my time between the Don Q and the first race of Bacardi sleeping by the pool (with a few other 1 st timers) recovering from Id Crook's blender drinks and other self-inflicted punishment.
The Bacardi regatta started on Wednesday and we had two great races in choppy water and 8-12 knots with the current going the opposite direction of the wind. Jimmy Lowe showed us how to sail in his home water and won both races. We had two seconds while Robert Dunkley (who was having a great day but was slow in the corners) and Birger had a 3 &4 each. It was a frustrating day. Several times when the fleet was down and pointing towards our stern we would tack and cross only to find ourselves behind when we tacked back moments later. Local knowledge would have been good.
Day 2
Going into race number three, we had to win the race and Jimmy had to be fourth or worse for us to win the regatta. The race started in 3-7 knots and puffy/shifty conditions. Often we would find ourselves headed while the boats above and below us were lifted. Unfortunately for Jimmy and Gavin, they were over early at the start and had to go back. They spent the whole race recovering and were beginning to get where they needed to be, but they decided to gamble it all on the last weather leg. At one point they had about a half a mile of leverage and they looked like they could have everything but . . . it didn't work. We won the race, Birger was second, Dunkley third, Robb Walker was fourth, the Finnish team of Fredy and Klaus had a great race and were fifth even though they weighed almost 350lbs together, and Jimmy Lowe was 7th.
During the lunch break we watched the locals kill dinner on the fishing ramp next to the sailing center. Do you know how to kill a Turtle? Apparently you have to turn it upside down and hit its stomach with a machete until its head pops out. Then you can cut off its head to kill it. It still flaps its feet around for quite a while. Some sailors got closer and said that the mouth would still open and close after the head was cut off. The locals proceeded to cut it apart and sold it at the market.
After lunch the lunch break we went back out for the second race of the day and the first race of the Gamblin. The wind got lighter and the race was cancelled. Robert Dunkley tried to stay out and practice with a new crew but with-in one-hour the bay turned to glass and he had to be towed in. Three races were scheduled for the next day.
Day 3
Race #1of the Gamblin series started at 10am in 10-15 knots of breeze with puffy breeze coming off of the hill. I think we were still feeling the effects of the Bacardi party the night before and had some problems finding the wind-shifts that first race. Jimmy won the race with Birger second, us in third, and Stu Robertson (the man who usually has a fish on his hat) sailing with his daughter was fourth. Stu was going fast and was hitting all the shifts better than we were. He should have beaten us that race but Birger tacked on him just before the finish and we were able to pass him. Race #2 was even more exciting. The wind was increasing and the race committee put up the double triangle flag). All was looking great. There was good wind and four reaches ahead, until, I was over early and had to go back. Oops! We spent the first beat looking at a lot of transoms and Jimmy Lowe leading. Fortunately we were saved by a few good shifts and some really fun reaches (not hard to do in a tee-shirt and shorts in warm wind and water). Jimmy won another race, we were second, Robb Walker was third and Birger was fourth. Back to the YC for lunch and more Ping-Pong. No turtles today.
On a planning reach out to the racecourse for race three we passed the Belgians very close to weather. The Belgians were still warm and dry from their relaxing lunch break until we came by. Our bow hit a wave and they were both instantly drenched. As we went by we got a long barrage of words in another language that my mom would never want me to hear. All we could do was laugh. They got back at us just before the start though. As we sailed by they squeezed their suntan lotion tube hard and it shot 15 feet and spooged all over our jib and foredeck. It was everywhere. As we were cleaning it off they were hoping that we would slide off the boat.
Race 3 was a double triangle in good breeze and fast warm reaches. Once again we watched Jimmy lead the race in the beginning but we managed to beat Jimmy Lowe for a change. Robb Walker had a great last race and finished third in front of Birger.
Day #4
There was no racing because of too much wind but no one seemed to mind. We were happy to use up our drink tickets as we packed our boats. I don't have the full results for the Gamblin but here is what I remember:
Gamblin Trophy Results: 1 Jimmy Lowe Gavin Ullman 2 George Szabo Jeff Baker Sobstad 3 Birger Jansen Karina North 4 Rob Walker Rowena Walker Sobstad
We ended up winning the Zimmerman, and the overall Nassau. Jimmy Lowe won the top Bahamian boat. The trophies were nice pieces of driftwood with a bronze casting of a sea animal on top. After the trophy presentation we filled the Zimmerman trophy (essentially a large punch bowl) to the top with yellow birds, but that's another story.
George Szabo
Sobstad San Diego
If anyone is interested in how we set up our boat during the circuit, I will be posting this on the Sobstad Web page www.sobstad.com next week.