Report from Goose (TYC - Eugene)
The SanFrancisco Nationals are history and those of you who didn't make it missed out on one awesome event. The weather was perfect, the scenery beautiful, SFYC did a great job hosting, the wind and water were superb (averaged around 15-20kts), the natives were friendly, the food was tasty, the competition keen, and the entertainment huge to the point of distraction. We had the Blue Angels performing low altitude aerobatics overhead, parades of ships and aircraft carriers, stunt pilots in biplanes, helicopter stunts, and a wandering mariachi band. Very thoughtful of SanFrancisco to go to all that trouble for a few folks from Eugene! Even the drive down was a breeze.
A brief run-down of the racing action as experienced from the Goose-deck: Saturday... on call at 11:00, tried to tow some S20's out to the race course against the tide in light headwind resulting in missing our start by 4 minutes and some confusion about our course (the next class was already starting). Went way right to get some relief from the strong flood tide and rounded the windward mark 3rd or 4th, the wind built downwind to maybe 15+....fun! Back upwind with the #2, passed some boats, back down again in lots of wind, planing all the way... more fun!! Upwind again with the blade now to finish second behind Nymph. 2nd race: lots of wind now and change strategy for the ebbing tide. Went right at the start again to get into the ebb from Raccoon Strait... 3rd to the mark and down the middle downwind to get out of the ebb... sailing very deep now with lots of wind on a constant plane at 11-12 kts in big choppy seas. White knuckles, dry mouth, you know the feeling! Passed Falcor into 2nd and stayed there to finish behind NautiNymph. We were disappointed to only get in 2 races but they were long, twice around windward leewards and a great Mexican dinner and free beer and wine were waiting at the club.
Sunday... on call at 11 again but no wind. Got towed around the bay for a couple hours by the folks on WetCorvette (Santana35). Thanks for the tour, guys! Finally some breeze for a start about 2:00 and we were off clear across the bay to the Blackaller buoy west of the city front. We went right and tacked across under the Golden Gate thinking we had everyone foxed... WRONG. We were badly overstood and ended up flying the chute to get to the windward mark. Made up lots of time on the downhill run by surfing the stern wake of a S35 back across the bay, putting us back in second. Had a serious wipeout (roundup) compounded by a loose genoa tack, a jammed spin halyard, and a very near crash into an S35 coming the other way while all this was happening. When the debris was cleared and we got back under control and found our leeward mark, we were 3rd behind NautiNymph and Phil Hodgeson's "Te Natura". The race committee said "that's all" and we beat it for the hoist.

Thanks to Tom Schock, SanFrancisco Yacht Club, and all the skippers and crew for a memorable weekend, (and congratulations NautiNymph).

Randy Weersing and the Goose crew.