A J/27 Midwinter Extravaganza(New Orleans, LA)- And, "Ya'll" thought a "yawl" was like a 27 with her after mast ripped off? Which brings me to the carnage said Andrew Reims:
“So we're in New Orleans...an amazingly cool city for both attitude and weather. Granted it was a lot warmer than Canada or the Northeast USA but really - in the 40s - definitely not sandals/ shorts weather. Nevertheless, it was the 2015 J/27 Mid-Winters (emphasis on “winter”) after all.
I
don't think anyone bobbing around on Lake Ponchartrain on Day 1 could
have predicted what was to come but the RC miraculously were able to get
a race off in winds speeds that were even lower than the temperature.
Somehow Dan on "Hot Molasses" figured a way through the Zero to Nuthin
variable winds to claim victory by at least a leg on a shortened 2 leg
course. The rest of the fleet of eight boats trickled into the finish
line on random puffs.Day 2 didn't promise much in temperature but what it lacked in heat it made up for in wind. Three races were run starting in about 18 knots for Race 1 and ending in 25 gusting to 30 kts by Race 3. Merlin "Alegre" Wilson claimed the bullet in Race 1 after a couple lead changes with Al "Wind Shift" Gooch who finished overlapped at the line. The rest of the day belonged to Burt "Demitasse" Benrud and his crew of seven with bullets in the remaining races and who, from my vantage point in pursuit on "Alegre", gave us a textbook example of boat control and driving a 27 in heavy air (I didn't know you could stack that many people on the rail?).
Back
on shore the free beer and sail repair tape were in abundance as the
transplanted Canadians on Wilson LaGraize's "Pocket Rocket" patched
their inventory back together for the following day. Not to be outdone,
"Seamma" with the support and efforts of our hosts at the Southern
Yacht Club were able to get a new leech sewn onto Patsy's main as it
seems they lost their old one somewhere up one of the upwind legs! It
was a great day of racing as the photos attest to.Day 3 saw a bit warmer temperatures and a bit more wind for the final race of the regatta with "Demitasse" aggressively defending their lead; the bite on the rudder of "Alegre" being evidence of that. The penalty accepted did not however change the outcome as "Demitasse" continued schooling the fleet on heavy weather sailing and claimed the victory in the race and the regatta overall with "Alegre" and "Hot Molasses" second and third, respectively. Linda "Instant Kharma" Webster had a bit of an altercation with the RC Boat which was more a statement of the conditions than a criticism of the Committee who did an amazing job. No one was hurt except for maybe a bit of pride and if anyone is looking for some modern sculpture that resembles a bow pulpit, please speak with Linda.
Finally, a big shout out/ huge “Thanks” to the Southern Yacht Club, their Commodore Merlin "Alegre" Wilson, the Race Committee and everyone for putting the event together. The invitation to come sailing, the great hospitality and free beer every night were truly awesome! For any 27s who didn't make it this year, put the event on the calendar and Merlin will save you a spot in the yard next to Curved Air!” You can watch 3D replay of the Midwinter action on RaceQs.com Sailing photo credits- New Orleans Sailing For more J/27 Midwinters sailing information
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