Epic, Fresh to Frightenin’ Scatchet Head Race

(Seattle, Washington)- A real rip-snortin’, barn razin’, dog flyin’ along with the chain attached, kind of wind came through Puget Sound Saturday March 14th for the second race in the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle’s Center Sound Series- the Scatchet Head Race. Sixty-six boats made it out for the start in what Bruce Hedrick, in his Friday afternoon NWYachting.com weather brief, recommended boats “leave the dock in the morning with the crew all in pfd’s, safety harnesses, and tethers, with the jacklines rigged and in place.” Hedrick predicted a strong and fast frontal system to move through our area with its strongest winds soon after the fleet had started on its 26-mile course from Shilshole to Scatchet Head and back.

Once again, slow boats started first but with a new twist, a downwind start in the building 20+ knot southerly. The winds continued to build as the starts rolled off the line but it wasn’t until class 7 that the wipeouts began happening just after the start area – one of the late-starting 30-footers had some good rolls followed by the standard flogging sails with shaking mast until they finally gave up and took the chute down to re-orient things before giving it another go.

By 11am, the winds began pushing into the 30-knot range and as the fleet moved into the narrower part of sound going into Edmonds things began to happen. Broaches and round ups across the course, the old wind Gods testing the mettle of the sailors on the course with many deciding the Gods were right, it might be a good time to bring that chute down and continue under main and jib. The wind didn’t test only the sailors will and the strength of the cloth and seams of their spinnakers but tested the rigs to the limit as some boats reported gusts from 32, to 36 and on up to 39 knots with sustained winds over 30 for quite some time.

Back on the race course things were fast and furious. The J/88 found themselves flying along with numbers pushing over 20 before the wind gods decided to shake them silly on their side for using an A2 instead of an A3 in such strong winds. The J/105’s reported flying along under control with their (smartly chosen) A3’s, their shy kites, pulling them along at speeds over 16 knots, pushing into 17 at times. The waves built and built as the fleet moved North, 2 feet became 3 and as they got closer and closer to the mark they built to over 4 feet allowing for the now sans-spinnaker boats to surf along at 14, even 16 knots at times.

The faster boats worked through many of the early starters near Scatchet Head with a few coming in from the west. Many boats had spectacular crashes, some even losing rigs; one sailor reported, “I’ve never been that sideways in my life.”

Boats wrapped their chutes around their forestays in gybes, some of them shredding apart while they were pulled down the forestay. Boats dropped their chutes in the water, some recovered, some getting cut away after wrapping around their keels and becoming too much of a liability to try and recover. But, just as quick as it started the downwind run was over and the reefs settled down on many of the boats in the fleet for the long slog south to the finish off Shilshole. Almost the entire fleet sailed up the east side of the course short tacking the beach, ducking or tacking away from starboard tacker’s while a couple boats worked up the Western shore, enjoying the westerly wind angle and open un-crowded course.

By this time, the rains had passed through and the sun was out but the wind gods weren’t done with the boats yet, holding winds in the upper 20’s.  What a day, the strong breeze had caused some serious carnage, both in sails and gear but in the end there was no major injuries, no boats requiring outside assistance or help from the coast guard!

The winds began settling down as the middle of the fleet approached Meadow point and wouldn’t you know it, Bruce Hedrick was right again (don’t tell him). Hedrick stated in his NWYachting.com weather brief “you should also notice that by around 1500-1600 hrs the breeze will start to drop significantly and back to the east. So if you’re coming off the west side of the Sound this could be painful.” And painful it was – any advantage the J/88 had gained by working up the western shore disappeared about halfway across the Sound as their bow came down below Meadow Point and they fell in line behind the 40 footer in their class. But, the winds didn’t stop changing there, they continued to die down to the point that a few boats barely made it across the line in glassy seas. As Hedrick said, “a fairly quick frontal passage.”

Full results can be found at the CYC Seattle website but here are the highlights. Class 2 was dominated by Andy and Jaime Mack aboard their J/27 TRUE NORTH correcting almost 8 minutes in front and leaving third to the J/27 WIZARD. Class 3 was sailed away with by that fun loving bunch aboard Pat Denny’s J/29 HERE & NOW, winning by an ungodly 12 minutes!

Class 4, the J/105 A3 flying One-Design class was once again taken by those fast sailors aboard Erik Kirsten’s J/105 JUBILEE. Leaving the J/105 LAST TANGO over 6 minutes back in second and the J/105 AVALANCHE, another 13 minutes back in third. Class 5 saw the J/88 take third. Class 6 saw the timeless J/35 TAHLEQUAH take second and third went to Commodore Burnell’s J/109 TANTIVY.  Class 7 saw the J/120 TIME BANDIT take second. Finally, Class 9 saw the J/145 DOUBLE TAKE finish in fine fashion to take third.

Take a gander over to janpix.smugmug.com and find yourself a photo to buy your crew or boat owner, there are some amazing shots there and by supporting the Anderson’s your supporting two people that make themselves available for assistance to the those in need on the course while passing up great picture opportunities to render this assistance. Thank you, once again, Skip and Jan!   Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson   For more Scatchet Head Race sailing information