Once again, glorious sailing conditions blessed the fleet for today’s racing with a fresh southwesterly breeze of 12 to 15 knots and a flood tide. Race Committee Alan and Sarah Baines did a great job setting a square pin in particularly tough conditions. The course for race #1 was set as the classic Zp, 13p. As six J/22’s circled for the first start, a forty-foot sloop nearly carried away the carefully set pin (you have to wonder about a skipper who would try to sail through an active starting line at all, but to misjudge the tide and hit the pin! you just can’t make it up).

A slightly short line combined with the fresh breeze to disorganize the start as the J’s darted around at 7+ knots. At the one minute sound Nick Johnstone could be seen sailing out of the mooring field making bob’syergrandaddy the seventh, albeit late, starter. Cory Sertl, sailing Conundrum, controlled the line and won the start. Machbuster was spit out the back and only beat the late starting bob’syergrandaddy over the line. Lowell Thomas’ Chaos also got a great start and hung with the leaders on the way to Z. Bad News, well-staffed and well-ballasted with both Marshall boys on board along with Jay and Matt Gowell, fought back on the first leg by playing shifts rather than seeking less tide on the Jamestown shore. Cory Sertl, leading the mother/daughter "dream team" of Katja Sertl, Ellen Noble, and Ellen’s daughter Adele (who last sailed together in CYC's heroic 2006 Island Cup team racing victory), rounded Z in first but eventually yielded to Bad News as they approached the can 13 at the end of the long run. Adding a little excitement, Machbuster managed to round up in a puff during her takedown laying completely flat with a still-full chute now a long halyards’ length away. But the strong flood tide minimized her losses as she drifted towards the mark while cleaning up from the yard sale. At the can it was Bad News, Conundrum, Chaos, Good News, Machbuster, USA 1575, and bob’syergrandaddy. The southwesterly breeze made the can-to-finish leg more square than usual, allowing for some real upwind sailing. Bad News maintained a cover on Conundrum, while an also well-ballasted Machbuster passed the lighter Good News after a nice taking duel, and nearly caught Chaos (with only three aboard) as well. Matt Dunbar’s USA 1575 was sixth, just ahead of the closing bob’syergrandaddy.

Race #2’s course was changed to Zp,13p, 3s,13s. The second start was a little better formed and most of the fleet took a port tack hitch towards shore almost immediately. Eventually, Bad News, Conundrum, and Machbuster went back left as a group, separated from the others, and rounded in that order. Good News, Chaos, bob’syergrandaddy, and USA 1575 followed, while the whole fleet was closer together than in race one. Good News passed Machbuster on the run, but fouled her as the two approached the always confusing starboard windward rounding situation at Mark 3, Machbuster having starboard tack rights as the two met on opposite tacks at the mark. No other positions changed despite the relatively closely packed fleet and the longer course.

It was a good day to have four on board, and the results reflected that. Bad News remains undefeated in the series, followed by Conundrum, Machbuster, and Chaos after the first two weeks of racing.