Rock to the Dock race!

Captain Patsy invited us join her on Talion for the Rock to the Dock race and we couldn't resist. We have never been racing and figured we would learn a lot and we did for sure!

Talion is a 50 foot Gulfstar sailboat that is really setup for racing. I think Patsy said she's got 6 spinnakers on board; Moondance has 1.

Patsy also invited other sailors to join in on the fun. Excellent sailors, plus Captains of their own vessels, that were always trimming the sails, anticipating wind changes, etc. Doug was a grinder; I was rail meat - hah!

It was amazing to listen to everyone planning our next strategy!

Crew included: Shelley (s/v Eros), Dona (s/v Profligate), Marv (s/v Odyssey), Bob (s/v Pantera), Bill (s/v Moontide), and Arjan (s/v RotKat).

Shelley's way of warming up for the race - singing and dancing - and she knew all of the words and had the moves. Shelley has been teaching sailing for ~20 years and was quick to anticipate sail changes and provide excellent advice - we should definitely spend more time with her.

While we were positioning for the start of the race, we were delighted to see humpback whales close by. I wasn't quick enough on the camera, but you get the idea.

The race was approximately 10 miles and started at Isla Rocas and ran to the Municipal pier. We had an excellent start and beat everyone off of the line.

Talion won 1st place in the race - after the handicap adjustment. Adios (Portland) crossed the line first.

Yup, this is Adios passing us - the crew grinning the whole way. We almost caught up with them on the downwind run through the channel, but they had too big of a lead. Next time for sure!

We had a wonderful time and we must have not have been too terrible of crew. Pasty invited us to join her this weekend for a 3-day race to Isla San Francisco.

Wish us luck!