Jack lines, MOB poles and safety equipment were installed. The hull of Rodeless Traveler, my new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 379, was cleaned and ready for speed. My crew and I were busy stowing gear and going over last minute preparations. Trash talking between the other crews on the dock had begun and excitement levels were almost palpable. Months of preparation had been spent all in anticipation of a great race and high hopes of a trophy at the end. The weather was forecast to be on the sporty side, but we were ready.
We had trained and prepared for every contingency. This was going to be “Our Year”. Or so we thought. It was just after noon, less than 24 hours before start time, when my phone announced an incoming text: “RACE CANCELLED further information to follow”.
The Harvest Moon Regatta attracts about 160 boats each year for 3rd coast sailors. Over the course of a 24-hour race from Galveston, Texas to Port Aransas, Texas weather conditions can vary from light to heavy winds caused by Norther’s and late season tropical storms. Added to the mix are unlit production platforms along the rhumb line. This 150 mile race challenges skippers, their crew and boats. This year weather played an even bigger role than in years past with Hurricane Patricia threatening the Mexican coast.
Weather conditions forecast for the race were expected to be excellent for a sleigh-ride down the coast with 20-25knts on the beam and 6-10ft seas. These conditions promised to yield record-setting times. However, based on input from NOAA and USCG, Regatta organizers decided to cancel the race, due to weather conditions in Port Aransas 24 hours after the race that would impact racers returning from the race.
After the race organizer sent out the e-mail, crews preparing for the race expressed frustration and sought answers to why the race was cancelled. We found that the primary concern was for the conditions “after the race and during the return.” Several skippers and I then gathered had a beer and discussed how we could make lemonade.
We had access to half a dozen forecasts that predicted perfect conditions along the race route. We discussed the concern of docking in Port Aransas and confirmed that slips would be available for our boats. We would not have to raft up as we would if 160 boats showed up. We also discussed weather conditions for the planned return trip up the ICW, which were forecast to be 30-40 knots on the nose for only the first day. We agreed to postpone our return to wait for better conditions, if these conditions got worse,
With a safe plan for the race, docking and return, a small group of skippers sailing under the Sail Ventures Yachting Club, a local fractional sailing program in Kemah, decided that we would “race” anyway. We had competent and experienced crews, and new yachts with all the required offshore safety equipment. The Jeanneau fleet made up of two Sun Odyssey 379’s, and a 44 Deck Salon, and three other boats took off from Kemah crossed the start line in Galveston on Thursday afternoon at 2:30.
The race was as expected with a fast beam reach with 20-25 knots SE wind. The 6 to 10 foot quartering waves gave us a roller-coaster ride. We stayed in close contact during the race (mainly trash-talking) but ensuring that we were all safe.
It was a wild ride through the night. Clouds blocked the harvest moon and squally conditions challenged the fleet. The primary concern was establishing sighting of unlit production platforms along the route in the pitch black night.
At about 3:00 a.m. I looked over at my tactician in the driving rain. Even with the lightning filled sky, I could see a big smile on his face. “You must have the same defective gene that I have,” I said. This was the most exhilarating part of the race, and what drives us to perform in such extreme conditions.
As the sun rose through the clouds, we realized that we only had a few hours left to our destination, if the wind held up. We finished the race in 19 hrs, 22 minutes with max SOG touching 12 knots and averaging 7.7 knots for the 150-mile race. The Jeanneau fleet finished within 30 minutes of each other. It was an amazing un-race. We had a great feeling of accomplishment when we all finished safely.
We secured our boats and prepared for the high wind forecast for the following day. Thirty-six hours later on Sunday morning, we held a skipper meeting to review weather conditions for the return voyage. The forecast was the same – 30 to 40 knot winds. Since the majority of the day’s journey was up the protected ICW, the decision was made to start the return journey.
It was a challenging day! After sailing across San Antonio Bay in gusts up to 40 knts, we were contacted by a tug captain with beached barges (waiting for weather) on the other side of the bay: “Eastbound sailing vessels – You got a big set of nuts…” I never thought that would be the highest form of praise, from a seasoned tug captain we all felt a sense of pride.
That evening we arrived at a Marina near Port O’Conner where we enjoyed a fantastic meal relieved with the knowledge that we had made it safely through the worst of the weather. The remaining journey would be a beautiful sail up the ICW to Freeport and an offshore leg from Freeport back to Galveston.
When representatives from the race sponsor met us at the dock in Port Aransas to ensure we arrived safely and discuss the decision that they made. Their primary concern was for the safety of racers, for the entirety of the race inclusive of the return as they indicated in an e-mail explaining their decision:
“Guidance from the US Sailing Race Management manual tells us that the Race Committee is responsible to ‘exercise good judgment, and not to win a popularity contest.’ We are told to make our “decision based on consideration of all competitors, especially the least experienced or least capable competitors. Don’t worry if conditions moderate later and make you look overcautious. Your concern is the safety of participants.”
This decision was not surprising, considering the unfortunate tragedy of the Dauphin Island Race last spring. I believe that similar decisions may be made more often for longer offshore races in the future, considering the difficulty of ensuring good weather for the extended duration of the race and the return legs. In any event, the decision taken by the race sponsor was the right decision for the safety of the racers.
We had a great race, or as we called it an un-race. Offshore cruisers experience these conditions regularly when they are crossing oceans or making extended passages. We need to gain experience and confidence in these conditions, since it is possible to sail safely in the conditions that had been forecasted. I was glad that there was more than one boat that wanted to proceed. This journey increased my confidence in my abilities and my boat’s capability to handle inclement weather.
And we enjoyed the lemonade along the way. Of course, there was celebratory rum mixed in for good measure.