Miles, BayBay!

So I will be racing in the Miles River Race this weekend. I am so psyched about this opportunity. The Miles is a beautiful river where one can find St. Michael's--another gorgeous town on the Chesapeake. The race is from Annapolis to the Miles on Saturday & then a race back on Sunday. In between there is, of course, a party.

I am racing on a Catalina 27 this time & the crew will be sleeping on the boat--hmmmm...close quarters here especially with all the racing gear--sails, lines, etc. Most probably NOT the most comfortable. But at least we can hop off & use the head onshore when we arrive. And a shower in the morning before we leave. This is my first time doing a multiple day race over a longer course. Eventually I'd like to be able to do a Newport/Bermuda Race so this is a good start. At least on the longer tacks we can relax--sort of. It won't always be a crazy rush with the sails & riding the rails. Also different is that I'm racing in a class of all single types--in this case all Catalina 27s. Before I was racing in a PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet) class. For those who are interested:

PHRF Rating System
Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) ratings are based on the speed potential of the boat, determined as far as possible on observations of previous racing experiences. It is the intent of PHRF handicapping that any well equipped, well maintained, and well sailed boat has a good chance of winning. Handicaps are adjusted as needed on the boat's performance so that each well sailed boat has an equal opportunity to win. This is the fundamental concept. PHRF ratings are not intended to reflect skipper and crew capability. Ratings are not adjusted to encourage a poor or careless skipper, and conversely, no rating adjustment is made to penalize proficiency. Intensity of competition and the influx of new and aggressive sailors require each skipper to maintain consistently high performance in order to place well.

I can't wait--my head is not on current events but somewhere out there near Annapolis. It is massively exciting as well as a super opportunity to continue to hone my crewing skills.

Hoping for fair breezes....