With a weekend of varying moderate southerlies, the RS Aero fleet reached an informal consensus that the 9 rigs were the way to go and it was another big RS Aero 9 weekend for the Seattle fleet. The race course was fairly flat all weekend and the entire regatta was raced in strong flood tides, so there was a premium on downwind boat speed. I can speak from experience that reaching the weather mark in a good position did not guarantee a top result at the finish. This fleet is getting fast downwind! 

CYC ran a good event! Southerlies come with strong shifts in Shilshole Bay, and the committee wisely set the starting line for the average wind angle so both ends of the starting line came into play at different starts. The weather legs were sometimes port biased and, on Saturday, “A” mark was close enough to the Magnolia bluff to make the final third of the weather legs tricky sailing conditions. However, these were challenges to be embraced, after a regatta that was a refreshing start to the season for the Corinthian YC race committee, thanks to all those volunteers.

As this fleet ramps up to the World Championship being hosted in Cascade Locks in ‘22, the sailing level seems to be getting better and better. While Dalton Bergen had another standout performance, many sailors had strong finishes. Andy Mack continues on form and took second with this author rounding out the top three.

Thursday night racing is has now started and there are large RS Aero fleets showing up weekly. Looking ahead to the major summer RS Aero meeting in the region, the Columbia Gorge One Design regatta at the end of July, there’s talk of some guys heading down to the gorge for some training on there splendid track.