October 2009 eBook all pages (free PDF, 36.6 - Latitude 38

"That's why we do it," Hamlin said.
"It's always tough here . . . the ultimate in
skiff sailing. You wake up in the morning
stoked, like going to war."
"Like turning on a switch," Allen
said.
"The fact that we went through the
whole week without flipping is incredible,"
Noble said.
RICH ROBERTS
On the final downwind run before
finishing upwind that was all that was on
their minds. With all the competition far
behind, Allen over trimmed the spinnaker
to slow the boat down and maximize
stability.
So how does one avoid flipping an
18-ft Skiff when it's nuking?
"Mostly hard work," Hamlin said. "Any
one of us could make it flip by doing the
wrong thing. I've been doing it 12 years,
and these guys grew up here sailing in
big breeze. They don't freak out, and we
have good coordination and choreography
and confidence in one another."
Ronstan Bridge-to-Bridge
For the second year in a row, an
18-footer won the Ronstan Bridge to
Bridge race September 3. John Winning's
Yandoo edged out his son Herman's
Appliances Online by 38 seconds after
sailing the 7.5 mile course that starts
just outside the Golden Gate Bridge and
finishes just off the west side of Yerba
SHEET
Buena Island in 19m, 54s.
The race was a counter for the 18footers'
International Regatta at St.
Francis YC, which wrapped the following
day. So not only were the 18-footers racing
the kiteboarders, windsurfers and a
newcomer to the event — Chris Welsh's
Spencer 65 Ragtime, which finished 16th
overall — they were also racing each
other in the midst of the 59-strong fleet
of boats and boards.
It was a tough one for the kiters
— only seven of the 30 starters finished.
As the fleet passed Pier 39 and made
the turn for the finish, they ran out
of breeze. After seeing pressure in the
mid-twenties at the start, by the time
the sailors reached the finish, the breeze
had dropped to about five knots.
Catalina 30 Nationals
South Beach YC hosted the Catalina
30 Nationals September 19-20, with
21 boats showing up in three divisions
— seven in the spinnaker division, five
in the jib and main division, and nine in
the cruising division. Although the results
are provisional pending protests, at
We put you on a silver platter.
October, 2009 • Latitude 38 • Page 137