After missing a week due to weather, the prognosis for this week's race was also sketchy, but the scattered thunderstorms of the forecast chose other destinations and we had a fine (although gray) evening for racing. Conditions were very mild, with a light SE wind and slack high tide. Course #5 was being served up. This would be our first double-header of the year, a category of race devised in the rankest pits of hell. On the first leg we'd circumnavigate Great Haste Island and return to the beach. Five minutes after the last paddler finished that leg, we'd restart and circle the red nun in the harbor. In that dread five minutes between the two legs, many a paddler has contemplated throttling Ed to put a stop to the insanity. He's pretty big though.
Francisco and Matt jumped out to their typical fast starts. Seemed like I'd be following my normal script - spend the first few minutes trying to catch Francisco, rest on his wash for a while, then work the rest of the race to push past him. There was a last minute rewrite this week however. Instead of dropping off the pace after his impressive initial sprint, Matt latched onto Francisco and stayed there. I was recast in the role of hanger-on #2, tucked in behind Matt.
Five minutes or so into the race, Matt seemed to be slipping off the draft, so I made a move to bridge the gap to Francisco. Matt wasn't quite done fighting to keep his V8 above hull speed, however. For several minutes we struggled to determine who would settle in the prime real estate of Francisco's wash. I eventually won the bidding war and Matt slid in behind me.
As we continued toward Great Haste, I was red-lining just to stay with Francisco. Passing him seemed out of the question, so I set one of those arbitrary deals you make with yourself when you want to torpedo your chances at winning - I'll just draft him until we turn Great Haste, and then I'll make my move. Unfortunately, my move turned out to be gradually falling further behind. On the positive side, the mild downwind conditions seemed to have finally convinced Matt that he was in a drastically slower boat than us.
Francisco continued to widen his lead to six or seven boat lengths, but as conditions flattened out near the beach, I managed to gain a little ground. I ended up 10 seconds back after the first leg. Matt was about 45 seconds back, followed by Ken, Kirk, Bruce, Ciro (in an FSK) and Mary Beth. I wasn't optimistic about my chances of making up the gap on the second leg. I'd probably give up a few seconds more to Francisco's habitual fast start, and there wouldn't be much chance to make up time in a 15 minute leg.
The five minute period between the arrival of the last racer (all of 90 seconds after the first) and the start of the next leg is a study in contradictions. On one hand, you greedily suckle on the teat of recovery. On the other, you know that even if fully nourished, the next leg is still going to make bacon out of you. You just want it all to be over. We approached the starting line like men condemned.
Ed counted us down to the start and we trudged reluctantly to our boats. Matt had another excellent start, but I caught a break as Francisco fumbled getting into his boat. I hadn't lost time on the start after all. Matt and I took a direct line towards the nun while Francisco stayed closer to shore to keep out of any currents in the channel. With the smooth waters of the harbor undulating under a soft swell, I passed Matt and cast nervous glances over to Francisco trying to judge his relative position.
As I rounded the nun, I was encouraged to find that I was several boat lengths ahead of Francisco. If we had been even at this point, I'm pretty sure my competitive spark would have been doused by the improbability of picking up 10 seconds in less than a mile. With a bit of a lead, however, I managed to convince myself I had a shot at overcoming the net deficit. Resisting the constant urge to look back and assess my changes, I put in a solid push to the finish. I had gained 22 seconds on the second leg - enough for the win. Matt easily took third place. Kirk managed to make up a 6 second first leg deficit to Ken for fourth. Here are the final results (skis only):
After four races, Francisco and I are tied in the lead at 46 points, followed by Matt at 38, Ken at 33, and Bruce at 25. Mary Beth continues her dominance in the women's division, with a perfect 48 points. We'll have our second biathlon of the season next week, as low tide coincides with the race finish. Look for me running wind sprints through the mud flats this coming week in preparation.
Francisco and Matt jumped out to their typical fast starts. Seemed like I'd be following my normal script - spend the first few minutes trying to catch Francisco, rest on his wash for a while, then work the rest of the race to push past him. There was a last minute rewrite this week however. Instead of dropping off the pace after his impressive initial sprint, Matt latched onto Francisco and stayed there. I was recast in the role of hanger-on #2, tucked in behind Matt.
Five minutes or so into the race, Matt seemed to be slipping off the draft, so I made a move to bridge the gap to Francisco. Matt wasn't quite done fighting to keep his V8 above hull speed, however. For several minutes we struggled to determine who would settle in the prime real estate of Francisco's wash. I eventually won the bidding war and Matt slid in behind me.
As we continued toward Great Haste, I was red-lining just to stay with Francisco. Passing him seemed out of the question, so I set one of those arbitrary deals you make with yourself when you want to torpedo your chances at winning - I'll just draft him until we turn Great Haste, and then I'll make my move. Unfortunately, my move turned out to be gradually falling further behind. On the positive side, the mild downwind conditions seemed to have finally convinced Matt that he was in a drastically slower boat than us.
Francisco continued to widen his lead to six or seven boat lengths, but as conditions flattened out near the beach, I managed to gain a little ground. I ended up 10 seconds back after the first leg. Matt was about 45 seconds back, followed by Ken, Kirk, Bruce, Ciro (in an FSK) and Mary Beth. I wasn't optimistic about my chances of making up the gap on the second leg. I'd probably give up a few seconds more to Francisco's habitual fast start, and there wouldn't be much chance to make up time in a 15 minute leg.
Ed counted us down to the start and we trudged reluctantly to our boats. Matt had another excellent start, but I caught a break as Francisco fumbled getting into his boat. I hadn't lost time on the start after all. Matt and I took a direct line towards the nun while Francisco stayed closer to shore to keep out of any currents in the channel. With the smooth waters of the harbor undulating under a soft swell, I passed Matt and cast nervous glances over to Francisco trying to judge his relative position.
As I rounded the nun, I was encouraged to find that I was several boat lengths ahead of Francisco. If we had been even at this point, I'm pretty sure my competitive spark would have been doused by the improbability of picking up 10 seconds in less than a mile. With a bit of a lead, however, I managed to convince myself I had a shot at overcoming the net deficit. Resisting the constant urge to look back and assess my changes, I put in a solid push to the finish. I had gained 22 seconds on the second leg - enough for the win. Matt easily took third place. Kirk managed to make up a 6 second first leg deficit to Ken for fourth. Here are the final results (skis only):
| Greg Lesher | Epic V12 | 0:39:45 | 12 |
| Francisco Urena | Stellar SE | 0:39:57 | 11 |
| Matt Drayer | Epic V8 | 0:41:35 | 10 |
| Kirk Olsen | Epic V12 | 0:42:29 | 9 |
| Ken Cooper | Epic V8 | 0:42:32 | 8 |
| Bruce Deltorchio | Epic V8 | 0:43:44 | 7 |
| Mary Beth Gangloff | Huki S1-R | 0:55:36 | 12 |
After four races, Francisco and I are tied in the lead at 46 points, followed by Matt at 38, Ken at 33, and Bruce at 25. Mary Beth continues her dominance in the women's division, with a perfect 48 points. We'll have our second biathlon of the season next week, as low tide coincides with the race finish. Look for me running wind sprints through the mud flats this coming week in preparation.
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