The 2020 3rd Annual 505 Plane Insane - plus VBoats!

SSA held their third annual long-distance race on Sunday, June 7th. The catalyst for this ’Tour of the Bay’ is our local 505 Fleet Captain Jesse Falsone who invited the VBoat Fleet (Vipers and VX1) and foiling Wind Surfers to compete alongside his 505 fleet this year. Those 505 sailors must live right because race day was graced with a 17-18kt northerly that faded to 12-14 knots at the final weather mark near the Bay Bridge; the whole race taking over 3 1/2 hours. The RC started all 11 crafts at 10am just yards away from Trident Point—the Corner of Naval Academy & Severn River, a downwind start, most under spinnakers. All of these planning skiffs & foiling boards enjoyed a fantastic broad Port reach to R2. Because wind is easily affected by geography, when they exited the Severn and entered the Bay, the breeze increased a bit and clocked about 20-30 degrees right. Simply, the wind that was initially funneling down the Severn was now funneling down the Bay enabling the fleets’ high speed planing. Everybody had a great ride but the foiling boards flew away from everyone else! After leaving R2 to Starboard the fleets continued an exciting ride to Thomas Point/ SR Buoy, where EYCs Dailey Tipton's Viper led the skiffs around SR, closely followed by SSAs Paul Murphy/James Golden on the VX, and then SSAs Walt and Tricia Pletcher’s Viper. The VX reports their fastest 10 second average was 17.7 knots going South, but now they had to pay the piper with the long, long, upwind slog to the Bay Bridge and R92 - all against the southing tide increased by the strong Northerly. Conventional wisdom would have you work the Western shore for current relief and Tipton Dailey continued on port tack from SR, going East and enjoying more of a big right hand shift, thus within 30 minutes had quadrupled his lead. Those on the Western shore eventually had current relief but had to cope with substantial powerboat chop and a few lulls. In the word’s of Cher, ‘the beat went on….and on….and on… for an approximately 1.5 hour beat! Tipton had proved his point and headed to the bar mid-way up the course! (Or he couldn’t find the windward mark and gave up trying!) Between the southbound tide and slightly fading breeze the foiling windsurfers had a tough time gaining upwind. They tried, but tacking through 181 degrees quickly became un-fun and they followed Dailey’s path to SSA. EYCs Rob & Becky Ranzenbach’s Viper, the Pletcher’s Viper, and Ali Meller & Mike Coe’s 505 all played the Western shore well, passing the VX who strayed too far offshore. A 4 knot current was measured by the Race Committee boat at the R92 Bell, located 1/2 mile south of the Bay Bridge, and two northbound cargo carriers being piloted inside the shipping lane added their wind shadows to the course obstacles. For such a long leg the fleet was surprisingly close together as they rounded the weather mark; Ali & Steve’s 505 was first around, the Ranzenbach Viper led the Pletchers with the VX just a few yards behind. All the skiffs roared into the Severn River on starboard gybe. At 21’ the Vipers are two feet longer than the VX1 and thus generally sail w/ one additional crew. The Viper spinnaker is also much larger, so Vipers can sail deeper angles, but VXs, with their wide sterns, flatter and chined hull, are faster on reaches, and proved so this time! Paul’s VX1 was able to sail over the Vipers and lead them to the Trident point finish, just behind the 505, thus giving bragging rights to the smaller skiff for which is fastest on the Bay in 2020! A singular event, and a glorious ’New England’ northerly holding all day made the sailing noteworthy. Thank you to the Race Committee headed by PRO Heather Patterson, and ably supported by Geoff Patterson, Ed John, and Victoria Gibb; monitoring all the crafts throughout the race course and their mark roundings - and found the distance was a challenge to all - sailors and RC alike!