SSA Day Sailer Series @ 2 Bridge Fiasco
Ken and Erica in action
A race made famous by the Pandemic in 2020, as boats are limited to a 2 man crew, the Annapolis Yacht Club’s 2 Bridge Fiasco, is now officially part of the SSA Day Sailer Series.
This year the fleet had 7 boats register and 5 made it to the line for our own one design start. True to the Day Sailer tradition, 4 of the 5 teams were family boats. The course and conditions were perfect for the Day Sailer. It is a 14 mile distance race that starts at the mouth of the Severn River. Competitors are required to round marks at both the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the Severn River bridge. Determining which bridge to round first, navigating the breeze and the current makes the event particularly challenging.
The Father/Daughter team of Erika Seamon and Ken Seamon in Seamonster delivered a convincing win by hugging the Western shore and avoiding the worst of the current. Matt White and daughter Morgan sailing Bluebird followed in second, Erik McCaffery and Mike James sailing Bail Out were third, Tom Shaw and wife Michelle sailing Scrimshaw were fourth and Amy Harris and son David sailing Morning Glory were fifth.
While the Day Sailer’s competed as a one design class, it was a Portsmouth style start and Erika and Ken rounded both bridges in first and ultimately finished in the Top 10. The rest of the fleet respectably finished in the top 20.
Couple of learning opportunities for next year, orange racing markers are very hard to spot 5 miles away, definitely need to bring binoculars next year. Second, study the timing of the current better, even though the tide showed low 0130, it was still ebbing strong a 0230.
Special thanks too Claudia Minicozzi for the beautiful art and Jim Fisher for the design on the cut glass trophies.
