Heartbeat, the Wylie 46 out of Santa Cruz, powers up for the start of the Double Angle Race.
The Double Angle Race
August 18, 2018 - Monterey or Santa Cruz Start, Moss Landing Finish
By Tom Burden, Photos by Susan Brown, last updated 9/5/2018
Three yacht clubs,, two starts and one finish, followed by a raft-up and party at Moss Landing—it’s the Double Angle Race!
The Santa Cruz Yacht Club, Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club and Elkhorn Yacht Club teamed up to give Monterey Bay offshore racing sailors an escape from summer heat, as 14 boats raced out of sight of land to the M-1 buoy, roughly halfway between Santa Cruz and Monterey. But this ocean race is unique, as the fleet is split into two groups. Precisely at noon, five boats started from Monterey, and nine others started from Santa Cruz. All finished together at the Moss Landing Approach Buoy.
Summer of 2018 has been gray, with lighter-than-usual wind, and our Saturday start from Santa Cruz was in that weather mode. Our fleet motored out of the sunshine at the harbor lighthouse, and into the mist. Starting near the Santa Cruz pier with a short upwind leg to Natural Bridges, we then jib-reached out into the fog, in breeze mostly around ten knots. A gray, relaxing 26.3-miler.
The Santa Cruz Yacht Club, Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club and Elkhorn Yacht Club teamed up to give Monterey Bay offshore racing sailors an escape from summer heat, as 14 boats raced out of sight of land to the M-1 buoy, roughly halfway between Santa Cruz and Monterey. But this ocean race is unique, as the fleet is split into two groups. Precisely at noon, five boats started from Monterey, and nine others started from Santa Cruz. All finished together at the Moss Landing Approach Buoy.
Summer of 2018 has been gray, with lighter-than-usual wind, and our Saturday start from Santa Cruz was in that weather mode. Our fleet motored out of the sunshine at the harbor lighthouse, and into the mist. Starting near the Santa Cruz pier with a short upwind leg to Natural Bridges, we then jib-reached out into the fog, in breeze mostly around ten knots. A gray, relaxing 26.3-miler.
Your-X, Gary Schwer’s Santa Cruz 27, racing in the fog toward Natural Bridges.
Lou Pambianco’s Heartbeat rolls over our Cal 40 on the way to Natural Bridges.
Your-X passes an outrigger canoe in the fog.
Our fleet ranged in size from a Santa Cruz 70, Buona Sera, to Scarlett, Beau Vrolick’s Moore 24. We were representing the “Plastic Classic” Bill Lapworth-designed contingent of the fleet in Shaman, our 52-year-old Cal 40, along with Saline Solution, Mark Pastick’s Gladiator 24. We got a good start, and from that vantage point watched the Santa Cruz 70, the Wylie 46, Heartbeat, and West Marine’s Santa Cruz 40, ProMotion, leg out into the distance.
The casual reach to the buoy in the middle of the bay aboard Steve Murphy’s Catalina 38, Sagittarius.
This was Bella’s first time sailing ever, but here she is grinding in the jib topsail sheet of the Cal 40, Shaman, like a pro!
Buona Sera accelerated away from the fleet, with Edward Marez’s mighty sled eventually finishing first overall and correcting out first on PHRF as well. We could follow their progress on our AIS, as they video-gamed their way around the course in a little over three hours. Approaching from Monterey, Ardea, a Nelson/Marek 50, finished next, after a 22-mile race, followed by Maverick, a J80 sportboat.
After the big boats had waterlined their way into the gloom, we settled down to a grind-out battle to pass the Moore 24, a Santa Cruz 27 named Your-X, and Sagittarius, a Catalina 38. Pulling out all of our Cal 40 “trailing-edge of technology” weapons, we deployed our jib topsail. Shaman reeled in the smaller boats, but they slid slipperily away from us downwind under kites after the jibe mark. The Moore 24 finished five minutes ahead of us, and corrected out to second place, an astounding 16 seconds behind Buona Sera. Four boats missed the 6pm time limit, including the Gladiator 24, which nonetheless entered the harbor at about 6:15, proudly flying a number of flags from her mast.
After the big boats had waterlined their way into the gloom, we settled down to a grind-out battle to pass the Moore 24, a Santa Cruz 27 named Your-X, and Sagittarius, a Catalina 38. Pulling out all of our Cal 40 “trailing-edge of technology” weapons, we deployed our jib topsail. Shaman reeled in the smaller boats, but they slid slipperily away from us downwind under kites after the jibe mark. The Moore 24 finished five minutes ahead of us, and corrected out to second place, an astounding 16 seconds behind Buona Sera. Four boats missed the 6pm time limit, including the Gladiator 24, which nonetheless entered the harbor at about 6:15, proudly flying a number of flags from her mast.
The business end of a sled. Buona Sera scorched the fleet for first-to-finish plus first on PHRF.
Here’s the mighty Santa Cruz 70, Buona Sera, rafted up at the Elkhorn Yacht Club.
The Elkhorn Yacht Club put on a fantastic party with great food, and there was lots of enthusiastic cheering at the award presentation, especially from some of the Monterey teams. The Double Angle is a great excuse to pay a visit to funky Moss Landing, and raft up alongside otters, harbor seals, and lots of vocal sea lions.
The after-race party at the Elkhorn Yacht Club. It was a gray evening with the tops of Moss Landing’s iconic towers erased by the low cloud ceiling.