Hey Guys, I promised some of you I'd post how the Figawi went on Falstaff, my C-30 & how the running rigging upgrade helped overall boat performance. About the race itself: First of all, it was my first race as a skipper on my own boat. I crewed for 3 years or so on a friends J-105, but this was my first race as a skipper and my first race on anything but a J-105. The conditions were unusual. The Figawi is a chase race, meaning that the slow boats cross the starting line first, the fast boats go last. The idea is that we all get to the finish line around the same time. Also, because the Figawi race actually goes somewhere (Hyannis to Nantucket) the start isn't necessarily heading into the wind. This year the first leg was a run dead down wind for 11.9 miles with 15 to 20 knots and 3 foot seas. Ouch. At this point we were doing pretty well against boats that were faster than my C-30. We were outsailing a C-34 and a few others that clearly had a longer waterline. That was until the first rounding. Most boats continued straight to Nantucket, but I was one of those boats who signed up for the "Spinnaker Class". I thought that class would simply allow me to fly the kite if the conditions allowed (they didn't...I have an assymetric & it's useless when wind is directly on the transom) but this class did more than that. It added another leg to the race, and put me in a different class with boats that were WAY more competitive than we were. Most of the other boats that were making that rounding had laminate sails, a few had carbon masts, etc. Most were over 40' by my guess. Again: Ouch. Also, at this point, the winds built to about 30 knots. I had a heavily reefed 150% and a full main up. We were heeled over about 20 degrees or so, but there were 4 big guys on the rail and it was manageable except that I couldn't point to save my life and the seas were a steep 5' chop with one of my crew doubled over with sea sickness. At this point, we were having a tough time reaching our next mark and I decided to head straight to Nantucket for a few Mt Gay & tonics. I could have tucked in a reef, but at that point we didn't have a prayer of coming in with a decent time & it wasn't worth the risk having a few guys on the deck in those conditions. As we say in sales: There's no upside to that! So, we abandoned the race after a valiant effort & learned from our mistakes: No more spinnaker class for Falstaff. About the equipment: I can't say enough good things about the Garhauer running rigging upgrade kit. The flat traveler allowed me to keep my heel under control so I didn't have to reef my main. The solid vang allowed me to flatten my sail in high winds while pointing and better control sail shape while on a reach or a run. I have a picture I'll try to attach that shows us crossing the start line. For some reason, the site isn't allowing me to upload it. Anyway, you can see the vang at work: The wind is off the stern but the boom is still nice & low allowing us to keep a maximum amount of sail area exposed to the wind. The only complaint I had about the kit was that they didn't include a triple block to attach to the traveler. Instead, I got 3 single blocks. The problem there is that they can foul when I tack or gybe. I need to get that swapped at some point. Other than that everything worked great & I never doubted the quality of the gear. I'd highly recommend it. To anyone who is thinking of doing the Figawi, do it. It's a great time run by great people. It's not a terribly competitive race, but some of the big boys show up (we had an older America's Cup 12 Meter compete) and it's easy to find the right competition if you're looking for it. Once you reach Nantucket, it's a 3 day party & it's a blast. I'll definitely be there next year, and I hope to see ya. Allen Schweitzer s/v Falstaff C-30 Hull# 632
