Here is our chronolog of the Crew of Two arond Catalina Race 2006.   Co Skipper Mike on the ride up to Newport Beach.
	Checking out the pre-race action
	A race boat in our class
	Checking in.
	The exciting start of Cruising Class B
	A shot of Bedlam (Catalina 27) from the windward, about 1/2 way across
	Ducking them and passing to leward
	Your skipper at 45 degrees of heel.
	Passed by these crazy guys heading from the mainland to Catalina.
	Co Skipper Mike at the helm.
	Tacking duel along the island.
	First view of Ship Rock - the windward mark.
	Going in close, looking for a lift.
	A Ship Rock sunset.
	Rounding Ship Rock.
	In the lead at the rounding!
	Ready for the storm.

Well, here is my story. This started out with a 47 mile solo run to weather to get up to Dana Point. I left at 5 AM. This ended up taking 11.5 hours with 4 hours of pure sailing. The last 10 miles were directly into 20 knot headwinds and huge seas at very short intervals. I had little choice but to motorsail. My new XXL shaft Tohatsu worked great the whole trip. When I finally got in the harbor my jib was flapping around on the bow and I had to get the main down, fenders deployed, dock lines ready. The autopilot just could not handle the big winds. I got it all done and almost hit a Catalina 30 or something. Close but no contact.

My friend met me and we drove up for the skippers meeting. I was surprised that there were only 20 boats in the race and 3 in my class. A Catalina 27, Catalina 30, Ericson 31 and me. I was the only one who came from any distance to do the race. The Catalina 30 did not start. I also learned that I could not fly my spinnaker. No spins, asyms, or gennakers in the cruising class. Oh well. I was excited, but worried. The forecast called for NW winds 10 to 15 going west and becoming 15 to 20 at night. 20 knots of wind is a lot at night 30 miles from land in a C25.

OK so Saturday dawned clear, hot, humid and very calm. We motored 13 miles to the start line with 0 wind and flat seas. About noon the wind started coming up. Soon we were on starboard tack heading for the start line with the other 2 boats. I stayed on this tack all the way to the island (31 miles). Since the forecast was for strong winds, I decided to fly my #2 jib, the 135 laminate. That was a very good choice for the afternoon. The C27 had racing mylar sails and was flying a 155. I don't think the main had any reef points. The Ericson 31 outpointed us and was lost to sight early. But I stayed on the C27s tail, slowly working to windward. I was outpointing him and just as fast.

By midafternoon the winds and seas were building. We threw in a reef in the main. I was watching the C27 completely rounding up. We were heeled to 35 degrees but stable. My co-skipper took the helm and slowly lost our position to windward, so we ducked the 27 and went low. We were much faster than him in the rough conditions, and beat them to the island by 1/2 a mile or so. The trouble was we both came in around Avalon, 10 miles downwind of Ship Rock, our windward mark. So we started a tacking duel up the coast.

My strategy was to tack in towards the island, trying to stay in the lee and out of the 4 foot waves at 4 seconds that were outside. We'd tack out as soon as we felt the wind drop and tack back as soon as the seas became too rough. The C27 went way inside one time and caught a great lift right along the cliffs. On the next tack he passed in front of us - we had lost our 1/2 mile lead.

Then we got a wind shift. 180 degrees. We were gybing downwind directly towards Ship Rock at 6 knots. The C27 elected to pole out the jib and run wing-n-wing. We were gybing, running faster but longer. Eventually they gybed out, and we went in. I thought I'd run right into Two Harbors, knowing that wind whistled through there and we could probably reach for Ship Rock. We called Starboard and crossed tacks with guess who? The Ericson 31. Both he and the 27 were going outside when I was going in. About that time I wondered why we got such a wind shift in the first place.

While my co-skipper Mike took the helm I ate some food, drank a beer and looked around. There was a sea of whitecaps behind us. A large thunderstorm was approaching from the rear. Lightening was forking down. It hit the island and started a brush fire. It hit the water around us. It was striking all over Catalina Island.

We got the wind shift I predicted and reached directly towards ship rock, rounding first, just after sundown around 9 PM. It got dark fast but there was still plenty of light from lightening. The storm was right on top of us.

I set course for the mainland under single reefed main. Lightening struck the water within 1/4 mile. We were making 5 knots in 25 knots of wind and 5 foot breaking seas (at night). I was sailing northwards, the other boats southwards. We soon lost them. We got some huge wind shifts. One second running downwind, the next upwind. The boat was heeling and rocking. We decided to seek shelter.

Running back for 2 Harbors, the storm abated. I could see stars. The winds dropped. I put us back on course for Newport. We got the jib up. I told Mike to take a break. We were on autopilot. The seas were still rough and we were rolling like crazy, but it seemed safe. I told Mike we wouldn't change course for 2 hours or so, take a break.

We got hit by a huge 180 degree wind shift. The wind was hot. There was more lightening. The main was backwinded against the preventer. I had to send him up to get the jib down for the 2nd time in 2 hours. That was it. We were only 5 miles from shelter. We motorsailed in. Got the anchor down in 70 feet. Hit the sack around 1 AM. It blew 20 knots until 4 AM.

By 6 I was up, getting the weather. It was hot, calm, and the sea was flat as a table. We motored all the way back to Dana Point, 50 miles, never saw over 1 knot of wind. We were both really happy to get into the shower, then get some food and coffee. It was hot and humid.

Monday I motored all the way back, solo, Dana to Mission Bay. 47 miles, this time in 8 hours. I had following winds and currents, got over 20 mpg, and read a book on the trip home.

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