In a surprise twist of fate, summer returned to the south for what’s likely to be our final weekend of “dang hot” temperatures and very light wind. The bad part is that this occurred at the end of week of cool, dry, sunny and windy weather while we all suffered at work. So instead of our hoped-for first taste of fall sailing, instead we got a last blast of summer. No matter, we still managed to have fun! With only three boats, the Vipers were lumped into the large “PHRF spinnaker” start. We had 3 Vipers, 6 U-20s, a bunch of J-24s and S2s, some large cruisers, and even an Olson 30 starting with us. In the light wind, these large boats cast a wind shadow about a mile long. And we were well under hull speed, so this wasn’t going to be a good day for handicap racing. The first start ended in a general recall as much of the fleet crossed the line as much as 30 second early. Wow! On the restart, Alex got the jump on the fleet and never looked back. Meanwhile Bill and I where able to prove beyond a doubt that it was Alex’s skill in play and not just his fast boat by finishing somewhat further back in the pack. Not to mention a DSQ for me for sailing through the “closed gate” not just once but twice. (So did half the U-20s BTW, so I wasn’t the only one to miss that line in the SI). As if the first race wasn’t light enough, the second was even more so and part way around the wind died completely. Ratings no matter, the entire fleet converged on the leeward mark at the same time in a giant ghosting pinwheel. Except for Alex that is – he was already nearing the finish line by then. Sunday morning brought a 10am start, but the wind didn’t arrive until later. With finally enough wind for a start, we got yet another general recall. The restart (with the I flag) was successful and we got in one more drifter before heading in for lunch and packing up, and watching Alex pick up his prize. And to those who didn’t make it, you missed the best regatta food anywhere – fantastic meals both Friday and Saturday night. And next year there will be a new $3 million club house overlooking the lake. I would definitely recommend a return trip, particularly if we can get enough sportboats there to have our own start as a group instead of being forced to fight it out with the bludgers. (So, where exactly does rule 18 turn on when one boat is 21 and the other is 30 feet long?) Here are a few [photos->http://picasaweb.google.com/viper640photos/2007OutbackRegatta]. Jay