For the uninitiated, it might seem a stretch. But sailing a PC, the classic 34’ wooden sloop south around the North Coronado Island and back (30 miles approx.) from Shelter Island is an icon event on the PC calendar. Now, if the weather doesn’t cooperate and the fleet can’t make the whole distance, the fleet just rounds an impromptu mark and still makes an event out of it.  But for the 2008 edition of the PC journey (Sunday, August 24th), conditions could not have been better.

The breeze was 12 to 16 knots from 280 to 300 degrees. This provided a close reach straight down the rhumb-line for the eight boats that lined up for the start at Buoy 17.  Within 30 minutes, Point Loma was receding into the haze as the group charged offshore. About half the boats chose to fly kites and the other half kept a course a little higher and kept their kites in their bags. PC 45 Salsa (LaDow / Busch) was leading the fleet under spinnaker and taking the high road when they pulled a chain plate and nearly lost their mast. A quick head to wind and a tack for home saved the day. After about a third of the way to the island, it became apparent there was a wide interpretation on the best course. PC 54 Twilight (Worthington) was low of rhumb-line by more than two miles (as driven by the RC/Escort Boat JJ with GPS Navigation) and another group of three PCs had worked more than half a mile high! It was an awesome sight (and a relief to see such fleet parity) when they all came together at the back side of the island and rounded not more than 15 minutes apart. Everyone had made it out to North Coronado Island in less than 2 and a half hours. Nice!

PC 62 Wylie Menace (Sutphen) had a solid 15 minute lead at the halfway mark, but curiously picked a course that seemed the reverse of Twilight’s southerly reach out. They were sailing fast but really low of the course home. PC 31 Skylark (Hurlburt – not aboard) rounded the island near the back of the fleet but had a great rounding and was heading right for Point Loma – albeit 14 miles away and hidden in the haze/marine layer. Twilight had come from way south to round the North Coronado Island nearly overlapped with the rest of the fleet, footed off a little low of rhumb-line, but it was a fast course because they went from seventh to second place on the final leg of this great trip. Speaking with Jack Sutphen after the event, he noted that he realized he was headed for Mexico about a half hour after rounding N. Coronado and hardened up for the remaining 10 miles of the course. For his efforts, Wylile Menace was just able to clear Zuniga Jetty (with a nice ‘point effect’ lift) on their original  port tack. With a couple of extra tacks for good measure, Menace and her crew crossed the finish line just five hours and 28 minutes after they had begun. Perennial PC historian Bud Caldwell noted that he couldn’t recall ever doing this race in less than six hours. And in fact all seven finishers bettered the six hour mark.

Congratulations to all the PCs that enjoyed such a wonderful sail and thanks to RC volunteers David Breazeale and Mike Dore for their patient shadow on the fleet aboard RC/v JJ during their entire trip.