Three-Base Error in the First Inning

Sometimes conditions of wind and water and course are perfect for a boat and the teamwork of the crew is flawless. It's a heartbreaker when the skipper is not up to the challenge. That's what we had today.

The RC assigned our fleet of 18 boats a course of 4½ nautical miles, with two windward and two leeward legs. Winds were 10-16 knots. But the breeze surprising fell to 6 knots throwing off my perfectly-timed but abysmally-executed start. (Yes, it's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Winds quickly returned and we were able to round the first windward mark in 6th or 7th. Reaching down to the leeward mark, we were compelled to round outside of the 3rd place boat. We were able to point high on the next to final leg and round in first. A tense gybing duel ensued which ended with us finishing 10 seconds behind the first place Hunter and 7 seconds in front of the third place Beneteau.

What did I learn? Had it not been for my 3-base error in the first inning, the 9th inning would have been a breeze.