After a week of no racing while the Conanicut Yacht Club hosted the Optimist Team Race National Championships, Fleet 12 resumed its Sunday series and the pent up demand revealed itself with seven J/22’s on the starting line.  The junior regatta may have also taken its toll on volunteerism, however, as the lack of a formal Race Committee was only remedied by Louis Mariorenzi sounding out the sequence on board Blues eRacer.  The breeze was southerly at 5 to 7 knots with the tide early in a strong flood stage.  The race #1 course was Zp, 13p.   

    Blues eRacer was immediately rewarded for her own volunteerism as she won the favored pin at the start and led Bad News out to mid-channel.  Paladin and Machbuster both went right realizing only too late that the adverse current in the moorings was still much stronger than in the middle.  As the fleet approached special mark Z, Blues eRacer had consolidated her lead over Bad News, Rhapsody, and Chaos, while Paladin and Machbuster were able to catch Good News (USA 264), skippered by Fleet 12 newcomer Eric Senior.  The run to the can north of the bridge saw all but Machbuster go left in search of the stronger shore current, but only Paladin improved her position.  Just as the leaders rounded the leeward mark, the breeze began a persistent veer to the west southwest.  Blues eRacer and Bad News had already wisely gone left, while Rhapsody and Paladin stayed right.  Chaos and Machbuster, with the better perspective sometimes afforded the back of the fleet, both went left and were almost instantly glad they did.  Meanwhile, up front, Bad News momentarily gained the lead only to give it back to Blues eRacer before the finish.  After several close crosses, Machbuster was able to sail over Chaos near the port layline to get third, while the boats on the right suffered mightily; Paladin fifth, Good News sixth, and Rhapsody an unaccustomed seventh.

    Loyal Bad News crew, Barrett  Cavanagh, recruited his father Roland to ably serve as last minute Race Committee for race #2.  The course was changed to the red channel marker at the marina to port, 13p.  The start found Blues eRacer again leading the fleet to the left while Machbuster ducked everyone to go right.  Suddenly another big righthand shift turned Machbuster’s dubious start into a big lead and only Paladin was even close.  With the breeze now west northwesterly, the fleet had to gybe around the windward mark.  Both the lead boats, Machbuster and Paladin, were sailing with only two aboard, and while the leader elected to keep it simple and stay with the jib for what was now a close reach to the can, Paladin and the others all tried to perform a difficult gybe set in order to carry their spinnakers.  Bad News seemed to gain the most from her quick gybe set.  But fortunately for Machbuster, the persistently veering breeze soon forced the others to abandon their ‘chutes for good, and set up a close reach parade not only to the leeward mark, but to the finish as well.  The final order in a dying breeze was Machbuster, Bad News, Rhapsody, Good News, Blues eRacer, Chaos, and Paladin (dnf).  With each of the blue boats getting her season’s first bullet, and Good News’ impressive initial outing, the series is shaping up to be as competitive as ever.  Bad News, despite no victories yet, leads the series by one point