This past weekend I competed in the District 13 Championship at the Davis Island Yacht Club for the fourth consecutive year, my third time in a Radial. I drove myself up to the regatta, car-topping my boat, which was a new experience. Saturday presented light winds around 5-10 knots out of the northeast which died off later in the day, but was soon replace by a consistent 10-15 knot breeze out of the northeast which was not part of the forecast. I set a goal for myself this weekend: place within the top five in every race. On Saturday I managed to accomplish my goal in three of the four races, placing 9th in the second race. Consistency pays off though, as my results proved; I led the fleet overall after Saturday's racing in 1st place by three points. Sunday brought similar conditions to Saturday, a light 5-10 knot breeze from the northeast dying and then building to the now familiar 10-15. I placed consistently in the top five until the last race of the regatta, which became my throw out. At the end of the day I placed 2nd after a tiebreaker with 26 points overall. This regatta was one of the few Laser regattas that I am planning on doing this year, yet it still presented its unique challenges. Davis Island is a tricky venue, with multiple nearby land masses and a breeze that does not always follow the forecast, yet I began to figure out what was happening on the race course by the end of the regatta. Overall, the District 13 Championship is one regatta that I have always enjoyed in the past and I'll plan on attending it next year!
