Saturday dawned with a fierce Santa Ana wind that persisted into late afternoon. But, as if on cueue, the offshore winds that averaged 30 knots throughout the day, diminished at 5pm and was replaced with a fresh, on-shore breeze in the 15-20 knot range.

The three Hunter 36′s in the fleet lined up at the breakwall for a well contested fun race out to the Wes Mark and back. I came along for the ride on 1421 to shoot some fantastic video footage. 1421 drew the leeward position, so we had to wiggle our way up to windward. This proved to be the strategy that won the race as the crew never let the other boats get above her. Varekai was right on her tail at the mark but Bodacious was low and had to go extra distance to round the mark.

The Santa Ana winds had pushed the usual “channel chop” into a flat sea which made for a totally delightful sail on a warm Spring evening. As the sun set, the near-full moon rose and the crews from all three boats enjoyed a hamburger BBQ on the docks with a great variety of tasty side dishes and deserts.

John McKinney accepted the Frolic Cup for the 6th time in ten outings from the Dock Commodore. Which goes to prove that a lifetime of racing provides insight and advantage to our little series. The next Full Moon Frolic is scheduled for 6pm on April 24.

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