In Our Happy Place Downeast
As a team and as individuals, we’ve participated in the Downeast Regatta more than any other event, as it’s in our backyard and our home port. It is also a perennial favorite for many as Maine — and its signature lobster bake — is a big draw for many boats from out of state. This year was no different, and we were thrilled to be able to have our team members from Rhode Island and San Francisco travel the distance to join us for the event.
This year, registrants for the regatta filled 27 boats, the biggest fleet since 2014! Boats came from Florida, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and even Canada to join in on the fun. The event is now in its 4th decade, and Sea Bags was a platinum sponsor of our hometown regatta, making us very proud to represent the brand. Members from the team volunteer every year, taking shifts with registration, regatta merchandise sales, and shucking oysters!
Ahead of the regatta weekend, we had significant work to do to our team’s boat. The hull needed to be wet sanded, the deck and topsides needed to be cleaned, and we added new Sea Bags decals to the hull making her look brand new. We also made some minor repairs to the floorboards to reinforce them and ensure our safety as we go in and out of the cabin while racing. Our final piece of preparation was to break in our new mainsail, which we did during the local J/24 Fleet 43 Summer Series. And just like that, we were ready to take on the regatta weekend.
The events began on Saturday. We were able to participate in two races after the sea breeze eventually filled, following a morning of glassy conditions. With a large fleet of 27 boats, our starting strategy was very important, and the current was a big factor. Off the starting line, it was a game of connecting the dots between going to the side of the course showing more wind and getting on the long tack towards the windward mark, while avoiding the current. Often, we couldn’t see the breeze rippling on the water which made it very difficult to decide which side of the course to go to. We were lucky to have an upper hand with local knowledge of the current patterns, which proved to be critical. Following high tide around noon, the water was ebbing out of the Fore River down through Portland Harbor and up into Casco Bay while simultaneously flowing out of Portland Harbor and the shipping channel to the Atlantic. It was really hard to decide whether to go for pressure or to go for current because the wind was so light (about 57 knots), and the current was bending around the islands. The current was especially hard to predict due to the effect of the Harvest Moon, with uncommon highs and lows. We ended the day happy with our place, but excited to come out even stronger on Sunday.
Sunday came, and the first start was scheduled for 10:00am. Unfortunately, the breeze was non-existent. The fleet went out around 9:00am, only to return to port around 11:30am to wait on shore for the breeze to fill. We stayed out in the harbor in the mooring field off East End Beach, as we were preserving remaining battery charge on the battery for our electric engine. At 1:00pm, the race committee called off racing for the day due to no change in the wind conditions and the desire to get traveling boats on their way home. Without the opportunity to compete on day two and refine our tactics, we placed 17th out of 25 boats.
Given the challenging sailing conditions, the highlight of the weekend turned out to be Saturday evening’s lobster bake. After volunteering at the oyster station and bar, our team enjoyed a classic Maine dinner in view of the Fore River—an experience that really can’t be beat!