Delta Ditch Run report from Sketch.
David Gruver
We started at 10:25 in about 8-10 knots of breeze. The starting line was north of the Richmond San Rafael bridge. Our class consisted of a hodgepodge of J24s, a Beneteau 305, a Cal 20 and a Luders. Unfortunately, the other Olson 25, Avanti, did not make the start. hope all is OK for David Smith and his team. Also, in our start but sailing as a fleet were 5 Santa Cruz 27s. The owed us time at a 141 rating and were a good performance yardstick throughout the race.
From the start through San Pablo bay we stayed more north, looking for stronger flood in the deeper water. That worked well as we gained bearing on the SC27s that sailed the more direct course in the shallower water to the south. We passed under the Vallejo bridge around noon, in a group with several SC27s and some of the slower Moore 24s (they started 5 minutes in front of us). You always feel good running in moderate air on the O25 - it’s a weapon! The leg through Benicia was challenging with puff and shifts off the bluffs, but uneventful. As we exited the Benicia Bridge into Suisun bay the breeze continued to increase. Running in 15+ knots, with the knot meter sitting between 8-10 knots. Temps in the 80s- wonderful conditions all around.
As we neared Antioch the breeze built further, things began to get sporty. The channel narrows and you begin the jibing phase of the race. We saw many boats rounding up or broaching all round us. We kept it together with one round up after a jibe but were able to make a fast recovery. After the Antioch bridge, the course turns more northerly as you pass Frank’s Track and go around Bradford Island. The fleet shifted from spinnakers to headsails. We Hosted the #1 ,and were a bit overpowered, but were able to lock in on a SC27, and rode his wake one wave back, about 3-5 feet off his transom. The O25 is certainly no reaching machine- this really helped, gaining near half a knot riding his wave. After about 10 minutes on the headsail, the course again turned more easterly, and it was time to hoist. At this point it was blowing a solid 20 with bigger puffs. time to get the weight back. Boats are wiping out all around. Some of the round ups or round downs happen near the shoreline, and inevitably someone goes into the dirt, luckily it's all soft. You hear those stories when you get into the bar after. We remained upright and were able to stretch away from some of the SC27s and catch some of the boats in front of us. At this point you are in the narrow confines of the San Juaquin River as it meanders its way towards Stockton. You have to set up for each corner, jibe many times. Sometimes it’s a dead run, then soon it’s a pole on the headstay reach, ragging the main trying to make the next turn. We had one very hard round down during a jibe at this point of the race. John was at the mast, and quickly was in the water off the boat, luckily, he had the spinnaker sheet firmly in his hand. As the boat righted, he floated back inside the lifelines. We got the boat under control and completed the jibe. John was soaked, but the air was warm.
Without a trailer we towed the boat home with a Grady White on Sunday. We rigged a towing bridle back to the primaries, and The O25 sat nicely at 10-12 knots for the 6 hour ride back to Sausalito. Far more enjoyable than our 12+ hour motor home in 2019. Though the $7.50 gas hurt the wallet a bit 😊
Claudio Brasca
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