The heavy-weight multi-hull division
So, there are racing boats and then there are cruising boats, with S/V Enjoy falling into the second category. Of the cruising multi-hulls, newer catamarans naturally have the advantage of more streamlined hull design and higher tech materials. We decided to have some run and race Enjoy for the first time.
Let’s just say Enjoy is built for comfort not for speed and being heavier, performs much better in some wind. Initially the wind was light and we chose not to deploy our Parasailor thus rounding the mark behind this catamaran. But, on later legs when the wind increased to 21 kt True, we were racing at 8.2 kts. With lots of tacking and teamwork, Enjoy came in first, of the heavy-weight catamarans (or fifth in the multi-hull division 😉
Our first 360 drone shot
Check out this fantastic drone video created by SV SeaQuil (Click Youtube link drone video)
Day before, practice run
In preparation for the Bocas Del Toro Sailing Regatta 2, we ran down our fuel to 1/4 tank each, and our water tanks were empty. We dropped off our kayack and SUP with Ayben & Ati on SV Padi.
Then, Don and I took Enjoy out for a full day practice in the hot Panamanian sun with our newly assigned volunteer crew: Wibke Lewerenz and Nils Ketterer. Wibke and Nils are a lovely couple who left their literary lives in Germany to try the cruising lifestyle. Eager to learn everything from basic anchoring technique to racing tactics which we leaned on from Don, we jibed and tacked our job, raised and lowered our main sail a bunch of times.
No pretty spinniker in the end
While we practiced flying the Parasailor twice, it was under optimal conditions. So, even though we rigged it for the race, in the end we didn’t deploy it and relied on Don’s honed racing experience with the main sail and jib. For the second leg, Nils helped me bring up our older Geniker from deep storage. But, by the time everything was re-rigged, it wasn’t worth raising because the wind had picked up.
We met our goals!
Our goals were to first, not break anything; second, not have any injuries, and most importantly, have fun. While there was a serious wrap on the winch of course when the winds were highest, Don tied a rolling hitch above the line and freed it up.
Ultimately, we raced for 2 hour, 29 minute run over a 10.2 mile race course. Celebrating with the other racers during the after party at the Calypso Cantina, Bocas Marina, we realized how many friends we have made during our two months here in Bocas Del Toro, while making a few more as a result of the regatta.
