Racing a Regatta

As September turns to October, we find ourselves heading south to warmer weather and calmer seas. While we were sailing between Zadar and Split, on a Sunday afternoon, we found ourselves in the middle of a regatta race with about 30 boats coming up from behind. Just as they are about to kiss our bow, they all shifted starboard in unison like a school of sardines. In an instant, the entire race turned on command. We found ourselves alone with the regatta off our starboard side. The wind changed 180 degrees and instead of sailing into the wind, the wind was now coming from directly behind us. We split the mainsail and jib to form a butterfly pattern. This maneuver catches as much wind as possible and only works if the wind is directly at your back. No sooner do we set our sails then we find the regatta raising their colorful spinnaker in hot pursuit of us. I actually was quite happy at how closely we were able to keep up with them even without a spinnaker. This catamaran really knows how to move with the best of them. As the regatta, with us in the middle of it all, came around the corner of an island, we all alter our course to the starboard side a bit. Our sails readjusted easily. The spinnakers were much more tricky. Experienced crews handled the turn with flawless ease. Some of the racing boats were not so lucky. Several were blown sideways so far the boat rail was dipping into the water. They almost flipped. Most of the racing crews were able to recover and finally get back into the group. One boat seemed to flail about and as the race moved forward, they became a distant sight. For them the race was finished. We ended up peeling off in the direction Sibernik and head towards Skardin where we are headed for the night.