(Written by Karen Smith, Fort Worth Boat Club - www.fwbc.com)

Lots of breeze, but sunny skies and warm temperatures for 8 teams in Fort Worth on Eagle Mountain Lake. They checked in, weighed in and piled in the boats for a brief morning practice, then returned for lunch and initial meeting with the umpires. After a short postponement, racing began with winds at 18-24 mph, gusting to 26. While spinnakers were allowed for the first flight, the OA and umpires prohibited them when winds continued to build through the afternoon. The course was shifted to the east after Flight 2, but as velocity continued to climb, strong puffs and whitecaps led to RC sending the ladies in after Match 2 of the third flight.

The debrief highlighted several interesting situations brought by both competitors and umpires. Lively discussion (and laughter) ensued and at the conclusion, skippers introduced their teams --- lots of new faces in this year’s event --- and became better acquainted at a pre-dinner cocktail reception.

Racing resumes tomorrow at 0900. Forecast calls for continued sunshine and strong winds through the day.

Kristen Lane of Tiburon, CA leads with 3 wins following today’s racing.