The 28th annual Hospice Turkey Shoot Regatta (HTSR), concluding on October 1, was blessed with perfect winds on the Rappahannock River for racing, and pleasing temperatures in the 70s.
Eighty five boats registered for the regatta and 76 made it to the starting line, including Jamestown Settlement’s square-rigged Godspeed, skippered by Eric Speth, and Colonial Seaport Foundation’s sloop-rigged Luna with John Collamore IV at her helm, both at times full with sail, creating handsome images recalling the early heritage of sail in America, reported news director Tom Wicks.
Saturday, although cloudy, had winds of 6-10 knots with oscillations from 325 to 355 degrees. There was also a significant ebbing current over 1 knot giving the competitors something to consider. There were two courses for the Division race on Saturday: the faster A Fleet raced a seven-leg triangular course of 8.9 miles while the B Fleet raced a four-leg 5.14 mile course.
On Sunday, there was a Pursuit race, where boats start based on their handicaps, and if everyone sailed to those handicaps, they would all finish at the same time. Of course, this never happens but it does always produce a finish with….
