© Layline Photography/Scott Diamond
"I am especially proud of Team Kashmir's accomplishments this year since their local competition has ramped up considerably from last year," said Perry Lewis of North's Chicago-based loft, who works closely with the Kashmir sailing program. "Regardless, they won the 2012 Colors Regatta and the Chicago-Mac and missed winning their class at Sperry Top-Sider Chicago NOOD by just one point. They continue to show great preparation and focus which makes their success that much sweeter," Lewis said.
Owner Karl Brummel answered a few questions for North Sails after returning from Mackinac Island in late July.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS THIS YEAR?
"Although the 2012 Chicago to Mac was our second on Kashmir, we do most of our racing around buoys inshore, so a long distance offshore race like the Mac requires many hours of preparation. From rigging spare halyards to bringing aboard offshore safety gear and food, to scrubbing the boat inside and out, we have made every effort to prepare our boat with the best equipment and provisions," Brummel explained. "Of course the most important part of preparation is building a good team, and we have an excellent group of people who are also great sailors on Kashmir, which makes all the difference in the world.
WHY CHOOSE NORTH SAILS?
We are long term North Sails customers, and there are good reasons for that. We have very high confidence in North’s sail design and manufacturing capabilities and we have gotten excellent support from North, especially from our local sailmaker, Perry Lewis, who has been critical to our program's success.
WHAT DOES YOUR SAIL INVENTORY LOOK LIKE?
This year we have a full complement of 2012 North class sails (MN-1 Mainsail, LM-1, MH-1, 1.5 A, 2/4 A) and a 2011 North Code Zero sail. The Code Zero is not a class sail, but boats are permitted to carry a third spinnaker on the Chicago to Mackinac race. Our Code Zero, though only used for one race a year, has proven a potent weapon in the light air conditions on Lake Michigan and allowed for our jibs to stay in their bags for most of the race this year.
WHAT WAS YOUR RACE STRATEGY FOR THIS YEAR? TELL US ABOUT THE RACE.
The start of the race was a carbon copy of last year. We fought for and won the boat-end of the line, started with clean air, launched our Code Zero and enjoyed an early lead. The forecast was extremely uncertain, a front was predicted to come through mid-race, but we did not know when or where, so we basically pursued a rhumbline strategy, protecting the right as the near term forecast called for a right shift late Saturday afternoon. A few hours into the race, the wind moved right and we peeled to our A1.5. We gybed onto port around 8PM Saturday night, on the right side of our fleet of ten J/111s and were feeling pretty good about our first few hours.
As the sun rose Sunday morning, we discovered we had a rough night: we were behind several members of our class, which was a rude surprise. We battled all day Sunday with several of our competitors within a mile of us. At that point it seemed like at every crossing, our competitors were farther ahead (or closer behind) and we could not buy a break. However, trailing by about three miles, we were fortunate to see the leaders sail into a hole and park around dusk, which allowed us to sail around the hole and work our way toward the front of the pack. Shortly before sunset, we peeled to our 2/4 A. Sunday night was a beautiful night of sailing with more wind than expected and we rounded the Gray's Reef Lighthouse around 2:30 AM Monday.
After the short run down the Gray's Reef passage, we rounded the New Shoal Buoy #3 and took a right turn into the Mackinac Straits. This was the signature moment of the race for us. We still had our North 2/4 A up and we carried it on a blast reach, making steady 12-15 knots of boatspeed. The 1.5 A would have been a better choice, but because Chicago is a light air venue, ours is lighter material and we likely would have destroyed it. As a result of using the 2/4 A, we were slightly below course, so after an exhilarating hour and a half or so we dropped the kite and raised our jib (for the first time since the start!) Shortly after passing under the Mackinac Bridge, we hoisted our 1.5 A to finish, crossing the line in 40 hours, 13 minutes, just under four minutes in front of the second place J/111, and the celebration was on.
IN SUMMARY, WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE CHICAGO-MAC?
This year's Chicago to Mackinac was our best ever, first in class (for the second year in a row) and third overall. It was characterized by tight racing, much of the race at least eight of the ten J/111s were within a mile of the lead and often within a mile of each other on the course. There were many lead changes, and in the end all ten J/111s finished within an hour of each other after 40 hours of racing over 283 nm. While we are certainly proud of our effort and results, we are also grateful to North for an excellent product as well as our competitors for pushing everyone so hard.
Everyone at North Sails would like to congratulate Team Kashmir on their sailing success this season. For full results, photos and news about the 2012 Chicago to Mackinac race, visit: http://www.cycracetomackinac.com/
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