Aside from the regatta starting with too little wind and ending with too much,  5 long competitive races were sailed in a variety of conditions. The lack of wind lasted for 1 1/2 days, and with the big breeze on Saturday, getting a 6th race in did not happen, meaning there was no throwout.  Race 1 started on time in a spotty and dying northeasterly,  and was shortened at the end of the 2nd beat. The start was made more interesting by several weed clumps right on the line, and as everyone quickly found out, avoiding the weeds was another necessary tactic each boat needed to employ throughout the series.  It seemed the leaders had better air all the way around, as the top third of the fleet broke away from the main pack. Tom Grace sailed a great race in difficult conditions to get a strong 2nd place. Unfortunately for some of the consistently top boats, this race resulted in a hole too deep to get out of.

Finally the wind started filling from the south--the "best" direction-- by mid-day on Friday. By the start of Race 2, the wind was up to a good 15 knots, and the big boys came out to play. Weed removal is a bit more difficult in these conditons, but was nevertheless required. Prior to starting, several boats used the "back-up" method (not recommended while racing), where the boat is pointed into the wind, slowed to a stop, then the boom is held out so the boat goes backwards for a good boatlength. The Hansen and Mentesana teams used this more than most. Others pulled up centerboards, then went aft to hand-clear the rudder. Adam Dunki-Jacobs and Dave Alvarado(#677) surely had clean blades, as they started near the pin, tacked to port, and easily crossed the fleet. Unfortunately for this talented team, a series of breakdowns would not let them finish this or any other race. It is rumored that their recently refinished boat will be renamed from its current name"Homecoming King" to "Breakdown King". Team Michos showed good heavy air speed, but had weed problems on the second beat to drop back a bit. The Marion Zaugg/Carol van Keuren Team came out of nowhere to blow by a pack of 5 boats on the last beat to grab an impressive 2nd. Owners of the Class' newest hull(#1151), Charlie and Joanna Smith, got things rolling to pull out a 10th. 

The wind had decreased to about 7 to 10 knots by the start of Race 3, and stayed that way the rest of the day. Race 3 saw Tom and Paul Joudrey continue their consistent ways with a nice 8th place finish. Tery Glackin and Mary Gamble, chartering Bill Reed's 1128 (THANKS BILL!), broke into the top ten with a 9th. Nate and Bridget Ireland (#1133) finally got untracked  to get a 7th. Both Race 3 and Race 4 were a fight to the finish for the lead, with Team 698 edging Gary and Cathy Mentesana and David and Anne Hansen respectively by a boatlength in both races.

The final Race 5 started in 12 to 15 knots, and ended with some gusts just over 20. Dirk and Stephanie Schwenk had the hammer down from the start, and were challenging for the lead until they got it around the final leeward mark. But nothing could stop Todd Lochner and Andrew Cole in #1032 on the last beat. They ground down Team Schwenk to grab an impressive 2nd. Were it not for a late right shift and the race ending, 698 would have been steamrolled as well!

As the wind was now a consistent 20 knots and gusting higher, additional races were cancelled and the 2005 Nationals were history.

The fleet was deep and aggressive. Boats were pushing at the starts, with 2 general recalls and several individual recalls in the series. In all but the first 2  races, the lead was up for grabs until the finish. Sean and Kerrie DeFusco(#1105), and Bill Buckles and Ed (?) (#1134) showed consistency pays as each had double digit finishes in 2 races, but managed to get 6th and 5th overall respectively.