To All – The bad news is only four cruising boats raced in the 4th of July Regatta. The good news is the wind was fantastic and the racing was challenging. Saturday was a north/northwest blow with shifty winds coming off the Hook as we beat to A mark. Then the proverbial sleigh ride down to C. Well, you get the picture. And we got to do it twice! On Sunday, winds were from the south/southwest and blew well. At one point we were on a port tack beating back to the finish at around 5½ knots, when a vicious shift blasted in from the west and pinned our genoas on the high side. Never saw it coming. Encore ripped her jib on a spreader, and Aeolus lost a ventilator cap. I’m sure there was a lot of scrambling on all boats, and some bruised shins and ribs. Thanks to Lightning skipper Bob Sengstacken for making the racing more interesting than usual. Bob raced with the Cruising Fleet, never put up a spinnaker, and beat all keel boats on corrected time with a purported PHRF of 195. Hmmm. Should we start worrying? See you on the water. Lee Luce Cruising Fleet Secretary