Off to a great start

The weather was perfect as we left the dock, the Race Announcer introducing
each boat and her crew to the gallery, followed by a cannon salute. The
Delicate Balancer's waved goodbye as to the crowd as we left the harbor on
our way to the starting line off Point Fermin.
After days of light to no winds, which left the ealier starting boats only
a couple of hundred miles offshore, we were enjoying solid 18-22 knots of
breeze, with a cloudless blue sky, and moderate seas. The start was more
than a little exciting as all the boats went for a committee boat start,
bunching up and jockeying for a spot on the starting line.
Delicate Balance was positioned off the right end of the line, coming in a
little fast while watching the boats below us fight for a spot. As one of
the boats was pushed away from the line and peeled off behind us, we were
surging just past the committee boat, running out of room to dive down and
get through the line. At the last second, our opportunity presented itself
as another boat below us, not getting through on the line had to gybe
around, opening up a hole that might just be big enough for us to dive into
if our timing was just right. We dove hard, snuck just behind and within a
few feet the committee boat stern, and just ahead of the gybing boat, who
was coming up just on our hip. With no room to spare, we made a fast
getaway and had ourselves a good start.
Since then it's been a beautiful sail, upwind till we left Catalina Island
behind at 1830 hours and then cracked off as we headed out into the Pacific
in search of the tradewinds to take us to Hawaii. The night was stunning,
clear, cloudless, and absolute dark without a moon. Venus was huge and
bright as the evening star, and the Milky Way stood out like you could reach
out and grab it. The air was brisk but not uncomfortable as we reached
along at 9 knots or so all night and into the morning.
As we completed our morning check in and received the position reports
from the Race Committe, we find ourselves in 2nd position in Division 4, and
3rd overall in fleet. There's a long way to go and plenty of opportunity to
do well or make big mistakes, but so far we're off to a great start.