A dour day of clouds and threatening rain greeted the Holmes Hole fleet for last Sunday’s annual race to Robinson’s Hole. The race committee switched to course No. 6, which took five Division A and two B Division boats into the Sound to the end of Middle Ground and back.

With the wind blowing out of the east/northeast at 12 mph, the fleet rushed down to the middle ground mark and started a beat back with still an hour of foul current to add to their times. King Kiwi with Irving Gates at the helm took the A division by one second on corrected time over Mo Flam aboard Penelope. Jerry Goodale skippered his Pearson 31 Stormalong to third. Both Division B boats withdrew after not completing the course.

Zander Meleney led the way in the previous Thursday evening race, taking first place over 13 contestants on his J/70 that still remains nameless. Co-owner Charlie Felder refuses to reveal names in contention, although he has been quick to identify monikers deemed inappropriate.

The SSW wind had just enough strength at 8 mph to get the fleet around the triangle in about an hour. Competitors featured a good mix of boats, including the Artful Dodger that came over from Falmouth, to the catboat Julia Lee to the speedy J/120 race boat Apres, which finished third.

The mysteries of what was to be discovered as an opposing current lured a few boats to the East Chop shore on the beat to the finish. Their skippers were disappointed to find out where they stood after returning to the middle of the harbor behind those who had stayed right. Longtime HHSA competitor Roger Becker on Gloria, a C&C 24, judged it correctly and took second.