Finally got a good start on Thursday's race. We nailed it. We were the first boat over the line after the horn. We made it second to the first mark. Then the reach to the second mark. All the boats in our class were behind us. The wind was coming out of the southwest at about 10 to 15 knots. I was trimming the head sail. We were scooting along doing just fine. Then I trimmed the head sail for more power. About that time a gust hit us. The main sail handler did not let it go fast enough and we rounded up. This let the rest of the boats catch us. We all rounded the mark about the same time. We continued the the third mark, the starting line bouy. Instead of rounding tightly like the rest of the fleet, we continued downstream, as the forth mark had not come abeam even though we were already close hauled. We figured to continue on this tack and only have to do one tack to the mark while those that had rounded the mark tightly would have to do two. We made it to the mark first in our class again, only to be becalmed at the mark about two boat lengths away from the mark. The next 10 minutes we lost ground and gained it but never quit making the mark. We were in the wind shadow of the trees at the end of Tomahawk Island. By the time we rounded the mark, we were the last boat. So this year it is either a good start or a good finish, not both. At least we have something to work for. All we have to do now is to have both a good start and a good finish.