Race Report - Sunday December12th

We had seven boats rigged to race, including Andy Murphy's brand new baby with Richard Stenson at the front end - more of that later... Conditions were a bit frosty but under blue skies it all melted away pretty quickly. We were left with an unusual North Westerly of just a couple of knots. We had Mike Firth of the Fifteen Fleet as PRO for the day - not an easy job as it turned out.

Just before the prep signal for race one it was pretty much becalmed, but suddenly a knot or two appeared in the nick of time - but from a new direction - it was almost a single tack to the top mark. Richard and Howard were well over the line, but Dominic and David were right on the case and thankfully pushed the whole fleet over (allegedly!). Start two was a pretty clean getaway - or maybe Mervyn and James were over. It was going to be one of those days where he who gets in front stays in front - and so it was. Dominic and David shot away up the first beat and were never seriously challenged - they were miles ahead. Then, half a mile ahead were Fleet Heroes Mark and Tony also going seriously quickly - just gliding past Richard and Howard at the top mark as if they were standing still. Richard and Howard dropped their knitting at the first hoist - a rigging error on the slipway caused that - so they were cooked. The order settled as the Humes, Mark and Tony, Adam and Tim, Richard and Howard then Andy and Richard in the new baby, Mervyn and James, Roger and Kathryn. Just on the last lap Richard and Howard managed to sniggle their way past Adam and Tim under spinnaker to get third. Calamity on Andy and Richard's boat - spinnaker stuck aloft. They may not have finished in fact. Helped by the muscular triathlete Tony, they capsized the boat at the jetty (Tony is good at this even in deep water), but the halyard looked jammed inside the mast somewhere. DM not sure how they cleared it, but they did not make race 2.

There was very slightly more breeze for race two, for which the PRO wisely decided to change the whole course. No general recall this time, but again he who got in front stayed in front. This time it was Adam and Tim who took off into the distance - very accomplished light air technique. Scrabbling behind were Richard and Howard, Mark and Tony, Dominic and David, Mervyn and James. A bit of a ding dong between Richard and Howard and Mark and Tony developed with Mark and Tony just gaining the windward mark in the lead the second time around. However, at the wing mark the order changed again at the hoist - and so it was at the finish. Good racing and great result for Adam and Tim.

Almost certainly this secured the Autumn Series for Dominic and David - after discards they are 8 points clear and a gross level the result is even more marked. A great series from them. However, we have two races to go before Christmas, and it may just be that Mark and Tony can pull it out of the bag - we'll see.....