We had eleven boats turn out today ... and rain... and windless conditions. It's always the same - - we drink tea, then look anxious wondering who buckles first - and then we start packing off home.... then the breeze kicks in!! And so it was today....
Five teams opted for a return to the duvet, but the slower tea drinkers (or were served the hottest!) launched and had a smashing pair of races - no rain and around 6-8kn of breeze. Race one started with a strong committee boat bias, but in we dived with a fair amount of intimate closeness to the PRO... it was the sylph like Mike Firth, with the VC to weight down the bows, who slipped gracefully off into the lead. It's not that they were unthreatened - in fact they heard the bow wave of Howard and Richard more than once. Suddenly, at the end of leg 7 they relinquished the lead momentarily to Howard and Richard on the spinnaker chug to the North shore, but grabbed the overlap at the wing mark and held the lead then till the finish. Very noticable today was the performance of Mervyn and James. Super lightweights they are not (!), but they are getting into the light airs swing in 3536 and were seriously threatening off wind today. So Race One to the Admiral and the VC...
The start line was squared off for race two and I must say it got a bit busy at the pin end - with Brett and Ian scratching across Howard/Richard on port with inches to spare. Mervyn and James were less lucky with the port end strategy and had to weave hard between a couple of boats. Somehow the Admiral found the lift again and slipped away to a very nice lead. Wasn't to last though.... their lead looked well established until Brett/Ian were right on their heels. The fleet split in the fickle breeze but it was the sound of 3934's bow wave again that heralded the surprise visit at the end of leg 7. They swung around the wing mark more of less together. Howard and Richard, Brett and Ian decided to drop for the last leg, but the VC to his credit decided he would cope. Very suprisingly three sailing gave them the edge and they pulled ahead once again from Howard/Richard, to a famous victory. It's not what it says in the results, but I thought it was Brett and Ian in third and Mervyn and James in fourth. (We'll see...) In fifth was John Basford in the loan boat, and Tony Cumberbirch in his first FF race in xxx years, came 6th with Midnight Rog.
So with two straight wins, The Admiral and VC were worthy winners of the Sunday 13th Trophy, the Castle Cup. Until the next time.... (When is it??)
