We had seven Flying Fifteens for Racing - Bank Holiday weekend was taking its toll, and many regulars missed a proper treat (we know who you are !!!). We had a number of newcomers in the fleet too - Mark was sailing with Jan, Roger with his daughter Laura, Andy with Mark, and Mike Firth with Julian Shawyer. But today was one of those days when teamwork was all.....
There was an alleged starboard pin end bias to the line for start one - the fleet was tending to gather there - with white caps on the waves, the fleet got away cleanly - and generally we all went leftish. They were funny beats, but at the bar-side debrief afterwards David thought the quickest way up there was left-middle, and overstand the mark on port to sail the big header in. It certainly seemed to work for him !!
Dominic and David did a nice start at the pin, just squeezing Howard and Richard out to the right - and they fair stormed up the beat. At the Clubhouse mark Dominic and David tore around first, Howard and Richard second, then Mark and Jan in third. Kites were hoisted for the rather too short second leg, and the boats fair stormed down that reach. Not sure what happened aboard 3860, and they seemed to fall back. At the business end, Dominic and David stamped real authority on proceedings and try as they might, Howard and Richard could not make a real impression. These two boats though stormed ahead in the spray and opened up an enormous lead - as Dominic and David crossed the line they were just about TWO LEGS ahead of the pack - FOUR and HALF MINUTES!!! - and a good minute ahead of Howard and Richard. A stunning win. The racing was pretty close in the pack though - Steve and Simon made an exciting third just two seconds clear of Mark and Jan, with Andy and Mark 17 seconds behind them.
The breeze had shifted slightly for start 2 and wound itself up another couple of knots - just lovely !!!!! There was a clear favourite at the starboard end - Mark and Jan, Dominic and David, and Howard and Richard all gathered there. Now I have to say, Guys, that Howard and Richard did the start of their lives - like they write about in Yachts and Yachting... Right place, clear air, full speed and on the pin at the gun - plus they squeezed Dominic and David into the bag - how good can life get !! (Sorry - I had to write it down, else might not sleep tonight....!!) Anyway - Howard and Richard smashed their way up that beat and rounded the top mark just ahead. The first reach had got a bit tighter and it turned into a two sail hose-down for the guy at the front - a complete hoot of a sail. Second reach, Howard and Richard hit the calm and fleet loomed up on the new breeze horribly quickly....
However, order was maintained on the next leg - it was Howard/Richard, Dominic/David, Mark/Jan. The run found us all trying to sail deep in the breeze, and for those on bags, gybe-drops at the bottom were the order of the day. The final triangle again gave us terrific fun on the reaches - spray everywhere - fantastic sailing. Howard and Richard took the gun, just twenty seconds ahead of Dominic and David, and they in turn were half a minute ahead of Mark and Jan.
For full results, see "Last Sunday's Results" on the button to the right of this page.....
