Victorious | Sailing & racing

The fleet assembled at KB and endured light and variable conditions and two changes of course before the wind steadied. Z54 (OOD) then decided upon the lucky third course starting at KB heading to PSC (port). Z54 set off on port tack and Z53 was first over the line powering towards PSC on the windward leg but graciously gave way to superior seamanship as Z54 and then Z75 rounded the mark. Spinnakers set the fleet set off to Gleeds. Z54, Z75, Z53, Z73, Z68.

Positions remained unchanged on the run. Rounding Gleeds (P) and heading for Yola most turned to starboard tack but Z68 remained on port longer, heading for the channel, which paid off as rounding Yola (S) Z68 had made up two places. Off to Gleeds again with no change in positions and then back to Yola to finish. Z54, Z75, Z68, Z53, Z73. The fleet tacked up the side of the main channel taking advantage of the flooding tide without change of position until the final seconds of the race when Z73 laid the mark on starboard, closer to the channel, as Z53 came across on port.

In a neck and neck race for last place Z53 just squeezed between Z73’stransom and the buoy as Z73 came about, half a boat’s length ahead up wind. Final result. Z54, Z75, Z68, Z73, Z53. Whilst Z54 and Z75 maintained consistent positions from PSC to the finish, Z53 enjoyed all possible positions but not necessarily in the best order.

Steve (Z53)

Five boats eventually gathered for Saturday’s race thanks to an excellent service from south west trains to delivering the crew of Z53!

Rendezvousing at Yola, there was a brief interlude debating the course, moving to KB boats the wind dropped making the programme start time impossible.

The course suggested on the south-westerly was quickly changed as the wind started to come from the north-east. As the second sequence wa under way the wind backed to the north-east, making it apparent that the gate boat was laying the first mark. Abandoning that start, the course was reset to KB(gate)-PS(p)-GL(p)-YO(s)-GL(p)-YO(fin).

The fleet readied themselves for another go at a start. Z54 opened the gate and due to a wind shift and the starters wanting to start later, a sizeable advantage was made for the gate. Big shifts on the small first beat allow the following boats to trade places. Z54 followed by Z75, Z53,Z73 and Z68.

The run to Gleeds the spinnakerless Z73 fend off Z68 all the way to hold fourth place through the crew work (welcome to another couple of new Z73 crew - Dom & Ginny)

The next leg the fleet compressed with Z54 being chased down by Z75. Z68 overtaking both Z53 and Z73.

Places stayed the same over the next lap with some veer and haul on separation. I won’t say about the small issue on Z75… well done Max for sorting…

In the end Z54 takes the second win of the series (though a short race finishing before 1600). Z75 had closed the gap with Z68 finishing the top three…. But hold on the exciting finish was between Z53 and Z73. With Z73 squeezing a neck and neck finish over Z53 at the final mark. “Awesome” said Dom on the finish!!!!

Hopefully next weekend there will be a start without incident….but for now the weather for the Saturday racing has been superb with the same sociable gathering in the bar afterwards….

See you next weekend…

Scam

(Sorry no photos)

Three boats competing on Saturday - Z54, Z73 and Z75 - if we managed to finish and with a bit of luck 73 might obtain a rare third place

Z73 has not made the first race for a number of years but with fresh young crew Laura and old friend Ricky working on her this spring Seagull was ready and looking her very best by the second week in April. She was so keen that she was first out of the harbour on Tuesday and again on Saturday. She headed out to KB where she thought that the race was likely to start - the owner (and helm at the time) was planning to make sure that spinnaker was rearing to go. Our Captain in 75 was OOD and initially called 73 back for a start at Yola. Handily 73 was only half way back before Scam decided to start halfway up the wall.

The helm of 73 being very deaf and half blind relies on his crew for most of the information required during a race. I think that we started at KB not PSC Laura, who had brought her lovely stepdaughter Eleanor out (for only her second ever time in a boat), was relaying messages from the radio to the helm at the same time both posing for the photographer.

The course - Start at KB, Gleeds, Yola, Gleeds, Yola, PSC, Yola. The wind was sort of South Easterly.

73 headed out West on Port to be in position to come back to KB on Starboard. A boat some way ahead was already tacking to do so. Wearing sunglasses the helm could not easily make out which of the two boats it was. He asked his crew to tell him where 75 was and being pretty deaf thought she said the boat ahead and coming back - it seemed a little odd for the gate boat to be in that position but who am I to argue with the Boss. Eventually glancing back at the the boat sailing to East away from KB the helm could just make out the head of a porpoise chasing. Slowly it dawned on him that it was a black fender and that 75 was soon to be in position for the start. Kindly 75 abandoned the first start.

A minute before the restart 73 was still on port heading West but managed to gybe round to start on starboard - following 54 as she headed off East. She tacked round 75’s fender and followed Scam out West towards the main channel where Jim assumed that Scam knew that the tide would be starting to head East.

But to 73’s dismay - 75 soon tacked and, like the sheep she seems to be, 73 tacked to follow her up the middle towards Spit Sand Fort - a sandwich between the other two. For a while she was pretty much keeping up. However as usual concentration soon lapsed - there was a mild problem at the front of the boat that the crew were perfectly able to sort out without advice from the helm who insisted on offering his two-penny-worth of advice and stopped looking at the foresail.

It was agreed before the race that as Laura was anxious at the thought of running the spinnaker for the first time this year and with an inexperienced second crew we would swap roles for the downwind legs. By the time we reached Gleeds he two boats ahead had run away down to
Yola.by the time 73 bore away on starboard around Gleeds. The owner found a couple of technical snafus with the spinnaker setup and was struggling at the front of the boat. Stuck in the wrong place for a gybe when Laura pointed out that we were in danger of sailing into the channel between 2 buoy and 4 buoy the owner elected to possibly take a penalty rather than loose his hearing aids into the bilge.

The second windward and leeward legs were incident free with very a pleasant sunny afternoon sail for 73 - Laura on the helm and first time on a Victory - Eleanor.

Not able to see much of the conflict between 54 and 75 I did see that 75 was first around Gleeds the first time - I believe that 54 was first round the second time. I will leave it up to them to add to this account if they wish. I think that they finished around 15:50, deciding not to start the next leg to PSC. Geoff and Chris in 54 were the winners as noted in the first paragraph.

73 happy to cross the line at 16:04:13. A perfect afternoon on the water - thanks 75 and 54.

Jim

As eight boats gathered for the start in the vicinity of KB

Drystack there was a nice gentle westerly force 3ish blowing. Tide was fairly neutral. Perfect for an evening race. Now for the course announcement and the source of possible misunderstanding. I cannot speak for others, but our understanding of the announcement and the course written on the board was that we were to use Course 4 (Start, BT-P, KB-P, BT-P, KB-P passing, YO- P, PSC-P, finish) from the sheet, but omit the class line start between Haslar and Yola and to start from where the committee boat was stationed. It seemed like a sensible and good course to us apart from the fact that the start line and beat was skewed. Others obviously understood the course directions differently.

At the start the committee boat end of the line wasfavoured. Z54 nailed the start, Z74 got away nicely too. Not having been expecting to be asked to write a race report, I did not make note of the order of rounding the windward mark, but a number of the usual suspects got around ahead of us who were somewhere in the middle of the fleet. Downwind to KB where we dropped the spinnaker in anticipation of rounding and returning upwind to BT, but wait, what is going on? Five of the fleet were continuing directly towards YO some having dropped and then re-hoisting their spinnakers. Panic on board Z68, had we misread the course? Quickly finding the course sheet and checking confirmed our original thoughts were correct. So, we decided to continue to sail that course along with two other boats Z74 and Z76. A short port tack leg and then tack for the mark. The wind was now dropping and progress slowed Z76 rounding just ahead of Z74 and then Z68, down to KB with a close battle between Z76 and Z74, I think that Z76 held their lead all the way to YO. With the wind coming off the wall, it was light and shifty, making slow progress up to PSC, still close between Z74 and Z76, but Z76 again rounded in the lead. We were not too far behind. Now the final reach to the finish line.

Z74 decided to put pressure on Z76, which meant that they both set of on atight spinnaker reach back in towards the wall. I decided that we did not want to go anywhere near the wall as the feeble offshore breeze might get even more feeble by the Haslar buildings, we maintained a fairly direct line from PSC to the outer end of the finish line, in the hope of catching a few puffs. Slow progress, but eventually the hoped-for puffs arrived and we gradually pulled ahead of the two boats above us. Taking the hooter confirmed that we might have taken the intended course and even more surprisingly it might even be a very rare win for Z68! We had still been unsure whether we were doing the right thing after the split in the fleet. I am sorry that I did not keep track of the five boats that sailed a different course to ourselves. Z74 eventually gybed out from the wall and crossed the line ahead of Z76.

Back to the club bar where there was much discussion and muttering. Protest forms/ requests for redress were written by various skippers (see image) the outcome of which will be settled in the future! The provisional results have now been posted.

John Hartley, Z68

It would be a short first race, with a start at 7 and sunset before 8, there was no time to waste. So with a course set to BT - Yola - PSC - Yola, and a 5 minute countdown, the fleet were away at 7 with no delay.

There was a familiar feel to this one. Z74 with Tom Hartridge at the helm carried on where he left off last year, with a spot on start at the committee boat end, with Z75 and Z54 on his heels. A difference of opinion up the first beat saw some boats early into the Haslar Wall, with some holding out for the west going tide. At BT 74 held the lead, and a tight group including 75, 79 and 78 held the starboard gybe down the run, while 54 gybed to port and ran down closer to the wall.

The inshore track paid, by the bottom mark ( ‘Yola’) Tom and 74 still held the lead, but 54 was into second place, and 78 had stormed through to be close behind in third. With the light fading we all knew there would only be a short beat and run left. 74 and 54 up the middle, some boats hard left, and 78 hard right to the wall. The wall was not the place this time however, and by PSC 74 and 54 held on, but 78 was back in a pack of boats with 75, 79 and 80 fighting for 3rd place. It was only a short run…. but 79 managed to pull out of the pack. At the line, 74, 54, 79.. The Taylor Trophy for Z74 and Tom and Duncan. The sun slipped below the horizon…..

Many thanks to Sid and Liz for seeng us thought the first race… well done Peregrine for the first trophy!