Conditions were strong, but not excessive: we had faced similar conditions in the Bloody Mary Regatta in January. But I have to say that I was not feeling 100% confident.
The wind was easterly, which meant a start around no 1 buoy, with some beats across the lake, followed by the prospect of a screaming spinnaker run back. It was not to be.
Gerry was timekeeper on the start, and I was really pleased with the timing to the line, and the positioning, close to the port biased end. My boat handling was not perfect, but we were around the middle of the fleet at the first leg, threading our way through the pack.
As we came in on Port Tack to head towards number 4 buoy, I failed to notice James Stafford in 14038, on Starboard Tack - i.e. he had right of way. A manic pull on the tiller extension at the last minute meant that we hit James' boat around the port shrouds, rather than the bow, and sliced off a significant part of our bow in so doing. 14038 sustained damage, but he was able to continue the race, and ended up 8th.
We did our "turns" - paying the penalty for infringement of the rules. But bearing in mind the damage, the correct action was for us to retire immediately.
When we got the boat off the water, we realised that the damage was worse than we had feared. The boat is currently with a specialist for repairs. We will, off course, be covering the repair costs for 14038 as well as 13941.
Gerry, who was my crewman on lookout, was upset by the accident. But ultimately the responsibility was mine to ensure that we obeyed the rules and kept clear of other boats. This was the worst crash I had ever been involved in.
I felt bad for James, who was using the day as a final preparation race prior to taking part in the GP14 World Championships in Barbados in Easter. This was the event which I had dreamt about for the last couple of years, but we subsequently withdrew.
James Stafford was very gracious about the whole event. He was one of the first people I crewed for back in 2006/2007 when I first started racing. We wish James , and his crew Patrick Erwin, all the best for the World Championships in Barbados.
In the meantime, I am spending my time constructively reading about how to improve my dinghy racing, writing up the blog, and wondering when I will be back on the water.
