Tollesbury Sailing Club has a reputation of being one of the friendliest clubs in the Southern Travellers Circuit.
Simon & I made our way there by separate routes, to be greeted by hot bacon rolls as we unpacked 13941.
The forecast had been 15knots, with gusts. Unfortunately, the changing facilities at Tollesbury were being re-done, so a quick change in the car was necessary. There were 16 GP14 taking part, so it was going to be an interesting event. I decided to stay with the P&B sails that had done sterling service during the last year.
We (literally) shook the mud off our feet and ran out over the very narrow channel which was bounded either side by very sticky mud. The tide was high, so staying in the channel was going to be a key. In high winds, we were able to test fly the kite, and after a bit of a hairy moment we dropped it professionally and decided that we might forgo the spinnaker, at least for the first part of the first race.
We had a reasonable start on the first race, which turned into a round-the-mud-flats type of procession, with two upwind legs off on different directions. We were mid-fleet at that time, and there were a couple of capsizes around us - we had clearly been right to be cautious about the kite. Just then, Edward and Szymon came screaming by with a fully powered-up spinnaker, and a boat that looked like it wanted to fly vertically - the two of them were as far back as it is physically possible in a GP14. We decided that we would let the youngsters enjoy themselves, and try to focus on our own game.
We were able to maintain place around 5th or 6th, the boat was very flat, and Simon was continually calling out tactics and other boats. Our secret weapon was a new split-sheet mainsheet that had arrived by post a few days earlier; this meant that I could haul in the main really tight in a beat, and keep the boat flat without pinching. It was tiring work, as well as continually adjusting the
Near the end of the last lap, we were being reeled in by one of the Tollesbury boats, who was chasing Ricardo who had also just overtaken us. Maybe we should have used the kite earlier? Either way, a credible 9th place.
Race 2 was a total change of course: a long reach out towards the entrance to the Tollesbury fleets and the River Blackwater. This time we did fly the kite. However, before getting there, I chose the wrong way up the beat, and was in the way of a local boat on starboard - quick corrective action, but by that time we had lost a couple of places. Nevertheless, we got the spinnaker up, and were able to gain a few places down that wonderful reach.
At the far end, we had problems dropping the kite and the genoa got tangled, so we again lost a couple of the places we had gained. On the final beat back to the finish, we had Richard Lord ahead of us, and my optimism says we were gaining. The end result was another 9th place.
The Tollesbury Race Officer was clearly determined to keep us on our toes, because the final race was another round-the-houses, with the chance for some quick reaching legs. This time we had a good start, and were among the middle of the pack most of the time. 13941 was up on the plane, even without spinnaker. She was also very responsive to the helm at that speed. It was a great sensation. With a couple of other boats struggling, we managed a 6th place - a really satisfying achievement.
The longest beat of the day up Woodrolfe creek took the boats back to the "hard" for a well earned BBQ and some excellent cakes provided by Val and Clare at the club. I gather that they are in the process of rebuilding their GP14 fleet with several new teams sailing here this season - it was great to enjoy their company, on and off the water.
All in all, this was a great confidence boost.
There are a few more club events, then we need to get ourselves to Poole for a final sea trial before the Nationals in August. Can't wait !
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