The Poole GP14 Open Regatta this year was forecast to be strong winds. The forecast proved accurate, so there was a fair proportion of capsizes, including ourselves.
For myself, the objective of the day was to gain some experience of high winds and tides, in preparation for the Nationals next week. The first decision was whether or not to use the new EXE sails, which had been specially purchased for Looe. The sails were ready, so we kept them on. Why hold back?
Winds were forecast at 17 knots, gusting 21 knots. It hit us as we left the harbour, and we planned on a reach towards the racing area.
We were late to the starting area, so were behind the fleet for the first race [lesson one: try to get to the starting area on time!]. Nevertheless, I was pleased with our progress up the beat.
At the first windward mark, the two lead boats were flying spinnakers, and the rest were planning on just two sails. We decided not to fly the kite this time.
It was great to have such a huge sailing area, and the chance to get a "feel" for a GP14 at (relatively) high speed [lesson two: use the kicker to control sail shape when on a fast reach]. Gybes were exciting to start with, until we got into a rhythm and could flatten the boat in good time as the boom went acrosss.
There were boats capsizing all around us, so it was encouraging to realise that we were still sailing onward. We finished the first race with a huge sigh of relief - we had survived and were still upright!
After a quick snack on the water, we were into the second start. My assessment was that the line was fairly square (no obvious bias upwind on one side or the other) so we made a timing start to the middle of the line. We were among a gaggle of boats heading left, so we tacked into clear air onto the right hand side. We recognised a couple of good boats on that side of the course, so we weren't doing too badly. As we went up the Beat, we kept close to the centre line, and were in a mid-fleet position at the first mark.
More fast reaching - more salt spray in the face, and more thoughts of "oops, that's not a good idea", as the wind and waves combined to push us off course.
Gybing at the wing mark, we corrected, only to find that the boom had fallen out of the goose-neck, so we had to hove-to and fix it [lesson three: tie the boom to the mast in high winds, or put on sufficient kicker to hold in the boom]. Then we were off again.
Going downwind in strong waves can be great fun - it's perfectly legal to position the boat into a wave front and get a boost from the wave power. I don't often get a chance to practice this, so it was a valuable opportunity.
On the next Beat we were within a few boat lengths of the windward mark when it happened. We were tacking onto starboard, but I ignored the fact that the Jib was still cleated [lesson four: give the crew time !]. Capsize !
Lucy was over the windward side in a flash, as I tried to retrieve the rudder, which was drifting off in the direction of Poole Yacht Club [lesson five: get a special clip for the rudder before Looe next week ]. Although Lucy got the boat up quickly, the problem with the rudder meant that we drifted downwind as I struggled to re-fit it, and disentangle the mainsheet. We had lost half the Beat by the time we were stabilised. And the lead boats were a lap ahead and threatening to overtake us. It felt like time to give up. We were both tired. It was no shame to have capsized in those conditions. So we retired and headed in, still struggling with a lifted rudder that refused to behave itself.
Heading back to dry land, the wind was getting stronger, and it appeared that the last race would be called off. In the end, the third race was run, but with only six boats, as gusts of up to 30 knots were recorded at the clubhouse weather system.
Should we have done the third race? Maybe. But at the time we needed a rest. I guess my final lesson to myself is to remember that there may always be another race...
We had had a great time. Lots of lessons for the future, and a real encouragement in the lead up to the GP14 Nationals next week.
Can't wait !!!
Sunday, 30 July 2017
Saturday, 29 July 2017
Poole - round the island - only once !
One week to go before the GP14 National Championships, and I'm down in Poole for some last-minute Sea experience (waves and tides).
Poole was the first event I ever "travelled" to, and is a social event for people from the Welsh Harp Sailing Club.
This year, I had Lucy crewing for me.
Saturday Round-the-island is a team event. We were randomly allocated to teams of three. The best two scores count towards the team. There are usually two races: one clockwise, and the other anti-clockwise. This year, we were drawn alongside Roger and Szymon from the Harp, and James & Richard from PaperCourt. A great team to be part of.
The first race was started with the tide flowing in, so our logic was to start at the port side of the line, going into the main channel - the tide would give us some extra momentum. It seemed like a good idea, although we had second thoughts when we realised there was only one other boat with us, and the rest of the fleet was on the starboard side of the line ! Nevertheless, we were in the top half of the fleet by the windward mark.
The course was clockwise round Brownsea island, so we had a long spinnaker run, where I keep us inshore, to negate the tide pushing against us. Some great spinnaker work by Lucy, and we kept near the shore and overtook a couple of boats, keeping Roger and James in sight all the time. We were making good progress.
As we got near to the far end of Brownsea Island, Lucy told me the advice she had been given - stay clear of the lea of the Castle. We had a gaggle of boats behind us. I saw Roger bear away from the lea of the Castle. I stayed on. Maybe we would be OK? We slowed down, by which time it was too late - we were caught in the lea of the castle. Boats started overtaking us. And more. We tried the 'kite, but to no avail. We ended up going backwards. The Brownsea ferry told us they were moving out in five minutes. We weren't sure we could clear the area in time.
We finally go clear, with the entire fleet (apart from 3 boats) disappearing away ahead of us.
The rest of the race was a matter of trying to catch up, and fending off the boats trying to catch us.
After rounding the far end of the island, we flew the spinnaker round "Piccadilly" and on home, arriving in 16th place.
The rain was coming in hard, and the wind dropping as we got back to PYC.
The afternoon did not look promising with the rain and no wind. At three PM the call was made - racing abandoned for the rest of the day.
They totalled up the scores from the first race; allowing for our discard, Roger & James had scored third place for the team. So Lucy & I had a third place prize to share with everyone.
I was delighted for Lucy - great bit of work was rewarded. We both had a laugh on account that we had benefited from Roger & James efforts! But we'll take it, with pleasure !
Tomorrow is the Open Event itself. Looking forward to it - the weather is forecast to be strong !!
Poole was the first event I ever "travelled" to, and is a social event for people from the Welsh Harp Sailing Club.
This year, I had Lucy crewing for me.
Saturday Round-the-island is a team event. We were randomly allocated to teams of three. The best two scores count towards the team. There are usually two races: one clockwise, and the other anti-clockwise. This year, we were drawn alongside Roger and Szymon from the Harp, and James & Richard from PaperCourt. A great team to be part of.
The first race was started with the tide flowing in, so our logic was to start at the port side of the line, going into the main channel - the tide would give us some extra momentum. It seemed like a good idea, although we had second thoughts when we realised there was only one other boat with us, and the rest of the fleet was on the starboard side of the line ! Nevertheless, we were in the top half of the fleet by the windward mark.
The course was clockwise round Brownsea island, so we had a long spinnaker run, where I keep us inshore, to negate the tide pushing against us. Some great spinnaker work by Lucy, and we kept near the shore and overtook a couple of boats, keeping Roger and James in sight all the time. We were making good progress.
As we got near to the far end of Brownsea Island, Lucy told me the advice she had been given - stay clear of the lea of the Castle. We had a gaggle of boats behind us. I saw Roger bear away from the lea of the Castle. I stayed on. Maybe we would be OK? We slowed down, by which time it was too late - we were caught in the lea of the castle. Boats started overtaking us. And more. We tried the 'kite, but to no avail. We ended up going backwards. The Brownsea ferry told us they were moving out in five minutes. We weren't sure we could clear the area in time.
We finally go clear, with the entire fleet (apart from 3 boats) disappearing away ahead of us.
The rest of the race was a matter of trying to catch up, and fending off the boats trying to catch us.
After rounding the far end of the island, we flew the spinnaker round "Piccadilly" and on home, arriving in 16th place.
The rain was coming in hard, and the wind dropping as we got back to PYC.
The afternoon did not look promising with the rain and no wind. At three PM the call was made - racing abandoned for the rest of the day.
They totalled up the scores from the first race; allowing for our discard, Roger & James had scored third place for the team. So Lucy & I had a third place prize to share with everyone.
I was delighted for Lucy - great bit of work was rewarded. We both had a laugh on account that we had benefited from Roger & James efforts! But we'll take it, with pleasure !
Tomorrow is the Open Event itself. Looking forward to it - the weather is forecast to be strong !!
Friday, 28 July 2017
Welsh Harp - Victor Trophy - New Sails!
The Victor Trophy at the Welsh Harp on 15 July was an opportunity to try ourselves against the rest of the Southern Travellers, and see how we were progressing towards our ultimate goal of doing the Nationals in August.
I must say that 13941 is as ready as she could be. We had a new split mainsheet installed recently, and the new sails from EXE are looking (and sailing) very good.
From my point of view, I don't think a change of sails should affect my sailing ability - I have far too much to learn about tacking on headers etc. for some new "cloth" to make a difference. However, I must admit that I feel, and perform, better with these new sails. Is it psychological? Probably - but I'll take it anyway.
Simon & I are also improving bit-by-bit - the spinnaker gybing is becoming second-nature, and we can fly through most conditions now. We probably need to improve our tacking a bit, and as always it is a matter of consistency. But progress is progress.
We had a reasonable start on the first race, and were mid-fleet up the first beat, but fowled Richard Lord on a port/starboard encounter. There was no contact, but I felt obliged to do 'turns', which meant that we were pushed back to the gaggle of boats who were sticking together (in some cases literally!) at the first and second marks. So we fell back and ended up with our normal 24th place out of 25.
After lunch, we again had a couple of reasonable starts (note to self - improve your starting at Poole in a couple of weeks time), and kept with the mid-fleet crowd.
The second race we were 19th and managed to be 18th in the final race, close behind George Rogers of Tollesbury in 13939.
Progress is slow, but keep working...
Next stop is Poole on 30th July - harbour sailing in a triangle-sausage course. Looking forward to it.
I'll try to send regular updates from this blog as we gear up for the Nationals in August.
I must say that 13941 is as ready as she could be. We had a new split mainsheet installed recently, and the new sails from EXE are looking (and sailing) very good.
From my point of view, I don't think a change of sails should affect my sailing ability - I have far too much to learn about tacking on headers etc. for some new "cloth" to make a difference. However, I must admit that I feel, and perform, better with these new sails. Is it psychological? Probably - but I'll take it anyway.
Simon & I are also improving bit-by-bit - the spinnaker gybing is becoming second-nature, and we can fly through most conditions now. We probably need to improve our tacking a bit, and as always it is a matter of consistency. But progress is progress.
We had a reasonable start on the first race, and were mid-fleet up the first beat, but fowled Richard Lord on a port/starboard encounter. There was no contact, but I felt obliged to do 'turns', which meant that we were pushed back to the gaggle of boats who were sticking together (in some cases literally!) at the first and second marks. So we fell back and ended up with our normal 24th place out of 25.
After lunch, we again had a couple of reasonable starts (note to self - improve your starting at Poole in a couple of weeks time), and kept with the mid-fleet crowd.
The second race we were 19th and managed to be 18th in the final race, close behind George Rogers of Tollesbury in 13939.
Progress is slow, but keep working...
Next stop is Poole on 30th July - harbour sailing in a triangle-sausage course. Looking forward to it.
I'll try to send regular updates from this blog as we gear up for the Nationals in August.
Thursday, 29 June 2017
Tollesbury - High Winds and Low Mud
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 !
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 !
Monday, 5 June 2017
Southern Championships - Some Progress
I have to be an optimist. Not the dinghy, you understand - that's a small kid's bathtub, in case anyone did not know - but the glass-half-full type of optimist.
Why? Because, try as I might, I cannot progress beyond the back half of the fleet.
Last weekend, I had the privilege to race with Simon Carman, who has kindly agreed to crew for me at the GP14 Nationals in Looe in August.
As an optimist, I took comfort from the fact that we made 12th place out of 17 in our second race, and that the boat felt fast. Simon's a great crew - he spots technical things that I miss, and he is happy to call tactics, which means I can focus on getting the boat moving.
But on the pessimistic side, we are in last place in most of our races, and I wish I understood why.
Maybe we don't keep the boat flat enough?
Maybe it is my irritating habit of 'pinching' into the wind when I don't have enough boat speed?
Was I using too much kicker? Or not enough? Was the boom in enough during the beats, or was I stalling the sails by pulling them in too tight?
Someone please tell me.... !!
With our experience, we should be mid-fleet by now. It's very demoralising being relegated to the back markers.
But I need to be an optimist.
Brightlingsea was a great place to sail. We had 2 races on Saturday, and then three back-to-back on the Sunday. Glorious sun, 10 knots wind, and enough swell and gusts to get us planing on the reach during the end of Sunday. A chance to get valuable sea experience in advance of the Nationals.
WHSC was well represented - it seems that the club is really getting out-and-about these days, so it is good to have company.
Apart from the time when my watch stopped, we were able to get some good starts, and were pushing through the fleet to the first mark.
It was great to be able to fly the spinnaker through the gybes - a skill we are beginning to master. The spinnaker launches and drops worked well, although there was one occasion where we were seriously threatened by a group of Merlin Rockets who were a lap ahead, and gunning for the same leeward mark as us!
In short, I think we are beginning to work together as a team. I just don't want to let the team down. Any suggestions on how to make the boat go faster, please send answers on a postcard.
A few more sea races, and the Nationals is looming up.
P.S. Thanks to Hannah for the photo.
Why? Because, try as I might, I cannot progress beyond the back half of the fleet.
Last weekend, I had the privilege to race with Simon Carman, who has kindly agreed to crew for me at the GP14 Nationals in Looe in August.
As an optimist, I took comfort from the fact that we made 12th place out of 17 in our second race, and that the boat felt fast. Simon's a great crew - he spots technical things that I miss, and he is happy to call tactics, which means I can focus on getting the boat moving.
But on the pessimistic side, we are in last place in most of our races, and I wish I understood why.
Maybe we don't keep the boat flat enough?
Maybe it is my irritating habit of 'pinching' into the wind when I don't have enough boat speed?
Was I using too much kicker? Or not enough? Was the boom in enough during the beats, or was I stalling the sails by pulling them in too tight?
Someone please tell me.... !!
With our experience, we should be mid-fleet by now. It's very demoralising being relegated to the back markers.
But I need to be an optimist.
Brightlingsea was a great place to sail. We had 2 races on Saturday, and then three back-to-back on the Sunday. Glorious sun, 10 knots wind, and enough swell and gusts to get us planing on the reach during the end of Sunday. A chance to get valuable sea experience in advance of the Nationals.
WHSC was well represented - it seems that the club is really getting out-and-about these days, so it is good to have company.
Apart from the time when my watch stopped, we were able to get some good starts, and were pushing through the fleet to the first mark.
It was great to be able to fly the spinnaker through the gybes - a skill we are beginning to master. The spinnaker launches and drops worked well, although there was one occasion where we were seriously threatened by a group of Merlin Rockets who were a lap ahead, and gunning for the same leeward mark as us!
In short, I think we are beginning to work together as a team. I just don't want to let the team down. Any suggestions on how to make the boat go faster, please send answers on a postcard.
A few more sea races, and the Nationals is looming up.
P.S. Thanks to Hannah for the photo.
Tuesday, 31 January 2017
GP14 Nationals - here we come !
We're booked in.
The GP14 Class Association just announced that they sold their 70-boat allocation for the 2017 GP14 Nationals in 29 days! This makes it now officially the most popular since 2004, which was a couple of years before I joined what is now the Welsh Harp Sailing Club.
This year, the National are at Looe Sailing Club, in Cornwall, on 6 Aug - 11 Aug 2017. I hope to stay with relatives in Cornwall that week. I suspect that bookings will be hard to come by in Looe that week.
This will be my second Nationals. The first ever time was in 2015, in Brixham, Devon, when the fleet was about 45 boats, and the sailing was in Tor Bay. This time, the fleet will be significantly bigger, and the venue is more open. The World Championships were held there a few years ago, and the waves were the stuff of legend.
Joining me in 13941 will be Simon Carman. Simon has crewed for me a couple of times this year already. He has previously done some sea sailing as a youngster, and is just returning to the sport. So he has loads of experience and confidence. Although we were back of the fleet at the club racing the last couple of outings, I think we will gell together well as a team. His wife, Gill, also sails, but it is Simon who is the real "competitor".
Our plan is to build on our teamwork on Saturday morning practice, and club racing. We are also hopeful that we can do Tuesday racing during the summer as well. It will all be time on the water, which will help us get our techniques honed. For sea experience, I want to go back to Tollesbury this year, and maybe Poole, which is the week before the Nationals.
I've been back at the gym, with help from Andy Howell, who has been a Personal Trainer for me for a number of years. The emphasis for the next few months will be on cardio and building "recovery time".
The Welsh Harp Sailing Club has had an amazing turnout for the Nationals this year. A total of 12 boats are signed up. The list includes some of the best sailers in the club:
I think that makes WHSC the biggest club represented at the Nationals this year.
The social events will be something to look forward to, as well.
I intend to keep a blog going as we head towards the big event...
The GP14 Class Association just announced that they sold their 70-boat allocation for the 2017 GP14 Nationals in 29 days! This makes it now officially the most popular since 2004, which was a couple of years before I joined what is now the Welsh Harp Sailing Club.
This year, the National are at Looe Sailing Club, in Cornwall, on 6 Aug - 11 Aug 2017. I hope to stay with relatives in Cornwall that week. I suspect that bookings will be hard to come by in Looe that week.
This will be my second Nationals. The first ever time was in 2015, in Brixham, Devon, when the fleet was about 45 boats, and the sailing was in Tor Bay. This time, the fleet will be significantly bigger, and the venue is more open. The World Championships were held there a few years ago, and the waves were the stuff of legend.
Joining me in 13941 will be Simon Carman. Simon has crewed for me a couple of times this year already. He has previously done some sea sailing as a youngster, and is just returning to the sport. So he has loads of experience and confidence. Although we were back of the fleet at the club racing the last couple of outings, I think we will gell together well as a team. His wife, Gill, also sails, but it is Simon who is the real "competitor".
Our plan is to build on our teamwork on Saturday morning practice, and club racing. We are also hopeful that we can do Tuesday racing during the summer as well. It will all be time on the water, which will help us get our techniques honed. For sea experience, I want to go back to Tollesbury this year, and maybe Poole, which is the week before the Nationals.
I've been back at the gym, with help from Andy Howell, who has been a Personal Trainer for me for a number of years. The emphasis for the next few months will be on cardio and building "recovery time".
The Welsh Harp Sailing Club has had an amazing turnout for the Nationals this year. A total of 12 boats are signed up. The list includes some of the best sailers in the club:
- Tomasz Szkola
- Steve Cooper
- Maciej Matyjaszczuk & Jim Dimond
- Edward Coyne & Szymon Matyjaszczuk
- Andy Wadsworth & Andy Shrimpton
- Roger Walton & Helen Allen
- Lesley Kaye & Nick Masters
- Richard Connett
- Ruslan Scutelnic ("Scooter") & Alexandru Scutelnic
- Lydia Evans
- Alistair Lambert & Karen Wilson
I think that makes WHSC the biggest club represented at the Nationals this year.
The social events will be something to look forward to, as well.
I intend to keep a blog going as we head towards the big event...
Saturday, 21 January 2017
Bloody Mary 2017 - The Drifting Regatta
After a fairly uneventful period of sailing, the new year 2017 started off with the Bloody Mary at Queen Mary Sailing Club. It's a great venue, always well organised, and this year there were 244 boats attending.
Hannah and I were able to get some practice in the Wassal handicap race on 1st January (we did manage to stay ahead of the final Merlin Rocket), but this was a much larger, and longer event.
I had tried to learn lessons from Last Years Regatta, where the winds were fairly strong and the course was very complex. So we arrived really early, got the boat together in good time, and were able to pick up on course notes, which were duly gaffer-taped under a piece of waterproof plastic, just in case...
This year, the Welsh Harp Sailing Club were out in (almost) force, with 4 boats from the club, including Steve Cooper, who ended up 44th in the entire fleet. Most of us were in the photo in the QM clubhouse beforehand.
We had problems with the spinnaker last year, so extra attention paid to rigging was required...
The weather forecast had been for slight winds, disappearing to virtually nothing after an hour or so. But a glance out of the window suggested that the wind was strong enough to be exciting - maybe we were in for a repeat of the last year?
The "Blue" group were launched (boats about 20 mins behind the first gun), and we managed to get orientated and try the line. At the 24 minute gun, we had good speed, and were close to the start, just ducking one boat and then heading off to the right hand side of the course.
I'd set up the "RaceQs" GPS system, and we were later able to review our first beat against Maciej - it looked like we had better boat speed at times, but were not able to point as high, so the other GP14 were beginning to pull away ahead of us.
The first beat was exciting, then it was time to launch the kite. We managed to keep position on the first downwind leg, heading to the red and white flag on top of mark number 2. But the wind was beginning to drop. The wind dropped. And dropped. There was no wind. And the RS200 asymmetric spinnaker boats were lighter than us and catching up.
We did manage to get round the second mark, and headed back upwind for the next beat, but we had had the best wind of the day - the "drifting regatta" was here for the day.
There were seven more marks in the next two hours.
By mark number 4 we were able to throw up the kite again. Although there were a few boats overtaking us, we did seem to have some good boat speak - in the circumstances. But, of course, being a heavy boat, the GP14 was not ideally suited to the conditions. The lighter boats had the advantage.
The winning boat was a Firefly,
We ended up 188th place out of 244 boats that took part.
Not ideal conditions, but we took part. It was a great day - hopes for the rest of this year !
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