Last Thursday (12th May) was another fabulous day for sailing at Chipstead. Lots of sun and good to very good wind!! So it was great to welcome ten WS Racers eager to get on-the-water and be ready for the Start at 11.30. The usual suspects came along but without Peter Gregory who is competing in his 2.4 elsewhere for a few weeks. It was good to welcome back Malcolm Hill to the new season’s Spring Series.
Although Mike Coleman was set up on the foreshore at 1030 ready for a training session, to answer Racers’ questions and demonstrate sailing techniques, he had no takers. All the early arrivals wanted to get out and enjoy the conditions, whilst other entrants arrived just in time to get afloat and to the Start line before the 5 Minute Whistle!
The course had been set and was up on the Race Board by 10.30. With the prevailing wind coming from NE / ENE, the Start line was between a Distance Marker and Mark A , with the first leg requiring a lengthy beat upwind to round the windward Mark D to port, followed by a run downwind and a gybe around Mark B to port before sailing on a broad reach across to Mark A to complete the lap.
All the Racers showed that they are getting to grips with the Start Procedure and most boats were across the Start Line within a minute of their respective Start Whistle. Fay and Mark were the first two boats over the line, spot on with their timing. Well done!
The Training Slides given to you at the start of the season and the learning points about Starting in the last Race Report are probably worth another look! Then use your time on the water before your next race to judge which end of the Start Line you want to aim for and how far your boat travels in, say, 30/45 seconds. Then when you hear the 1 Minute Whistle you stand a good chance of getting into the best possible position to beat up to the Start Line – arriving just as the final Whistle blows – and be immediately in the lead!
The schematic below shows how well the 303s held their own against the faster Liberty, 2.4 and Martin classes. By the end we see that Kim kept out in front to win, with Mike in his Martin getting head of Mark and Fay who defended their positions very well keeping David Mason in his 2.4 and Malcolm in his Martin behind them. But during the race, each lap saw helms choosing different routes between the Marks, some gaining ground whilst others lost out and had to regroup and attack again. All-in-all everyone had an enjoyable time and demonstrated improving skill.
Final Result: 1. Kim; 2. Mike; 3. Mark; 4. Fay; 5. David; 6. Malcolm; 7. Peter W; 8. Brian; 9. Bob
