WELCOME BACK!! We were thrilled to be back in the race box today and even happier to see 16 boats on the start line. A few years ago, we could have only dreamed of this. Unfortunately though, no-one had done a wind dance and whilst there was more wind than last week, it was not the easiest of conditions but I guess at least there was no rain! The lack of wind however, did make the start particularly challenging with numerous boats over the line and also a number facing in the wrong direction! Patience and perseverance were key and shown in bucket loads for all those who made it to the first mark. The bigger boats seemed to fair better in the light conditions with Mike Blatchford, in the Martin, leading the way. Closely followed by Peter Gregory and David Mason.

Four minutes into the race and with no doubt a number of you wondering where your paddles were, the wind picked up. Watching from the race box, it was as though the wind machines had been turned on, the increases in speed were impressive. This resulted in a tight bunching of boats at the windward mark and some visible rafting after rounding the mark en route to buoy C. Where possible try to avoid bunching, particularly in light conditions, if another boat is taking your wind, you will go even slower.

Placings throughout the race remained pretty consistent largely due to the lack of wind. There was a good battle though between Peter Wagner and Martin Newman who changed places on each lap with Peter Wagner finally coming out on top, finishing ahead (on the water).

A couple of quick reminders for subsequent races now we have all brushed the cobwebs off;

  • Rules – It is important that we keep in mind the rules of sailing whilst racing, particularly remembering that overriding all of them is to avoid a collision at all costs. A collision could damage a boat or more importantly, you, so please be careful. If you are new to racing or would like to recap, just let us know as we have a document we can send out.
  • The gate – On every lap you need to go through the Start / Finish line so that we can record your time. There were a lot that missed it on the first lap today. We will be stricter next week!
  • The finish – You will hear a ‘hoot’ when you finish the race. Once you have heard this, please sail round the end of the line, trying to avoid sailing back through it as this can hinder us accurately timing other boats going through the line.

Well done to everyone today. It was so great to see so many of you out there. Hopefully this is the start to a great 2018 of racing. Any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask Peter, Mike or Fleur.

The results for the first race of the Spring Series are:-

  1. Peter Gregory
  2. David Mason
  3. Mike Blatchford
  4. Peter Wagner
  5. Martin Newman
  6. Steve Farmer
  7. Bob Fisher
  8. Tom Philips
  9. Louise McSweeney
  10. Imogen Fletcher
  11. Lydia Thorne
  12. Ann Frewer
  13. Derek Green
  14. Fay Watson
  15. Tom Whiting
  16. Sophie Absolon (RTD)

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