Brief Race Report
TERALBA: Saturday 19/11/16 SSE 15knots small choppy conditions. Port course. Another good turnout of 8 skiffs after last week's testing NW breeze. Saturdays SE condition ideal for VS's to contest the 3rd heat of the Club Championship. Good to see the return of some old hands & new young talent. Steve getting Range on the water with Geoff Jakins up front & the "Devonator" aka Rod Devon in the middle. Michael Northam back from the Bahama's driving Stowe with Brad Dodds in the middle & Ryan Fokes up front with a borrowed boom from Tim, after last week's head-butt incident. TBS assisted very capably in the bow by Mitch Blake off Raptor for the day. A tight start at the boat end saw Meeks locked out & tacking back for a restart. Firestorm lead the hard charging pack out on starboard & was never headed, driving a significant margin in the first downwind leg from Meeks who recovered after a spectacular come back 1st work from last across the start now in 2nd. TBS & Range had some close racing changing leads several times and eventually closing the gap on the two leaders that ended in a compact finish at the club with Meeks 2nd, TBS 3rd, Range 4th. Stowe stayed close to the leaders for most of the race but drop back a bit after a crew overboard incident but hung on to 5th. Devocean, Banana Spares & PBB all retiring to the club. PBB suffering a broken mast after a head bolt holding the back stays let go. With Raptor, SFC & Plan B in the shed next weeks Regatta looks good for 11 club starters to be joined by 3 Hawkesbury travellers. Col . Teralba has had 7 to 8 starters over the last 4 races. Last Saturday handicap start included “Firestorm” (off scr) with same old crew John, Dale & Lindsay. “TBS” with regular crew Col, Adam and Janene. “Raptor” guest steered by Steve Sims and crewed by new VS’er Joe Ferguson and Mitch from “PlanB” last year. “Raptor” also sporting a new main. “Plan B” with Tim at helm and new crew, father and daughter combo Scott and Kirra. “Banana Spare Parts”, this is old Longwall with all new gear skippered by Mick Fairburn and Lyndon from “PlanB” last year on sheet. “Devocean”, old IFS with new gear and a show room paint job. “Stowe” crewed by Ryan Fokes and Brad Dodds……..yep Brad’s back!!! “SFC Computers” with a new main and the same young guns from last year, Jeremy, Tom and Hugh.
We still have “Range” & “PBB” to add to these regular starters. Saturday saw very fresh gusty NW 18knts + winds. Hard upwind with sensational rides downhill on the flat water (no tide to kick up a chop on Warners Bay). 4 DNF’s pretty hectic day. One of the casualties was Stowe with a broken carbon boom after Brad managed to head butt it clean in half………don’t mess with Brad!!! If we can get 3 of the 4 Hawkesbury boats & Black Diamond turns up, we could see 12+ skiffs racing on Teralba Regatta Day. If anyone is close to Brian can they give him a rev up. He’d enjoy the competition & could be a wild car podium place. Col Hawkersbury Saturday we had all 4 x boats out. I think it is only us coming to Teralbe as a full crew, I am trying to get the other guys organised to get one of their boats up even with a mixed crew. Here is our race report: Race one was a tricky 3-15 knot westerly. “Under Pressure Too” had a disaster start was a leg behind and sailed through the fleet to lead at the last mark. “Measurement Solutions” with their new kite were having a great race out front until the last mark. The last work to the finish was tight with about 10 seconds between them, “Battleship” and “Measurement Solutions”. “Under Pressure Too” decided to check the water temperature about 50 metres from the finish line to let “Measurement Solutions” take a victory. Race two the breeze kicked in from the west even more (12-18 knots). “Battleship” led with “Purple Haze” and “Measurement Solutions” right on their stern. The first run was too much fun for “Measurement Solutions” and “Purple Haze” missing the gybe layline having to drop kites for the mark. “Under Pressure Too” was out the back again - who then proceeded to sail through the fleet over the next two laps and got into second behind “Battleship”. They double checked the water temperature for a very long time and let “Purple Haze” through in second behind “Battleship”. Alex 2016-17 Season Preview
Daylight savings has started & the days are getting warmer. The sailing season is here! Not sure about the other clubs but Teralba kicks off this weekend (8 October), straight into a club championship race. No warmup, pre-point score races anymore. And the newly refurbished (self cleaning) amenities should be ready to try out too. No reason not to rig up and have a sail. Another reason to get excited is to see what has changed in the VS class. The new mainsail rule was passed at the AGM (don’t panic if you weren’t there – it just formalised the rules we have been working to for the past few years) & the first new mainsail has been built. Even better it is from a new loft to the VS’s - it is a Barracouta sail. Mick Fairburn has seen the light & come across from the VJs, readying my favourite boat 2226. It’s had a great paint job & has at least 1 new sail. I can’t recall the crew but I’m sure all in the fleet look forward to welcoming 2226 back to the fleet. The reason I can’t be certain of the crew is because I haven’t spoken with half the fleet for a while. For those that don’t know Tim ‘half the fleet’ Dodds has been away practicing his sailing in Spain for a month. I’ve heard he can speak Spanish, eat tapas, drink a beer, mix the beats, steer a 45’ cat & work on his tan without thinking. That’s because Tim spends his time thinking VS. Don’t tell Liz but Tim now has 4 or 5 boats in his stable. And, as usual, crews are being shuffled around, hence why I have no idea who will be sailing on most boats. But I do know we will see more new sails (hopefully a few from Hugh at Norths) as well as the return of a few familiar faces. Good one Tim! But there has been activity outside the Tim sphere as well. Devocean 2229 has had a paint job & looks sensational, outdoing Paul Boslem Building’s 2233 silver deck. Meeks Real Estate has been less prominent with the painting, but has a new mainsail coming too. Down Hawkesbury way Battleship 2243 is working on a new mast and I’ve heard 2231 may have changed hands & might rejoin the fleet. And don’t forget Alex & Brian. These guys will reappear for sure. With the nationals confirmed at Hawkesbury there is likely to be renewed interest there so start planning now. Tentative dates are 7 to 13 Jan 2017. Plenty of time for you Sydney - Hobart ballasts. As for other dates to plan around,
Look out for NORs for the TT & state series soon. And don’t forget your memberships. Believe it or not I don’t get paid for writing this crap, but the association does need funds to cover insurance & other statutory requirements. If you are going to sail in VS association races & be counted in you have to be a VS member, so why not pay now. Forms are on the web site but of course contact a committee member if you need further info. Hopefully see you on the water soon… Cheers John ___________________________________________________________________________ 31 July 2016 Season 2015/16 - Race Secretary Report The 2015/16 season was one of contrasts. We had good numbers & very close racing between boats in some races, yet there were several races where it was clear only 2 or 3 boats would be attending, unfortunately leading to the cancellation of the Taree & Vaucluse races. Hopefully there will be renewed enthusiasm for these or other ‘away’ venues next season as this keeps interest in the class from both within & to outsiders. Fleet numbers did not increase significantly over the previous season, however I sincerely believe the quality has improved, with many crews able to boast of times they lead the fleet. Races in the nationals series is an example of this. Another indicator of the quality of sailing is the consistency of speed of a boat. This is noticed easily when analysing the handicap results. And once again there was only seconds between boats, and yet again these seconds had a bearing on the overall series results. Each of the association organised championships; Nationals, State & Travellers Trophy series, had ten entrants. Toronto was the best attended with all 10 boats; Sunshine had 8 on both days; Hawkesbury had 6 and 7 starters on Saturday & Sunday. With Taree & Vaucluse cancelled, Teralba was the only other TT regatta where there were 5 and 7 starters. As detailed reports for each of the VS association races & nationals series has been previously posted, only a summary of the state & TT series is provided below. State Championships. Only one boat started all five state heats with the same crew – Firestorm. This is too much of an advantage to give to this boat, allowing John, Dale & Lindsay to secure the state scratch title comfortably with 4 points. Second place went to a count back, with Meeks Real Estate & Troy Botting Shipwright each scoring 10 points, with the result decided in the last race at Sunshine. Range proved to be a spoiler here, beating TBS across the line by 8 seconds, allowing Mick, Mark & Robbie on Meeks to claim 2nd overall, courtesy of a nice win at Toronto. Col, Adam & Janine were once again consistently fast in TBS, with 3rd overall not a true reflection of their speed throughout the season. The overall handicap results were extremely close. Four boats finished with 3 points; Black Diamond, White Noise, Firestorm & Battleship. The final result was decided in the last race, with all contenders finishing within 1 minute on corrected time. If either Battleship or White Noise were a few seconds quicker in the last race they could have claimed the series title, but alas they were not. Michael, Joel & Scott on White Noise finished 4th on 12 pts. Battleship tied with Firestorm on 10 points but a few lost seconds robbed Andrew, Greg & Chris of the title. Beaten in the count back they finished 3rd overall. Having been narrowly beaten in several recent series the gods finally smiled on Black Diamond, and Bob, Hayden & Ben are the State Handicap champions. Obviously the boys are skilled sailors, but the BD crew are a credit to the class, steadily improving the boat & flying the VS flag at Gosford. They are also great fun to have in the fleet. Travellers Trophy. Sailed over all regattas, this trophy gives a good indication of the most consistent boat of the year. With the TT series shortened the results were close but, once again, it is the boats that sailed all races that fought out the title and in this series there were three. In the final count just one point separated Firestorm, TBS & Battleship. Firestorm & Battleship tied on 25pts but on count back Andrew, Greg & Chris on Battleship are the Travellers Trophy title winners. Like Black Diamond, these boys have worked to improve the boat throughout the season, and the result shows, Firestorm were 2nd, again contenders due to their consistency, as were TBS who finished the series 3rd overall on 26pts. Congratulations to all of the winners. It is no co-incidence that the boats that sail the most get the prizes. These are also the boats that sail consistently fast throughout the season. Practice makes perfect… Once again I’d like to thank all sailors for their attitude throughout the season. We have top quality sailors & very close racing, yet we have no protests or appeals. Also thanks to all of the committee & their partners for their help and support throughout the season. John Hodda VS Race Secretary. State Title Overall Scratch 1st Firestorm (J Hodda, D Jacobson, L Auston) 4 pts; 2nd Meeks Real Estate (M Turton, R Turton, M Nugent) 10pts; 3rd Troy Botting Shipwright (C Gillespie, A Kelly, J Turton) 10 pts; 4th Black Diamond (B Baker, H Baker, B Ferguson) 18 pts; 5th Range (S Sims, M Sims, T Botting/G Jakins,) 21 pts; 6th White Noise (M Brown, J Newman, S Singleton-Turner) 25pts; 7th Battleship (A Fahey, G Lowe, C Wyatt) 26 pts; 8th Plan B (T Dodds, M Blake, L Jordan) 28pts; 9th Redfish café (A Stewart, P Davies, A Eisner) 34 pts; 10th SFC Computers (J Dodds, H Dodds, T Wood) 40 pts. State Titles Overall Handicap 1st Black Diamond 9 pts; 2nd Firestorm 10pts; 3rd Battleship 10 pts; 4th White Noise 12 pts; 5th Troy Botting Shipwright 18 pts; 6th Plan B 19pts; 7th Meeks Real Estate 24pts; 8th Red Fish Café 34 pts; 9th Range 35pts; 10th SFC Computers 38 pts. Travellers Trophy Overall 1st Battleship 25pts; 2nd Firestorm 25pts; 3rd Troy Botting Shipwright 26 pts; 4th White Noise 36 pts; 5th Black Diamond 37 pts; 6th Plan B 41pts; 7th Meeks Real Estate 43pts; 8th Range 63pts; 9th Red Fish Café 67 pts; 10th SFC Computers 68 pts Sunshine Regatta Race Report If sailing at Sunshine on the weekend didn’t bring a smile to your face, nothing will. The weather on both days was perfect for sailing: plenty of sun, warm water & a nice nor’easter blowing to a maximum of 15 knots. Not enough to damage boats, but enough to get the crews on the wires & get a bit of spray flying. It was fun!!! So if you are reading this but didn’t sail, start your planning now for next year so you can share the good times... Saturday With a steady NE’er already blowing eight VSs rigged & readied for battle. All of the regulars were there except for Mick Sims, who is enjoying the blizzard like conditions of New York. And he paid to do it? Anyway, this gave another good opportunity for Dev to rejoin the fleet. He’s no handicap on a boat so I’m sure Steve would have been licking his lips when the whitecaps started to appear. As usual we were sharing the start & the course with the Skates but I heard of no problems between the fleets. What was good for both fleets was the decision of the RO to start the big boats first. That gave us a clear run to the windward mark near Pulbah Island. A good start by all saw a few crosses and lead changes up the first work, with Troy Botting Shipwright taking honours around the mark, closely followed by Firestorm, Meeks & Plan B. TBS & Firestorm pushed each other down the first run & opened up a lead over the rest of the pack. John, Dale & Lindsay then got Firestorm into the groove upwind to take a lead they would not lose and, importantly for bragging rights, beating the first skate home too. Not far behind there was a good 3 way battle for most of the race. Col, Adam & Janine on TBS sailed a good race to get 2nd, showing they have lost none of the speed they showed at the Nationals. They also made a good tactical decision to bank some height when they could down the final run. Once again Mick, Rob & Mark showed Meeks Real Estate is quick, bringing her home in 3rd. They had good pace upwind & had TBS looking over their shoulders at times. A light crew weight means they can get some great downwind rides. I spotted them more than once today, flat out under spinnaker trying to make the mark. Range eventually finished 4th, but it could have been more. They seemed to miss the early jump, but fought back well upwind throughout the race to be in the hunt for 2nd down the final run. Looking to use the full horsepower Dev & Geoff could provide, Steve was making good speed until a catamaran decided to block his path & wind. The subsequent hole is not where a heavy crew is needed, so they wallowed there for a while the two lightweights in front skipped clear. Just a little further back was another bunch, led by White Noise, who were arguably the best performers of the day. Brownie, Joel & Scott put a new jib on & it seemed to give them confidence & speed. They made it hard for themselves, having a swim at the bottom mark, which meant they were playing catch up for most of the race. They did that and more, passing a few to finish 5th & take the handicap victory for the day. Tim, Mitch & Lyndon were just 6 seconds behind White Noise across the line in Plan B, with another small margin to Rob, Hayden & Ben on Black Diamond, who in turn had Andrew, Greg & Chris on Battleship breathing down their necks. Well sailed all. Sunday Another clear, warm day with a NE forecast. Was this going to be a repeat of Saturday? (I hoped so). Yes and No. First of all there was a lack of breeze and the AP was hoisted before we left the bank. Most crews sat and waited, some looking for entertainment. You should know by now to look no further than Black Diamond, with Ben demonstrating that wet suits can be put on & worn in a couple of different ways. It was also different in that Dev was busy so Nipper stepped aboard Range. Once again Steve was looking for those whitecaps. The other notable change for the day was the decision of Firestorm to dust off an old ‘conventional’ mainsail, to try and gauge the performance difference of the new square tops. Finally there was enough breeze to set the same course as on Saturday & we got away to a start in a moderate breeze. Once again it was close up the first work between Firestorm & TBS, this time Firestorm first around the top mark by a boat length. Once again they pushed each other hard, opening up a small lead over the pack down the first run with TBS leading onto the first long work. The breeze was different today, oscillating between north and east, so it was more than just a drag race to the left of the course. If you got out there and got an easterly slant you were in for a lot of pain. Firestorm picked the shifts and pressure well and soon opened up a small lead. Fighting with a skate for a lap they sailed a near perfect second lap and opened up a comfortable lead to take the gun, again getting VS bragging rights over the skates. Meeks, Range & TBS enjoyed another race long battle, trading places often. Today Range had no outside influences and enjoyed their horsepower down the final run, getting 2nd by 8 seconds from TBS, who in turn were 12 seconds in front of Meeks. Tim & the boys on Plan B continued their learning curve and sailed well, again crossing the line ahead of rivals Black Diamond. White Noise are also learning well and avoided a swim today, but wrapping a kite around the spreaders & top of the mainsail is no way to get down a tight run fast. But they managed to hold on to beat the fast finishing Battleship. As for the handicap honours, Tim, Mitch & Lyndon won easily today. Good one! And the verdict on the old verses the new square top main? I reckon the old is better when the pressure is down but the new is as good when it is fresher. But there is plenty of development left in the new sails. Keep tinkering… These were the final races in the state title series. Full results will be posted soon. Next Saturday is the Vaucluse regatta, which is the final TT race of the season. VYC always put on a great regatta so why not make the effort & come along. Note the start will be around 1pm so don’t be late! End of Regatta Report Who wanted more breeze? By the end of the final race today I reckon it wasn’t any of the VS crews. A breeze that was pulsing in strength & direction for the first two races finally kicked in during the final race, giving all crews some great rides and stories of survival to share at the presentation dinner. But isn’t that what any nationals series should have? Stories of what happened & what could have happened. And I think all crews had a story or two. To summarise the regatta I could say nothing less than it was a success. I gauge this by the comments I receive throughout the week. I can’t recall a negative one. Keith, Bob, Ken & Daryl came up from St George to do the on water race organisation and, assisted by Alf, did a great job. All courses had good start lines and windward legs that could never be described as one sided. Thanks gents. Our best wishes also go to Bob for a speedy recovery. The VSs last held a national title at Toronto 30 years ago so for most of us this was a new venue. The bay had some interesting quirks; the breeze seemed to be the best on the edges and for a big, uncrowded bay there was usually a bit of chop. Made for a good challenge. The local skate sailors did most of the organising for the series & did a great job. Thanks also to the VS ladies who, as always, banded together to help with off water chores. And of course the efforts of the VS committee & members who chipped in to help pull it all together should not go unrecognised. Whilst I usually avoid singling out individuals, President Col should be applauded for his efforts toward the regatta organisation. At the time when I’m sure he would have preferred to concentrate on his boat, Col was making calls & swapping emails, making sure everything was running smoothly. A regatta without problem is the proof of Col’s efforts. Finally compliments must go to sailors from both the VS and Skate fleets. Competition was close in both fleets but boats gave each other room and respect. A regatta without incident, contact or protest is enjoyable for all. As for the sailing, with day 4 wiped out, both the scratch & handicap overall results were far from decided. For the first two races a NE breeze was blowing but it was far from steady, ranging in strength from 5 to 15 knots & fluctuating between north and east as each small cell came through. Tacking & gybing in the right places became paramount. The crews that got it right gained good margins, as a review of the results will show. The final race of the regatta started similar, however by the last lap the breeze built to 20knots or more. As I stated earlier, there was some wild rides and quite a few swimmers. Obviously no one feared the shark! Overall results – Going into the last day in 3rd position meant Firestorm had to sail well in all the remaining races to have a chance of winning the series. Fortunately for them the conditions were right in the Firestorm sweet spot, allowing them to win the last 3 races & retain the scratch title. Like the other ‘heavyweight’ crews, John, Dale & Lindsay had struggled earlier in the series with the light breezes but drew on their experience and teamwork to hang in until the luck went their way. Mick, Robbie & Mark were inspirational to finish the regatta in 2nd on Meeks Real Estate. Rebuilding a boat in the off-season usually bonds and focuses a team, with Meeks a perfect example. They knew the direction they wanted to go in and developed a fast package. They will only get better as they continue to build as a team. Col, Adam & Janine on Troy Botting Shipwright also put in a great performance to claim 3rd. This team also decided on a new strategy for the season & have continued to develop a new mast sail combination. When they were on song they were superfast, winning several races very comfortably. They sailed off a short handicap but also won the Sid Peare Invitation race. Range was another to struggle in the lighter breezes but Steve, Mick & Troy hung in until the final day when the breeze lifted their speed & spirit, and they scored a couple of 2nd places. As a crew newly united for this regatta, struggling to understand a new sail at times, they finished a credible 4th overall. In 5th overall Bob, Hayden & Ben on Black Diamond had a good regatta, winning their 3 way battle with Plan B & SFC. But it could have been even better. Often on the tuck of the lead boat around the windward mark, they suffered from an uncharacteristic lack of speed downwind. The boys showed great boat handling skills to finish the regatta with a 3rd across the line in the blow. Another team finishing strongly was Jeremy, Hugh & Tom on SFC Computers. The boys finished the series 6th overall but importantly scored a great 2nd across the line in race 8. They had gone into the last day with a chance of winning the overall handicap title; the result of race 8 meant they won it in a count back. Congratulations champions! Pipped at the post for the handicap title was SFC team ‘sponsor’ Tim, who signed up Lyndon & Mitch to sail on Plan B for the series. And how good were they! The boys had not sailed a VS before yet they were 4th across the line in the first race. They had some other great races, often with the leaders around the top mark. 7th overall and 2nd on handicap was impressive. The fleet was pleased to welcome back Peter, Steve & Ryan on Stowe for the series. The boys last teamed together on a chartered boat for the series at the Kangaroo Island nationals, where they took the overall handicap title. Unfortunately the light breezes & chop of Toronto didn’t suit them & they could not repeat their KI result, this time finishing 8th overall. Another crew reuniting for this regatta was Michael, Andrew & Chris on Battleship. Another ‘heavyweight’ crew, they also suffered in the light breezes & chop of the first few days. They enjoyed the weight in the breeze in the final race & showed great boat handling skills to finish the race in 6th, one of the few not to have a swim. They were within a couple of points of taking the overall handicap title, finishing the series in 3rd. Rounding out the fleet was another crew together for the first time. Joe jumped on the helm of White Noise, joining Joel & Scott for their first VS nationals. The boat still required some tuning, so the boys were on the back foot from the start, but improved as the regatta progressed, leaving a few boats in their wake. The boys confidence also grew as they fine tuned their crew work, a highlight being leading the fleet off the line in race 7. 5th overall on handicap is not a bad result either… Scratch 1st Firestorm (J Hodda, D Jacobson, L Auston) 10 pts; 2nd Meeks Real Estate (M Turton, R Turton, M Nugent) 14 points; 3rd Troy Botting Shipwright (C Gillespie, A Kelly, J Turton) 16 pts; 4rd Range (S Sims, M Sims, T Botting) 23 pts; 5th Black Diamond (B Baker, H Baker, B Ferguson) 36 pts; 6th SFC Computers (J Dodds, H Dodds, T Wood) 39 pts; 7th Plan B (T Dodds, M Blake, L Jordan) 40 pts; 8th Stowe (P Williams, S Ianna, R Fokes) 54 points; 9th Battleship (M Northam, A Fahey, C Wyatt) 59 pts; 10th White Noise (J Ferguson, J Newman, S Singleton-Turner) 67 pts. Handicap 1st SFC Computers 20 pts; 2nd Plan B 20 pts; 3rd Battleship 22 pts; 4th Black Diamond 27 pts; 5th White Noise 28 pts; 6th Range 36 pts; 7th Stowe 38 pts; 8th Meeks Real Estate 40 pts; 9th Firestorm 42 pts; 10th Troy Botting Shipwright 47 pts. If you thought yesterdays report was brief wait until you read this? Not much recollection required; there was no racing! While we were rigging there was wind & rain. When we were due to start there was only a draft, slowing clocking left. The starters waited until 4pm to see if we could get a race in but no luck. AP over A VS. If all goes good we’ll have 3 races tomorrow but will have lost a heat. This means we’ll more than likely crown a new champion tomorrow so why not get down and have a look. Racing to start at 1230pm. Was today just like all the previous days in this regatta? A light easterly breeze with the heavyweights wallowing? There were a few surprises… Race 5. Shark!!! When a fin was noticed near the start line, what do you think the fleet would do. Of course, everyone sailed towards it to have a look. It was only small. White pointer, hammerhead, bull shark, bull mullet, mulloway, goldfish were among the descriptions I heard after the race. And while we were all brave at the time, I did notice that any capsizes were very quickly righted today! Meeks and Firestorm were close all race, separated by only a boat length or two around each buoy. Each took a different gate mark before the final beat to the finish but it was Meeks that went the right way, taking another nice victory. Chook, Hayden & Ben had been snapping on the heels of the leaders all race but had a few kite troubles, eventually crossing in 5th, behind TBS & Range. However Black Diamond had done enough to win comfortably on handicap. Race 6. All about TBS There is not much else to write about in this race. Col, Adam & Janine had the perfect day, jumping to a good lead up the first work, then increasing it on every leg thereafter. Every time I looked they were in good pressure and on a good lift. In the end Troy Botting Shipwright won by over 4 minutes. Well done! As for handicap, TBS took that victory too, again by a very comfortable margin. The rest of us can only hope tomorrow is a different day… I’m sure by now you have read many reports highlighting how close the VS racing is. Day 1 featured a dead heat. The racing on day 2 of the nationals wasn’t quite as close but again seconds separate places, not minutes. Check the results!
Race 3. Go the Lightweights! Another soft Easterly was the breeze of the day. At least the fleet should have known which way to go. After a good even start, one thing became clear. Both Meeks Real Estate & Troy Botting Shipwright were going to be hard to beat. Whilst they are lightweights in crew weight, don’t think they are any less skilled than any others in the fleet. By the time they rounded the windward mark for the first time they had a lead of 100m over the rest of the fleet. Very impressive. Mick, Rob & Mark were particularly on song, sailing superbly to open up a nice lead over TBS. Meeks looked comfortable until they fell into a hole on the last run to allow Col, Adam & Janine to close up at the leeward gate. But Meeks were confident in their speed & took the gun by 5 seconds from TBS. A couple of utes further back, but having their own battle was Range & Firestorm. After a tacking duel to the finish John, Dale & Lindsay took 3rd by 5 seconds over their heavyweight rivals. The next few places were again a race long battle, with positions swapped regularly through the race. In the end Jeremy, Hugh & Tom on SFC claimed 5th, from Black Diamond & Plan B not far behind. Then it got close again. Peter, Steve & Ryan on Stowe are another crew looking for more breeze but had a good race with Battleship. The gap across the line – 2 seconds! With Michael on the helm, Battleship have been tuning throughout the regatta & improved enough today to take an easy handicap victory. Race 4. Return of the Heavyweights? Once again all boats looked set to get away to an even start however the breeze clocked left just as the gun fired. Steve, Mick & Troy seized the moment, tacked & headed right into good pressure. By the time the rest of the fleet tacked to port the lift was gone. As too was Range. With a little more pressure they were flying, rounding the top mark with a good lead over the fleet. TBS and Meeks set about hauling Range in but suffered a few problems. TBS had a kite pulley jamb, which cost them a few swims. Meeks also had a quick swim when they got in an awkward position at the gate. This left the door open for Firestorm, who picked a good lift up the last work to ease in front of Range and take the win. Meeks were again flying & also edged past Range. Mick, Rob & Mark taking 2nd from Steve, Mick & Troy. The battle between Black Diamond, SFC & Plan B was again close. There are plenty of tales after the race of passing & being passed if a lift or a gust is missed. Chook, Hayden & Ben got the got the bragging rights in this race, a ‘comfortable’ 17 seconds ahead of Tim, Lyndon & Mitch, with SFC just a little further back. The slight increase in breeze also helped another ‘heavyweight’. Peter, Steve & Ryan were not far behind SFC across the line, close enough to give Stowe an easy handicap victory from Meeks & Plan B. Early stages yet but Black Diamond, SFC & Plan B are all neck & neck in the overall handicap places. Their 3 way battle continues… With a lay day after the Sid Peare Invitation race, all crews rolled up to the Toronto ASC rigging area fresh & ready for some good racing. And that is what occurred. Good, close sailing from all crews. Check out the results to see how close; seconds or less between places in some cases. It might not have been windy, but most crews were mentally drained at the end of the day. A good start to the series… Heat 1. No local knowledge After a clear start half of the fleet went left and half went right up the first work. Boats on each side looked famous at times, depending on gusts & lifts, but in the end left won the race to the top mark, with Mick, Rob & Mark on Meeks Real Estate leading a close bunch behind. Again though, which way to go on the run? MRE went right. Col, Adam & Janine went left. It might have been close at the bottom but for a problem on MRE that slowed them on a gybe and cost them a few places. TBS loves downwind in these breezes & picked the gusts well, opening up a lead they comfortably held to the finish. Firestorm were lumping around in 2nd, too much weight in the boat & not enough in the breeze their ailment. But they hung on to finish 2nd, from the quickly recovering MRE in 3rd. Tim, Mitch & Lyndon on Plan B also liked the light breeze. For a new crew, they sailed extremely well, as high as 2nd at one stage and held on to come home 4th, good enough to easily claim the handicap victory for the day. But as I said the results were close. Steve, Mick & Troy on Range were also looking for more breeze most of the day, but sailed back through the fleet to dead heat with Plan B for 4th across the line. Heat 2. Still no idea With the same breeze for the second race most crews still seemed to have no firm idea of which side of the course was favoured. Again the bunch was close around the top mark for the first time, again TBS gybe set & went left, Meeks right. These lighter crews revelled in the soft breeze & opened up a nice lead over the rest of the fleet. Firestorm was again lumbering downwind, trying to hold off lightweights such as Plan B, SFC Computers & Black Diamond. Other heavyweights in the fleet, such as Stowe & Battleship were left in the lighter crews wakes. Up front Meeks & TBS both had speed to burn so set about their own personal battle. The Meeks boys kept left on the work, whilst TBS were more right. In the end left paid and Mick, Rob & Mark took the gun with TBS comfortably second. Firestorm hung on for 3rd, somewhat lucky as Black Diamond were only a boat length behind at the final mark but decided to go prawning on the kite set. The party boat must have been planning for a fun night. This allowed Range to slip through to get 4th across the line then it got close again. Black Diamond getting home 1 second ahead of Plan B, who were 2 seconds ahead of SFC. These seconds might be crucial in the overall results. Black Diamond claimed the handicap victory by this 1 second from Plan B and SFC 2 seconds behind in 3rd. A good battle is brewing between these boats… |
Archives
February 2024
Categories |