LDC 2000 Class National Championships at Exe Sailing Club - Day 3
by Chris Jordan 5 Aug 2014 19:19 BST
3-8 August 2014
Cracking days sail today, for those who managed it. A little scary on the capsizes in big rolling seas for those that didn't.
The fleet prepared to launch at 10.00, just as the heavens opened and the rain poured down. Phil Morrison very kindly put up an hours postponement - as the visibility had dropped so low they couldn't see the other end of the start line. There were a number of people on the shore who had decided not to venture out (the wind had been blowing 25 knots and more over night, but was forecast to drop during the day to 10-12 knots), who were pleased with the delay and quickly joined the real launch at 11.00.
The beat out to the starting area was done in around 10 knots - hardly enough to stretch the crew onto the deck. Once out on the race track the actual race was started in 14 knots, which dropped back to 11 by the finish. The wind was not the problem - it was the 1.5m to 2 metre swell that was rolling down the course - with the occasional breaker to throw you off course.
Natalie And Darren Roach picked the pin end of the line perfectly, although it was Chris and Gill Jordan who made the best of the beat up the left hand side - only to arrive at the windward mark behind Bonnie Moody and Sarah Burridge who had sailed a perfect beat to lead ahead of Rob / Katie Burridge. Rob and Katie took the lead down the first run, and consolidated up the left hand side of the beat on the second lap; while Chris and Gill threw away 2nd place on the right. Matt and Clare Sargent, chased by Natalie and Darren also picked the left to take second and third places.
The last run was an anxious affair: the wind had dropped to 10-11 knots so going deep was correct. But the 1.5m rolling waves meant more speed could be obtained by correctly surfing down them.
The start of the second race was held in 11 knots or so, which quickly built on the first beat to a solid 16-18. This generated larger waves on top of the swell, and quite a few incidents!
Simon Horsfield and Tom Bernal tried starting early at the pin end, and rather than gybing around as Dave Adams and Kristina Harborne did, tried tacking onto port - which caused a bit of a pile up and one or two "suggestions for where to go"!
A number of kites disappeared under the boats - catching the kite in a wave as it appears out of or back into the chute is never a good thing: and the sudden emergency stop doesn't help the heart rate for the people close behind.
The rolling waves on port were generating dramatic speeds as people hurtled down-hill into the leeward gate: just hoping that the starboard gybe boats would keep clear, as any change of direction of the port boats would have caused a capsize - as happened fairly often!
A boat stopped using the spinnaker as a sea anchor, or a capsized boat, between the leeward marks or at the gybe point on the run caused many an anxious moment, a protest against barging in at the mark, and a few sudden change of course for the following boats.
Natalie and Darren Roach kept neatly clear of the melee at the pin end of the start and stormed away - they took and kept the lead all the way around. Fergus Barnham and Abbie Hewitt joined in the speed race in 2nd place, until the last lap when Rob / Katie slipped past them.
The fleet then enjoined a sand castle building competition, and are looking forward to a lay day tomorrow - while carefully studying the results at: www.exe-sailing-club.org/dinghy_results/2000_Nationals_Results.htm