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Maylandsea Bay Sailing Club Winter Series - Day 1
1 November 2009By Alan Jackson 04 Nov 2009 07:22
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A wicked weather forecast of high winds and stair rods of rain decimated the dinghy fleet at the first outing of the winter series regatta.
This annual event has been gathering visitors from around the Blackwater River in increasing numbers for the last couple for years, but sadly this was not the best of starts with a 9:45 start.
It was a goodly sight to see Mrs Evelyn Darby in the front line collecting the entries.
The notice board sported a new course card and once again contained every mark to be rounded in every direction.
With an hour to race start time it was clear that the fleet was showing wisdom and had already sorted the best seats to view the desperate sailors looking for a low count in the score line. The water was flat and showing cats paws clapping away to the north and increasing grey cloud travelling at high speed, which set a mood of anxiety in the race box. The race committee had already set a short length course taking the fleet no further than the race mark North Shore but containing 13 legs.
Dean and Rob, sailing a Hornet, won the start and were a very welcome return to the bay. The short broad reaching leg, in the now quite squally wind conditions, to the first rounding mark saw the overlapped boats showing great keenness, with Dean and Rob pulling away from Jacko and Lorna, sailing the Merlin and Steve and Gordon, sailing a Lark, close behind. The fleet passing the club and bearing away at race mark 2 onto a dead run showing good boat handling skills as they sped past the marina pontoons.
By this time Dean and Rob, having upped the kite, had done a horizon job on what was left of the fleet round Bay and Jetty and on the next run again kite up and showing great boat skills. Steve and Gordon and Peter Playle sailing the Laser, also a welcome return to the bay, were looking pretty steady as the first really heavy squall set in with lashings of rain flattening the water. At this point half the fleet turned for home. leaving Jacko and Lorna and Peter gritting teeth on the windward leg to mark 3.
Jacko and Lorna got stuck in for the return legs to the club line. Peter took a number of bad shifty squalls leading to much lying with the fishes and Dean and Rob having found themselves out in front in wicked squalls and blatted by horizontal rain, lost the plot a bit and race mark Bay.
This was a disappointing end to a fierce sail but Bay was located and rounded and taking on the last windward leg to the finish had sadly lost too much time losing the lead on corrected time to Jacko and Lorna.
Race 1 Results:
1st Alan Jackson and Lorna Laval, Merlin
2nd Dean Saxon and Rob Smith, Hornet
3rd Peter Playle, Laser
The next race is on Sunday 8th November at 14:25
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