Zhik Poole Week at Parkstone Yacht Club - Day 4
by David Harding 27 Aug 2015 08:34 BST
23-28 August 2015
And may the sun shine once again on Poole Harbour...
What a day it turned out to be, the Wednesday of Zhik Poole Week 2015. It started with the rain hammering down. It has been doing that a lot lately. But by the time the racing got under way at 13:00, there was a strange feel to the air. It was dry – or at least less wet than it has been for some time. People were unsure what to make of the strange sensation of sailing without having to wipe the rain from their eyes. This sort-of-dry air was also wafting across a rather grey harbour at an unexciting but perfectly pleasant 8-12 knots.
Half an hour later the sky was was no longer grey. The cloud had cleared away and the wind picked up to 15 knots. From then on it just got better and better: brighter and breezier, and then breezier still. By the final two reaches of the Lasers' third race it was gusting over 25 knots. As several Laser sailors put it, it was a matter of hanging on tight and trying to see where you were going through the spray.
The Lasers' three races saw three different winners, all from the home club. Andrew Hartley took the first, Roger Hakes the second and overall leader Bob Cudmore the third by a country mile to extend his lead over Hakes to six points. Hayling Island SC visitor Richie Bailey added a 3, 2, 2 to his score-card to remain very much in contention in 5th place.
Also sailing in the top triangle for much of the time, with a few excursions down to Parkstone Bay, the XOD fleet threw up no surprises with Eric Williams sailing Ken Latham's Sawdust to a 2nd and 1st. The previous day the entire fleet had been given a master-class by multiple Cowes Week winner John Tremlett, who guest-helmed Mike Pascal's Zoe to take the gun in both races.
While the top-triangle fleets and the Wayfarers were given two or three races, the Dolphins and Shrimpers had one each. For the Dolphins it was round-the-islands day and the Shrimpers enjoyed one super-extended race that they all reckoned was the best of the week so far.
Although the headline action took place on the race course, there was plenty of excitement elsewhere. It started early in the day when the race officers opened up the committee boat, Ron Cox, to be greeted by a crow that had managed to find its way down below.
Later on it was games afternoon for the non-sailors. Jenny Pipe – Poole Week's MC and Lady of Many Other Talents – and Angie Mullane organised an afternoon of fun and frolics culminating in a crabbing competition from the marina.
The day was rounded off by the prize giving, where the spoils were presented by Tristan Hutt from Zhik. Tristan will be returning to Parkstone in a few weeks in his role as middle-man on the leading 18ft Skiff, Pica.
On Thursday, the penultimate day of Poole Week, many classes are due to race in Poole Bay. It will be interesting to see if the move to open water brings any new names to the front of the fleets.
Full results on www.pooleweek.org