Who was out this weekend?.....

The Medway was light, so light my crew wouldn't go out.  I took the 4000 out single handed but never got on the wire.  I capsised a couple of times and found it very difficult to get the boat on its side from inverted.  We are a heavy crew so the racks are narrow so standing on a rack won't do it and in no wind there's no tendency for the hull to blow along relative to the rig so it stays resolutely inverted unless I hang out from the centreboard for an awful long time.  Once its on its side  its all OK.

The wind came up a bit in the afternoon and we went well but riuned it when I tried to sail past the bow of a moored gaff cutter.  Hidden behind the gennaker was an 8foot bowsprit at about spreader hieght - that stopped us dead and it took a while to get disentangled.  However we persevered and such is our performance these days we actually go back enough to mix it with the fleet but no doubt not a good handicap result.

I know it is complete egomaina... but I have to do this.....

Just won my first open meeting... WOOP!!!!!

OK, so I own an enterprise and a N12, and this was a laser open at Shustoke and I had to borrow a boat to do it. but,. WOW!

Because of how friiken good I feel Ill give a report on the day. First race start, short line, boat end bias. arrive early a third of the way down and defend defend, 10 secs to go had a boat hit my space, hung as long as I could then got pushed, thought I was gonna be over, hardened up with 3 secs to go, and luckily, the mid line was sagging. punched off the line, decided the wind was to the right, tacked off, crossed the fleet and hit the corner. I was right. Did a horizon job on the fleet.

HUGE grins, thought I was just lucky. stated to everyone who would listen that a repeat performance was not gonna happen.

2nd race.  great line set.  slight port bias so I headed for the pin. repeat of race 1, held the position, till 5 secs to go, got pushed, got out of it hit the line at speed.... wohooooo!  then went the middle of the course when I knew the right was favoured.  lying about 5th half way up the beat... played the shifts, got to 3nd by the windward mark.  In shock at this stage.... maybe race 1 was not so lucky. 

battle ensued. leader threatening to do a horizon on me, both of us cleared the fleet.  I didnt cover downwind first half because I figured a solid 2nd was a good result, so lets get distance. we got distance.

 3rd lap, I hung to my instincts, ignored the shifts and bank hugged the lake up the beat. .... made up 40 yds then won the tacking battle through the shifts.... shorten course.... cue finish, clear the line, jump out the boat!!!

Sailed the 3rd race for the fun of it. middling start, 6th round the windward, 3rd at the leaward, 6th by the end of the lap.  was considering calling it a day as the first 3 boats decided to take a completley different course to that prescribed by the SIs. elevated to 3rd with a lot of swearing going on, and got into another upwind light wind tacking duel with the boat ahead..... 

had I had another half lap I could have caught the leader had 3 bullets.

problem now is..... maybe I should buy a laser?

Had a nice sail on saturday in the five with about five to six knots of breeze  first race we lost first place on corrected time by three seconds so a very handy second.The second race of the day about the same just a bit more tide anyway this we won on corrected time by four seconds over a dead heat on time for second so a good day for us still leading the series.

Well done to enterprising a great feeling to win your first event.

No sailing for me on sunday as had to work