Who was out this weekend?.....

Medway Grand Prix last Sunday.  It used to be called the Creeks Race and is usually an opportunity to race up and around some of the creeks at high tide.  This year it was mainly in the main channel.

I left my watch at home and had difficulty in seeing the flags on the Wilsonian SC committee boat and so we confused the 5 minute signal with the 1 minute signal which put us at the back of the fast fleet by the 1st windward mark.

We gained a bit on the next close reach but sailed with everybody else into the doldrums between the advancing easterly sea breeze and the prevailing South Westerly.  Some boats escaped this dead patch better than others but it stetched the fleet out and rather spoilt the racing.

As usual we had great upwind speed and gradually gained on the 29er, left the 800 and Vortex behind.  We could see another 800 leading and the Alto way in the distance and gained very slightly on the Alto but never made contact.

There wasn't enough wind for us to really blast downwind and indeed at one point we passed a Blaze (which had started a half hour earlier) at great speed as we tried a hot angle but when we gybed back we met the Blaze again - we had gained only 50m in a kilometre, we had gained on the 29er though so weren't doing much wrong.

It was tricky judging if we should sail hot with long boards across an adverse tide, or sail deep and try and dodge the tide, or keep it hot but short to avoid the tide.  Clearly we didn't get it quite right as the Vortex caught us downwind on the other hand we caught and passed the 29er.

A great sail though and the first this year that didn't need a wetsuit.

PS does anybody want to share this 4000 next season?

Did Llandudno's 'long distance' Constable Buoy race. About 10miles round trip. Pretty dissapointing. I started well in my 300 and finished the 100m beat ahead. after that it was just a deep reach to the buoy and a one sided beat all the way back. Spent the whole 1hr 18mins sailing on my own with no boats nearby followed by a Gp14 which was 15mins back on the start.

Best part was getting to see some dolphins on the way out including a baby which was mabe 1.5m long. Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!!!

Beginning to get a bit bored of Llandudno as I just sail by myself the whole race, what other clubs are nearby which I should think about next year?

Challenging conditions at home....A strong shifty slightly offshore breeze made even more gusty by the Sovereign Harbour development. So upwind the close to shore option provided a lift but in weeker gusty breeze (as I was told although I never went there}, the middle of the beat was as gusty and unpredictable as it could be, going out gave steadier stuff but at the expense of sailing into the stronger tide.

The second race we got hit by a particularly nasty "Chatham Way" gust.  ......... I am told that London Rd in St Leonards similarly makes victims of some, the resulting capsizes are usually accompanied by the windborne whiff of kebabs and cheap cider though.....