Recovery after a Bad Start

Some years ago now we were taking part in an inter club (5 clubs) handicap race. 3 starts as I remember, us in the medium fleet. Our fleet had a general recall, no problem I thought I'll just line up for the next start. The gun went off, we had a bad start and we were soon in filthy air. Now matter what I did we fell further back until we were spat out the back......Oh misery.

When we finally got ashore and looked at the results we had won the medium fleet race

....it transpired that we had started with the fast boats and our correct fleet started after them. By the time we had been spat out the back of the fast fleet we were just ahead of the medium fleet. Our Club  team urged me to keep quiet because we needed the points, I did fess up though.


......so it's true, a race is a box of chocolates.

Originally posted by Fraggle I [---]Never give up, you never know what will happen.

The best part of sail racing and why it's held my attention all these years.

Nice stories Fraggle.

Had a few like that myself over the years and they are the sweetest victories when they happen.

Originally posted by fab100 That reminds me of John Oakeley's advice in his book "Winning" Q: what do you do if you are catching up with a known, inveterate luffer A: let someone overtake me and let luffer have them instead, at which you pass both

I think it sometimes depends on whether the race is in a series where you are in contention.

Originally posted by fab100 Originally posted by iGRF The very last boat I'd choose for the lake would be an RS100, total waste of space, having said that, you'd end up good at sailing it if not achieving anything else, you'd certainly never podium. Err - sorry about this, but I do 'podium'. Regularly. Not quite as often as I would in the Laser perhaps, but probably not a dis-similar proportion to when I sailed a 200, even tho you can carry the kite higher in that when the need arises. This includes sailing the 10.2 off 992 And please don't suggest my clubmates cannot therefore sail. Frensham Pond is a pretty high-standard club Monday, for example, was extremely gusty with huge shifts and I was seriously overpowered up wind in the gusts (and would have been in the 8.4 or in a laser). I won by 12 secs in the afternoon, beating a laser I would have had a great duel with if i'd sailed mine. In a pursuit in the morning, I was first dinghy, 3rd, but could not reach the 2.4s So I can compete, Graeme thinks he can't. But impossibility theory disproven

I wasn't talking about you and your lake, Frensham is like the Ocean compared to Redoubt, I won a few club races in it at Hythe, then using the 10.2 in light winds, I could probably give you a run for your money.
I'd never do that on the Redoubt. Then they are not like racing against Frensham Sailing School for the Blind.