Cherubs at the New Quay Yacht Club Regatta

New Quay held it's annual regatta from the 8th to 10th of August this year with 3 cherubs in attendance, namely Mark and Scott in Dangerous Strawberry, Rob and Simon in Strangely Brown Mango Jam with Simon driving and Gav crewing, along with many lasers, two canoes, some big cats, fireballs and many others.

All 3 where a minute or two late for the 9:45 start on the first day, but the gusty offshore F3-4 was almost ideal with mango taking the lead by the windward mark. The course was a triangle with the first reach very tight and the second rather broad. Mango extened it's lead over the fleet with each lap finishing several minuites ahead of the next boat, an asymmetric canoe with strangely close behind and strawberrybehind that suffereing with rope horse problems.

Race 2 and the wind was up some more and looking very good from the beach, on the water it became clear it was windier than it looked. This time all the cherubs where on the line and rounded the first mark just behind the two canoes. the course was a trapezoid with the first reach barely kiteable as the gusts bowled down from the cliff tops. Mango was just holding off strawberry on the second reach when strawberry got blown flat by a mean gust, but strangely managed to get in it and show how it should be done twinning at ridiculous speed giving there new home built mast a good test. At the leeward mark mango rounded ahead of strangely with strawberry now upright but engulfed by lasers. The wind gradually increased throughout the race giving spectacular downhill rides in the gusty but flat conditions. At the end it was mango, then strangely followed by strawberry.

The last race of the day and the keelboats where just finishing with one or two reefs in, it was windier. with 25knots in the gusts the day was just getting better. Mango led off the line with strawberry inches behind at the windward mark, the lightweights in strangely close behind that. It was another triangular coarse with the first reach too tight for spinnakers, even strawberry didn't try. Mango hoisted first and hooked into a big gust all the way to the leeward mark pulling out on strawberry. strangely fell in and discovered a spreader had parted from the mast in a wipe out so nursed the rig back to shore. Strawberry gained on the beat as it was finally windy enough for them to be overpowered too, but with all that righting moment something had to give, the car on the self tacker broke leaving them unable to sheet the jib, so intot he beach they headed too. This left mango to take line honours ahead of colin newman in his canoe.

Day 2 dawned sunny, but with a distinct lack of wind. Mango was the only cherub to go out for race one as the other two where fixing after the first day. well they didn't miss much as the wind shifter all round the compass and was zero for much of the race. The other races that day where much of the same, with strawberry joining in in the afternoon to try and beat the lasers across the line.

Day 3 dawned with the sun burning brighter than the previous day but with somehow even less wind. at least the direction was from the open sea so it was constant, constantly zero. Mango and strawberry made it for the first start with strangely opting to tune the fixed mast on the beach. Mango and strawberry traded places on the run to the first mark with mango just beating them to the buoy, the ensuing beat saw the 2 cherubs creep forward and into the pack of lasers with mango still just holding off strawberry at the windward mark. The coarse was shortened after one lap thankfully with strawberry making a late slow speed charge for the line, but too late as mango just pipped them.

Race 2 of the final day and the wind was up a little, to about 3-4 knots at the start. All 3 cherubs where on the line with strangely taking the lead from the windward end with amngo seond and strawberry 3rd. On the reach to the second mark on the figure-of-8 coarse strangely and mango sailed to near the front of the fleet, with only the asymmetric canoe and a scorpion ahead. Strawberry however was engulfed by lasers and slipped back a little. At the leeward mark mango ran into the back of strangely on the drop so did a few turns. When the spinning had stopped mango noticed some breeze out to sea so headed that way, overtaking strangely and moving up to second on the water. Strawberry followed and progressed through the fleet at a rapid snails pace. The wind then went to zero, completely flat calm, not a sausage.Mango drifted well to the next markholding it's place on the water, gaining a little on the canoe, whereas strawberry had found the go button and progressed through the fleet at a fraction of a second.

The final race was more of the same, strangely and strawberry opted for the beach with mango drifting along with the much smaller fleet for the final race. still no wind so another race for the crew to lie on the foredeck for all of it.

So overall lightwinds but day one more than made up for it, lots of ice-cream, lots of chips, lots of sun, bucket loads of sand and the dolphins where out in force too.

Overall Results:

1st Mango Jam
2nd Dangerous Strawberry
3rd Strangely Brown