Crouch Yacht Club Autumn Series - Day 5
by Phillip Harbott 4 Nov 2012 20:06 GMT
4 November 2012
Gusty wet conditions greeted the Crouch Yacht Club Autumn Series fleet on Sunday for Race five of the series.
In Class One just Alan Bartlett's Inn Spirit and Tony and Chuffy Merewether's Sunfast 3200 Amazon raced, Amazon with two reefs, Inn Spirit, helmed by Ian Hart, under full mainsail. With gusts of thirty plus knots just before and at the start, the boats started on the South Shore and beat down river towards Inner Crouch, making a long and a short tack. However, from just past the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, the boats were able to lay the first mark. Inn Spirit set their small spinnaker, and Amazon their code zero. The boats rounded Holliwell and headed up to Jubilee, before rounding Redward to head up river. Inn Spirit had a large on the water lead and beat Amazon by over 10 minutes on corrected time. As a team, however, they took a first and second to continue to build their lead in the Peter Barker Team Trophy.
In Class Two, only Roger Noble went out in Quencher, the SJ320, and started under two reefs. However, as the wind dropped to 15 knots and below through the race, she sailed home with full main and a headsail.
Next week the starts are later as it is Remembrance Sunday. The Hunter 707s warning signal is at 11.30 am. Boats are invited to pick up a mooring off the War Memorial to observe the silence.
The 'Druncan Sailors' have started their Movember challenge well, with several new recruits joining the team. Enthusiasm is high, but actual growth harder to see as yet!