Crouch Yacht Club Nutcracker Race 3
by Phillip Harbott 16 Dec 2014 07:09 GMT
14 December 2014
Grace and Danger in the Crouch Yacht Club Nutcracker Race 3 © Marion and Simon Kiddle
The final race in the Crouch Yacht Club's Nutcracker Series took place today on a cold, frosty and windy morning, which was thankfully dry!
Six boats started, with all being a little line shy. Duncan Haley's SJ320 Double Trouble were first to cross the line; six seconds after the gun. The fleet headed all the way up to Short Pole Reach by Fambridge. Charlie Ball's Tumblehome II were more to leeward and picked up speed quickly in the middle of the river, with Digger Harden's Mustang 30 Stampede also getting a good start. The local handicap fleet were slightly further back from the line, with Grace and Danger helmed this week by Stephen Gosling getting the best start.
The fleet fetched up river, with a beat between Cliff and Canewdon. Double Trouble, the highest rated boat were in the lead on the water, and for a while Tumblehome II owned by Charlie Ball, Bryn Fisher and Julian Fitzgerald in second; Stampede getting back through them after Creeksea, and remaining there. In the Local Handicap division, Mantra owned by Phillip Harbott, and Grace and Danger owned by Roger Noble, Stephen Gosling and Andrew Courts raced closely for the whole time.
After rounding Short Pole Reach, Mantra suffered from spinnaker issues, first hoisting with a massive twist and then catching the kite on the way up, leading them to abandon the idea of flying a spinnaker. Grace and Danger consequently got through Mantra during this time, and Mantra sailed hard to get back to them.
After Creeksea, Mantra managed to get back through them, and sailed down on the North Shore, ensuring more of a reach to the line. Grace and Danger, the SJ27, broached under spinnaker, but by this point, Phillip Harbott in Mantra had got ahead of them and took first place on the water. Mark Lyons in Rode Grutt was close behind these two, and although third on the water, a threat on corrected time.
In the IRC class, Double Trouble reached home under a very shy spinnaker, and sailed hard down, avoiding broaching between the wharf and the line. Duncan took line honours, and was a good distance ahead of Stampede who were second on the water. Tumblehome II were in third.
On corrected time in Class One IRC, Double Trouble won by two minutes from Stampede, with Tumblehome II third. Overall, this gave the series to Duncan Haley in Double Trouble. In Local Handicap, the winner of today's race would take the series, and Rode Grutt had managed to save her time on the other two, taking first today, and first overall. Grace and Danger were a minute behind in second, with Mantra a further minute behind on corrected time.