COGS - Cornwall Offshore Group Series - Races 1 & 2
by Andrew Laming 19 Apr 2016 17:54 BST
16-17 April 2016
COGS - Coastal Offshore Group Series - Races 1 & 2 © Andrew Laming
Lively conditions greeted the sixteen strong fleet of yachts for the first COGS (Cornwall Offshore Group Series) races of the year.
Race 1 on Saturday saw the boats set out from a start line at Black Rock in the Carrick Roads for a race to a mark 8 miles off the Dobman followed by a beat against the wind to an inshore mark near Par Beach.
A relatively short broad reach took boats down to the Cannis Cardinal before a turn into the fickle winds of the Fowey River and a finish on the Royal Fowey Yacht club line. For Race 2 on Sunday the fleet sailed directly back from a start by Cannis to the Helford and a warm welcome at the sailing club.
For the first race to Fowey, fifteen boats faced the force 5-6 winds for the eastbound trip, with most deciding to reef and use smaller headsails. Riot a Farr 41 was out before the start with a rope round the prop.
Stuart Sawyer's J111, Black Dog, made the brave decision to fly an isometric off the line on the short leg down out of the bay, but a sheet caught above the boom meant the sail had to be dropped. The boats turned onto a close reach for the long drag down to the A radar mark off the Dobman with most glad they had decided to reef. At the front of the fleet, the battle was between the new COGS boat Jinja a Pogo 12.5, and Black Dog, with Jinja ahead as they turned upwind. But, on the beat, against an unpleasant chop, it was Black Dog that pulled ahead for the win. The graceful Swan 47 Sarabande denied Jinja 2nd place on corrected time.
E class was won by Euan Beattie in Aura with Jo Walker second and Jack Penty 3rd in Noon Hi. Aura also won the two handed class.
On Sunday, light winds threatened to delay the start of the return race to Helford, but the breeze filled in enough for things to get underway on time. Light and flukey conditions saw boats go offshore to try to pick up the promised new breeze as they crossed St Austell Bay. Black Dog once again led the charge finding her own zephre of wind and escaping round the Dobman into the freshening breeze. Once the stronger wind established spinnakers came up for the boats that could hold them and the sprint was on back to Helford in near perfect force 4 flat water conditions under a clear blue sky. Black Dog was well ahead for the win with E class once again led home by Aura who also again won the 2 handed class.
Falmouth - Fowey Results
IRC
1st Black Dog
2nd Sarabande
3rd Jinja
4th Inn Spirit
5th, Afrita
6th Scorpion
7th General Khaos
8th Chiara
E Class
1st Aura
2nd Juno
3rd Noon Hi
4th Tai Mo Shan
5th Merlin
6th Apotheosis
7th Cimaroon
2 handed class
1st Aura
2nd Noon Hi
3rd Apotheosis
Fowey - Helford Results:
IRC
1st Black Dog
2nd Scorpion
3rd Sarabande
4th Afrita
5th General Khaos
6th Inn Spirit
7th Chiara
8th Jinja
E Class
1st Aura
2nd Tai Mo Shan
3rd Noon Hi
4th Juno
5th Apotheosis
6th Cimaroon
2 handed class
1st Aura
2nd Noon Hi
3rd Apotheosis
www.cogsracing.org.uk