Contender Open at Restronguet Sailing Club
by Carl Tagoe 21 Jun 2016 09:06 BST
18-19 June 2016
Contenders at Restronguet © RSC
Team Coach, (Graham Scott) of the NOB - TAG Team (Noble – Tagoe) claimed five straight wins and had a race to spare. Prior to the event, his only professional team advice to the team which had been training for the last two days, was "the water is cold!". This left the NOB – TAG team slightly confused. However Coach knows best!
The sun shone on Saturday as the fleet sailed out into the idyllic Falmouth bay. Little did they know that their brains were to be tactically fried! That little Greek god Aeolus had set an offshore breeze, but not content with the wind shadow of the hills, he devised a cunning plan to make the wind oscillate 15 degrees within a permanent shift pattern; he then peppered it with wholes and bands of wind for fun. The first start was in light airs and Coach and Ed Presley got first and second respectively. In the next race Tom Hooton got a second. In the third race helped by NOB's Rapid Boat Disassembly System (RBDS) and being the beneficiary of a luffing match between others, Tom banked another second. During these three races, with a more in common with Jane Fonda work-out, Ed and TAG showed that one does not need a flaky Greek good to propel a boat.
Alas the Sunday was not in the bay and positions from 2 to 5 were realistically up for grabs. NOB put in a good 4th race which moved him up to second overall. And then it happened. He did not heed the advice of Coach, "the water is cold!" There is a difference in Young's Modulus between the trapezes wires and the shock cord, and whilst tacking he blissfully launched himself into the deep along with his chances of obtain a second overall. "Schadenfreude" thought our European conversant Tom and pipped another second, taking him to 2rd overall.
Alas a King has its day. Unknown to Tom in the last race there is a port and starboard rule, and this combined with dropping the main sheet and practicing free style swimming, cost him dear. By now it was raining hard and wily Coach with his five bullets was packing his boat up and eating Cornish Pasties. While chased by TAG, Ed Presley marched home for a second place overall. Tom came third and TAG fourth i.e. in front of the NOB. Rumour has it the team may be rebranded as TAG-NOB.
As a side note what was nice to see is a strong thriving local Contender fleet set in a wonderful club that can put on a superb venue. Many thanks.