Crouch Yacht Club Autumn Series - Race 1
by Phillip Harbott 5 Oct 2017 07:19 BST
1 October 2017
Crouch Yacht Club Autumn Series Race 1 © Phillip Harbott
The first race in the CYC Autumn Series started on Sunday with a good breeze and the rain clearing. The fleet started together, with an IRC division and local handicap.
Mantra, Phillip Harbott's Aphrodite 101 got a great start, bang on the line on the gun heading down to Number 3 with the tide. Digger Harden and Pete Jackson's Glorious Fools were also powered up for the start, with the Corby 29 owned by Duncan and Beccy Haley sailing through Mantra to leeward. The local handicap division, also with three starters today saw John Saunders in his Elan 31 Jeannie get the best start, followed by the SJ27 Grace and Danger helmed by George Clarke and Alan Hannah's Jaguar 21, Thistle.
After rounding Number 3 the fleet headed up river to Cliff and Canewdon before heading back down to Number 9. At Number 15 on the way up river, Double Trouble leading, hoisted her spinnaker first, followed by Mantra who were second on the water. Glorious Fools, the J80, managed to get through Mantra just before Cliff and the positions didn't change in IRC until Glorious Fools sailed to the wrong mark on the second up river leg, rounding Number 13 instead of Cliff Reach-, subsequently retiring on realising their error.
Double Trouble finished first followed closely by Mantra, with Mantra saving her time on the Corby, winning by over 3 minutes on handicap. In the Local Handicap fleet John Saunders was well ahead of the two smaller boats and won on corrected time from Grace and Danger, with Thistle in third.