RLymYC Ocean Safety Thursday Night Racing Early Series - Day 6
by Vicky Leen, RLymYC 5 Jun 2018 07:36 BST
31 May 2018
With just 3-5 knots of breeze, Jane Pitts-Pitts the RO for the evening was determined to give everyone a race. The team gave the racers a simple windward-leeward with the tide just turning to the flood as the six classes started.
The remains of the ebb tide swept IRC1 up to 'B' Dunford with the tide still running west offshore and east inshore. Offshore looked the right way to go but there seemed a little more wind inshore which meant a few places were swopped on this leg with the call as to when to tack out to the Dunford buoy being crucial. Several boats didn't get the lay-lines right and frustratingly had to make last minute tacks to make the windward mark. The wind on the downwind leg was very fluky by now with the flood tide spread across the course, no advantage was had by either the asymmetric or symmetric boats. Sensibly the race committee called a shortened course, finishing at Berthon. To get there the best tactic seemed to be to gybe on the puffs, keeping offshore but in the line of tide for the finish so that whatever happened one would be swept across the line and not beside it.
In the end, just over 6 minutes separated all 10 competing boats. Line honours and 1st place went to 'Fidelitas' (Mark Broadway) followed by 'JellyBaby' (William Newton) and 'Aventurera' (David Gough) claimed 3rd place after handicap corrections.
Most of the J80 class wanted to head inshore and take the bias at the pin, 'Wildcat 3' thought they were over and went back only for the x-ray flag to stay up, only one boat was over and that was 'J Caramba' (Henry Castledine). It was not to be 'Wildcat 3's' night as not long after they ran aground hugging the shore and didn't get off for ½ hr although they valiantly sailed on to finish within the time limit. Meanwhile 'No Regrets' took the better pressure slightly offshore to lead around the top mark with 'Checkmate' (Ray Mitchell) just a few lengths back. The wind was getting lighter but the flood had started to run and the fleet gybed their way with the apparent wind down to the shortened course at the leeward mark being careful not to miss the line on the tide. 'Jeronimo' (Sam Roach) who has almost rebuilt his J80 over the winter overtook a few boats on the approach to the finish in a little zephyr to take 3rd.
Full race and series results can be found here.