TGIF Racing at Lee-on-the-Solent Sailing Club

TGIF Racing at Lee-on-the-Solent Sailing Club © Gary Taw

Friday 5pm saw the first of this year's TGIF racing, which follows a different approach to handicap racing.

Mark Spruce and Ed Child worked up some numbers and came up with the idea of handicapping by distance rather than time (yes it's been done before at the Triangulation) by having a combination of variable beat and reach to in theory correct the handicap to produce a tight finish. I imagine vast quantities of wine/rum were used to work out the distances depending upon boat strengths and weaknesses. The other twist is that the race is started from our club balcony rather than the club signal station making it more spectator friendly, (also means the RO can have a sneaky beer or something suitable)

Race 1 start was interesting with a certain Blaze attempting a late barge into the pin end calling starboard and causing several other boats to have a rubbish start but creating a hole for Mark Tucker sailing his Hadron to get away clean. He sailed away being chased by Steve Jackson in his Aero 6 and Alex Cory the only Blaze who hadn't been caught in the start chaos and Sam in his ILCA 6 Williams with the difference in windward marks and then Gybe marks tightening things up before the short run and back through the start and onto the beat.

Race 1 Results: First Mark Tucker, Second Steve Jackson, 3rd Alex Cory.

Race 2 After consideration it was decided to shorten the beat and lengthen the reach for the Phantoms.

The first attempt at the start had to be abandoned after the race team dropped the warning flag of the club balcony!

Mark decided to go for clean air but into the tide and it got him away clean and he lead from start to finish although you could again see the course closing up the boats on the run and beat to the start line.

Race 2 Results: First Mark Tucker, Second Alex Cory, Third Steve Jackson.

The racing was followed by much chatting and laughing in the bar about start madness by someone and a capsize by Tommy Russel in a borrowed Phantom.