Conwy Fife One Design 'A' Series at Royal Anglesey Yacht Club - Race 2

Conwy Fife One Design 'A' Series Race 2 © Ian Bradley

'The Riddle of the Sands'

Like many places around the coast of the UK, Sailors at the RAYC have the challenge of avoiding the extensive areas of sand which reveal themselves at low water, and we also have the added confusion of a tidal pattern that still manages to confuse the best in the fleet (so the rest of us have no chance!) This being the case starting at or around low water is always an interesting intellectual challenge, as was the case on Bank Holiday Monday.

The Race Control Team, ably led by Nick, set course 14 from the wide and varied choices in the handbook, this was a simple windward / leeward course of B6, B12, B8, B12, B8, B10. When I say simple, if boats could sail in straight lines, it would have been, but with the prominent, but, covering sands visible to all and with a building, adverse flood tide also part of the mix, it was going to be a challenging day.

As usual, the fleet prowled up and down the line, playing 'spoof' with each other whilst trying to decide which end to start.

A resplendent 24 (Gavin & Arwel) got the best of the Anglesey shore start, with 28 (Jeremy, Alan & Sarah), 29 (Trigger OBL, Stevie and G) 41 (Family Yates) and 38 (Mike & Steve). At the ODM'S, 42 found themselves alone and in clear air as they took the long Port tack along the edge of the banks.

The Anglesey starters soon decided to cross the tide to join 42, all except 28 that is, who was seen to do the 'Circles of Shame' shortly after the start (should have gone to Specsavers ?) Having done the decent thing, they then decided to roll the dice and take the Anglesey shore.

The rest of the fleet were now engaged in discovering who had the best dipping technique and the strongest nerves. I should point that, as the class is not allowed electronic aids, dipping with a long stick is the way we establish depth. 41, having moved into the lead showed the way as we headed towards the visible bank past B8, with 42 and 29 in close company. It would appear that the banks have moved over the winter as the channel seemed narrower than last year, and crossing the tide to the Anglesey shore was not an option, as 24 had found to their cost.

As the 4 front runners risked all to hug the banks, 24 found a beautiful lift and sailed up the middle of the channel, to round in first place, followed by 42, 41, 29 & 38, with 24 some way behind, the long run to B12 saw no changes in position and the order was the same as we rounded B12.

Now the 'normal' (if that word can ever be applied to the Menai Strait} route on a flooding tide, would be to sail into the moorings, Just clear the pier, then short tack along the Anglesey shore, however with a strong Northerly component to the breeze, the Starboard tack in was painful, (as 38 found to their cost), so the fleet headed for the ODM's, with 28 leading the fleet.

With your correspondent now being in a position of being unable to read the sail numbers of the boats in front, He isn't sure who rounded B8 first, but thinks it was 42, The run to B12 saw no changes at the front.

Again the leaders took the ODM route, while 38 chose to head for the moorings again (one of the definitions of madness is to repeat a failed action expecting a different outcome) a move which didn't last long as it was too painful. However in a demonstration of the reason why one should never give up (and also proving that luck sometimes plays no small part in success) 38 started to lift aided by a healthy dose of lee bowing tide, an increasingly incredulous Steve and Mike saw themselves move from 'zero to hero' to first close with and then pass the fleet who were taking the painful Starboard tack away from the banks.

As the saying goes, 'Pride comes before a fall' as 38 briefly parked on the sands, moving from 'Hero to Zero' in the blink of an eye. Just to rub salt into the wound, 24, who were maybe 5 boat lengths to windward, missed the sand completely, But 29. even further to windward also ground to a halt to move into a solid last place.

42 having rounded B8 clear ahead of the pack sailed on to take their second successive win this year, followed by 28, 42, 38, 24 and 29.

See you next Saturday.