Woolwich Ramsgate Week 2002 - Day 2

Sunday 11th August

Class 1:

At the start Assassin and The Matrix were over the line. Assassin came back and re-started but The Matrix couldn't get back to the line very well for some time. Sensor had the best start and we had a beat to the first marker, Simrad buoy. Push the Tempo were first boat around that mark followed by Sensor and Ding Dong. The next leg was all spinnakers and the tide changed and we had to work our way through the other classes. Push the Tempo was first around the East Brake with Beatnic and Monkey Business.

The next leg was a one tack beat with Assassin back in second place by the East Brake. Push the Tempo went in front of all four classes followed by Crikey and Assassin back to East Brake from Woolwich. Push the Tempo tried to fly spinnaker and gave up. The course was changed and Push the Tempo and Assassin were neck to neck to the Committee Boat followed by Crikey and Sensor. The wind died at the two-thirds point and Push the Tempo and Ding Dong started to go to the wrong mark and dropped back allowing most of Class 1 and 2 to catch up. Sensor had the best of the beat to Bosun's Locker and took the lead in Class 1 with Assassin followed by The Geek and Foxtrot very strongly. However, corrected results showed a reversal of first and second place, with The Matrix in third.

Class 2:

From the Committee Boat windward start to the Simrad buoy, first round was Crikey ….!!, second General Tapioca from Belgium (Philip Pilate), followed by Exotic and X-Factor for a spinnaker reach to the Bosun's Locker buoy and then a run to the East Brake. By this time Class 2 was overhawling the traffic of Class 3 and 4. Crikey goes to the right, Exotic goes to the left and X-Factor goes down the middle. Crikey rounded the East Brake first followed by Exotic, X-Factor and Mr Lifter for a fetch back to the Simrad buoy where we had a course change, wind changes. From beating to the Bosun's Locker the spinnakers are raised and Exotic overhawls Crikey and X-Factor rounds third. This order did not change until the finish at Pearson Gore buoy.

Class 3:

At the start Astrid was leading followed by Beatnic for a beat to the Bosun's Locker. Astrid rounds first followed by Beatnic and Hullabaloo. Astrid went out to sea followed by Beatnic whose hull became involved with other yachts until the East Brake for a spinnaker run with fairly light airs. Astrid rounded the next marker hard on the wind followed by Beatnic. As the tide changed the wind dropped and the boats that hadn't rounded the mark were totally stuck. It then took 20 minutes to get around the buoy and continue. When we got down to Navico buoy for the last time the wind died. Astrid crossed the line first followed by Beatnic and Leda, although much confusion was caused by the variation of markers and running out of wind.

Class 4:

Scallywag was over the line at the start and recovered. Reaction went for a flyer and led the first mark followed by Blue Imp, Zipper and Monkey Business. A very long spinnaker run to Bosun's Locker and East Brake. From that leg Monkey Business put a spurt on and pulled through to lead at East Brake from Blue Imp. From then it stayed very much in that order with Zipper in third place until the final extended part of the course as a triangle. A strong foul tide and the whole fleet fell into a hole with no wind, which changed everything at Bosun's Locker, at which point Blue Imp and Scallywag came back into the fore with Monkey Business.

More Information:

• YachtsandYachting.com Woolwich Ramsgate Week Page
• Woolwich Ramsgate Week Website