Well, I think I have just about thawed out.  The fingers have thawed out enough to do this epistle.  I am sure yesterday was the coldest and wettest day we have had this winter. 

8 idio…  no no … 8 hardly souls turned up wondering what to expect with the forecast the way that it was.  Fortunately, the deck was not as wet as we expected, and was rather protected from the elements, with the wind at the back of the Clubhouse.

So the rain – it wasn’t really rain – more like a constant shower with breaks in between – persisted until the marks were placed.  The conditions were unusual to the point that a course we rarely see was placed parallel to the line from the end of the deck at the west end to the point of the pontoon.  So the course was close in, with all the marks well in sight.

There were wind squalls running through occasionally, but flat spots as well.  The water was also flat, so in spite of the weather, there were good sailing conditions.  Strangely enough, the conditions out further into the bay were less beneficial than sailing in closer to the Clubhouse.  C sails were the go, although there were a few occasions where a B could have been used possibly.

I think everyone enjoyed the sailing, given the day.  It was commented that it was a smaller fleet than usual; the course was good; so it allowed for more “open” sailing.  Irrespective of the result sheet, I think everyone enjoyed time near the front of the fleet.

Graham Brown again showed how to master the conditions with 6 1sts. He really is a hard man to pass.  It was good to see Rob Lowndes on the dais with 3 well sailed 1^st places, and I took one as well.  But it was great to see the podium places spread through the fleet.  I recall seeing Richard Thorpe and Philip Hetherington sailing at the front in many of the races; and Judy Evans and Karen Paterson popping up around me at various times.  Bruce Paterson had the only gear problem, with managing to throw off his sail winch runner, but was able to get back into the racing rather quickly.  It looks like we have very similar boat speeds, and it is just in the tacking processes and understanding of the conditions that is the difference between us.

Graham Brown 1^st on 12 points.
Rob Lowndes 2^nd on 18 points
Noel McPherson 3^rd on 23 points.

Everyone went home cold, but with a smile… great racing.

Our next sail will be Thursday 3 October, and will be our popular monthly Handicap racing.

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