Race Report - 10/11 May

Weekend 2 is reported on by Pietro Strada, sailing Dreamer.

Last weekend offered some wonderful sailing in perfect conditions on both days: SE wind 10-15 knots, sunshine, 18°C temperature. It was great to see 12 boats competing on the water both days and I am sure that everybody enjoyed the racing.

Saturday 10 May

The first race started to the East, upwind and against a strong tide. Working hard to get as close to the line as possible, Debutante started OCS and had to go back.

Debutante, pre-start race 1

At the front of the fleet there was a long tacking duel up Castle Point among Doublet, Destroyer and Dreamer until the boats rounded Colette (4X) – in this order – on port and hoisted the spinnakers to return to West Ryde Middle (4P). It was then a short close haul leg to Royal London (4K) and then the spinnakers went up again to take the boats to the finish line.

The finishing order of the top three boats was the same as around the first mark: Doublet, Destroyer and Dreamer.

In the second race the wind had turned a bit more to the South to SSE, the tide was weaker and the water level lower.  We started to the East against the wind and the tide towards Royal London (4K), rounded first by Doublet with Dreamer close behind in the lead. However, on the next leg downwind towards Williams Shipping (3W), we on Dreamer could not get the spinnaker up and fell back in the fleet.

At Williams Shipping there was a lot of traffic with seven boats (22, 23, 9, 10, 32, 36 and 5) rounding the mark in short sequence. Many boats went to the left, hoping to get less adverse tide on Bramble bank but ended up overstanding the next mark which was West Ryde Middle (4K), except for Streak and Dreamer who took a shorter course and gained some positions. From there we had to hoist the spinnakers, bear away around Cowes Corinthian (34) on starboard, and run to the finish line.

There were several changes of position but Doublet held the lead with Streak and Debutante rounding out the podium.

Homeward leg, Race 2 (c) John Green

Sunday 11 May

On Sunday we had only one longer race in similar conditions as the first race on Saturday. We started to the East against a strong ebb tide and F3 SE wind, and many boats tried starting by dipping the line under the tidal shelter of the breakwater before rounding up on starboard. Several were over but it didn't harm them much and Dauntless, Doublet and Streak came out looking good.

The first mark was Colette (4X), which meant tacking close in around Castle Point and into Osborne Bay. Getting tight to the shoreline paid, as did careful tacking in the choppy waters, and first around the mark was Dauntless closely followed by 22, 23, 9, 32, 36. Doublet picked an almost perfect layline to close on Dauntless at the mark.

It was then a long spinnaker run to Royal Thames (4F) followed by a beat to Royal London (4K), another spinnaker run to Donna (3X), and finally a beat against the tide in from of the Esplanade. Tucking in close with the high tide giving some protection from the underlying rocks, there were two duels at the front. First, between Dauntless and Doublet, who had been close all race; and then between Streak and Dynamite.

Fetch/Beat to Royal London

Nonetheless, the finishing order did not change from the first mark and the result was (in this order) Dauntless, Doublet, Streak and Dynamite.