Race Report - 2-3 May

This weekend's race report comes from Dynamite, courtesy of Charles Mathews and David Tydeman.

With the forecast showing the first rain for weeks, and at times modest winds, the Race Committee from Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club were monitoring conditions closely in the lead-up to the first weekend of the season. In the end, all racing took place as planned with Destroyer and Diamond making an early impression on the results.

A very promising 11 boats turned out for the racing over the weekend.

Saturday 2 May

Race 1

4K(P); 34(P); 4K(P); 39 Finish

With a stonking west going tide and a gentle and shifty easterly wind the race committee sent the fleet off on time from the RORC line. Opinion was divided as to how close to the breakwater one should start and it was surprising what little difference it made until such time as boats could weather the east end of the breakwater and dive for the shoreline.

From then on, broadly those who were the most southerly at that stage and short tacked into the point gained on the rest of the fleet provided if course that they didn’t fall into the wind shadow of the land when they then came to a halt.

The next judgement point came when the boats had to decide when to go out into the tide to get round Royal London, leaving it to port. Dynamite guessed right, rounding in the lead before gybing onto port almost immediately. They were followed by Destroyer and Defiant who ran downwind on starboard and gybed a little later.

At the leeward mark (Cowes Corinthian), and in a softening breeze, Dynamite made a nonsense of the drop and rounding and left a huge gap allowing Destroyer, who was reaching into the mark with boat speed to sneak inside her and then sit on her for the beat back up to Royal London, both going the inland route.

At the moment of decision Dynamite was the first to head out into the tide and looked as though she would get round first but Destroyer, to windward but marginally behind, did a superb job of sailing faster and lower and at the critical moment just before rounding sat in Dynamite’s wind and Dynamite was unable to lay the mark,

Destroyer rounded the mark and spun off on the tide towards the finish and, to get round 4K

Dynamite had to tack onto port where upon she encountered Defiant on starboard and in bearing away to avoid her let Defiant round the mark ahead of Dynamite. A run downwind in the softening breeze concluded affairs.

Destroyer, Defiant, Dynamite.

Race 2

4U(P); 33(P); 4P(P); 39 Finish

The race officers made a brave call and set us off in a fading easterly breeze, a mixed forecast and a weakening tide to a rather larger replica of race one with the same challenges and indeed outcomes. However, the cast of boats (with the exception of Destroyer, who led from the start) was in a different order.

Destroyer led round Goodall Roofing followed by Streak and, then having a poor rounding of Prince Consort, let Streak through. Streak then proceeded to go too far into the Shrape and was in turn overtaken by the entire fleet with the exception of Defiant and Dolphin; Destroyer was back in the lead.

The fleet having rounded West Ryde Middle, there was a pause amid darkening clouds. The new 15/18kt wind came in from the SSW accompanied by torrential and very cold rain. The fleet was able to cross the line in one board* with Destroyer being a conclusive winner.

ed.: I think this probably means able to fetch the line in one tack!

Destroyer, Darius, Diamond.

Sunday 3 May

3X(P); 4K(P); 39(S); 4K(P); 39 Finish

The race officers elected to start us on time and in a fairly unstable breeze from the NW. Upwind along the Green in the back eddy, with the last of the flood still flowing further out, it meant that the first beat was close and fast. Streak thought that the first mark (ISC, off the green) was to starboard so brief chaos ensued for her whilst Dynamite, first to round the mark, was taken inshore by Darius and Doublet on a bear away set.

Whilst most of the fleet hugged the shore against the tide on starboard, Diamond and Destroyer had clear room to gybe out for the last of the east going tide and led the fleet to Royal London.

Tight roundings and many boats overlapped led to Dynamite touching the mark and doing a turn on the next leg which was upwind and downtide to Snowden in shifting winds.

Back to Royal London, and then back to Snowden, stretched out the fleet with Destroyer and Diamond holding the leads they’d established when they first gybed out into the last of the fair tide earlier in the race.

Diamond, Destroyer, Dolphin.