Race Report - Saturday 20 June

There's been a few things on since I last wrote, so I hope that you'll be patient before getting this weekend's race report!

On 13 June, Darling won both shoreline races to take the Cory Cup. She was representing RORC, as befits Mike Greville's status as ex-Admiral. I watched the second half of the first race from on board Division Belle, who you may have observed having been launched just outside of the breakwater. While I was watching, Doublet was having a good race downwind against Derring~Do close in against the breakwater to escape the tide. In the end, Doublet got the better of her!

HMS DARING Visit

Our Royal Naval Liaison, Lt Ollie Rushworth (Officer of the Watch, HMS DARING) came up trumps with his ship preparing for sea for the first time in a considerable number of years, having been sidelined through power improvement works and also manpower troubles in the Navy. However, she is due to sail perhaps later in the summer and is regenerating her capability. She hosted an affiliates day, and on this first occasion our Admiral, his wife, and I made arrangements to attend.

Sadly Charles and Claire were waylaid by poor weather returning from the RYS rally up the East coast, and so I went solo with the hope that additional association members might be able to attend future affiliates days. The other affiliates and I were treated to a full tour of the ship, both above and below decks, from ops room to the sailors' berths.

We also had the chance to spot, in the dockyards, other ships of the Type 45 class:

1. HMS DIAMOND (deep into her power improvement refit in drydock, with all major equipment removed and large holes in her sides);

2. HMS DEFENDER (lower readiness than HMS DARING, also in refit but with power improvement works complete, not in drydock, and with a ship's company ashore);

3. HMS DAUNTLESS (alongside the ammunition jetty loading up for something)

I believe that HMS DUNCAN was also in home waters while HMS DRAGON is currently deployed to the gulf.

Attached are some photos (which we were permitted to take!). I donated two copies of A Daring Affair to the CO and to the Wardroom, and have reiterated that the Daring fleet would welcome keen sailors of all ranks of the ship at any time.

With thanks to Lt Cdr Hazelwood, Lt Ollie Rushworth, and the officers and sailors of HMS DARING for their hospitality.

This Weekend

Seven boats (Dreamer, Defender, Dynamite, Defiant, Dancer, Streak and Doublet) raced under Phil Hagen of the Royal Thames YC in the second of our committee vessel weekends of the season.

Saturday dawned with a perfect SW breeze, F2-F3. Visibility was poor at times and the sun wasn't burning through, but the wind and water was just so.

I had been invited to sail on Dreamer for the day, with Duncan Byatt and Charles Ekins. It was great to see the improvements they made at the start of last season to their general layout and ergonomics, and Duncan would encourage anybody to go and take a look. Specifically, they have implemented:

• Widened and extended front of cockpit;

• Pole-on-boom, with downhaul back to the mast (not mid-deck);

• Spinnaker launched from bag at the front of the cockpit;

• Tubular aluminium centre console with all control lines other than pole up/down;

• New raised (~15cm) floorboards ahead of the console;

• Fine-tune halyards with purchase under floorboards (led to the console);

• Deck covers for the spinnaker sheets, reducing bum-cleats.

These, and other less major tweaks to purchase systems etc., all added up to a very smooth sailing experience - arguably more so than our own Dauntless!

Race 1

The fleet assembled to the SE of Hill Head for a windward/leeward course (with spreader, gates and downwind finish after two laps). The tide on the first start was taking us from CV to pin, and so many boats dared to line up perilously high on the CV.

In the end, only one boat (Defiant) was pushed out as the tide swept boats down past the CV. We on Dreamer put in an early tack after the CV before proceeding to go largely up the centre of the course, avoiding the tide in both the north channel.

Breaking free from the fleet with a fortunate shift, Dreamer arrived a little ahead of the competition at the first mark and carried out a gybe-set. This manoeuvre, in the slight L-R tide, seemed to work for us each time, keeping our air clear after the spreader mark and allowing us to soak down onto the port gate each time without a single gybe all race. Perhaps in lighter or stronger winds running so deep might have been riskier, but not in the conditions of the day.

The second lap proved largely uneventful for Dreamer as Duncan got into his stride, with stable and gently building winds limiting the jeapordy to on the windward legs. The race finished Dreamer; Dynamite; Defiant.

Defender provided some modest amusement on the second downwind leg, although many of us (yours truly included) must have done it at least once! However, perhaps with a class whip-round, we could contribute to a special design for her next spinnaker...

Race 2

With the tide on the line changing slighly from largely down-line to down-wind, the geometry had shifted a little. For whatever reason, Dreamer ended up as the leeward-most boat on what was a competitive line. On glancing back, many boats were either on time or a few seconds early, bearing of slightly to stay behind. The fleet was clear though, and the race was away.

Again, on Dreamer we made good speed off the line. We waited for the boats to weather to tack off and then proceeded to sail an unmolested race, making the most of the 5-10 degree shifts. We had a brief moment of despair when we lost the spinnaker sheet shackle, seeing the clew flying forward of the boat. However, the wind was light enough that we could drop the pole foward and reconnect the shackle in the lee of the white sails (and pull out the large twist that ensued!).

Later, towards the finish, there was a much more substantial veering of the wind which caught out some boats who rode it most of the way to the port layline.

After Dreamer and Streak had finished in first and second, we watched Dynamite (who had been strong all race) coming in from that Port layline, unsure if she was going to cross Doublet. Doublet in turn was not quite laying the Port end of the line on Starboard tack. However, Dynamite decided she couldn't quite make it and hadn't seen them early enough to plan her manoeuvre. Instead of ducking and sprinting off to the line on her own terms with a fighting chance, she tacked under them and consigned herself to being in the absolute control of Doublet, who finished in third.