Wednesday Night Racing – July 10, 2013

Wednesday Night Racing – July 10, 2013

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Great wind and an in-harbour course made for some great racing this evening. The Port end of the start was favoured and several boats jockeyed for the perfect start with Final Dash squeezing out Kay D for the prize. Seriously lee bowed the Kay D was forced to tack and thread the needle through the fleet of Starboard tackers, ducking Imp and barely crossing Sprites bow in a search for clear wind. Memories of last weeks dead zone in the middle of the harbour split the fleet into those who played the Walter Spit shore and those who raced across to Goat Island in search of a header and a gust. Banging the shores and sticking to them seemed to pay as those who did, on both sides moved ahead. The course was a beat to Ganges Shoal marker, a run to a small white buoy off the end of Goat Island, a reach across to the start line marker and then the same again. It is tough to get a reaching leg in this harbour yet the advantages of it are well worth the trouble. The reaching leg was set tight to the wind making the call to fly the spinnaker or not one that had to be made at the last minute and based on the angle of the wind at the time. The excitement and skill that this adds to the race speaks directly to the written purpose of the club “to develop seamanship”. At the moment that the two Flying Fifteens arrived at the mark it was uncertain as to fly or not and the skippers split on the decision. As both boats charged across the harbour, one hard pressed under 300 square feet of sail, the other under full control with 150 square feet and neither gaining advantage, the full range of what is possible is laid on the table.

Final Dash lead at the weather mark but was hunted down by Kaitoa on the run. Drifting over under the shadow of Goat Island might have been Final Dash’s downfall, but she made it up on the second beat, again leading at the weather mark. These two were away in clean air and battling for the gold. The crew line up on Final Dash was very impressive with many of the team long time members. On Kaitoa the crew was also very impressive as Philippe is turning over the helm to a rotating roster of our Junior members and Junior instructors. It was great to see Hannah Garvic-Ransen out completing her first club race “with wind” and obviously enjoying herself; she is a long time instructor and one of the best. Hats off to Philippe for this marvellous generousity. Imp, overpowered with her reduced crew of two held third. Fourth place was hotly contested with Electra, Velica and Kay D changed places many times. Kay D was also steadily covering Sprite, a yacht who given half a chance could easily slip into the lead of the FF fleet. At the weather mark Kay D lead but was soon caught by Velica and Electra until all three were abreast. Twice the Kay D gybed onto Port and tried to cross in front of Velica, hoping to get out into more wind in the middle but was turned back by the Starboard tack boat. Finally Kay D sheeted in and slowed, crossing the stern of Velica and out into more wind. Sprite was seen heating up the angles on the last run and getting onto a plane in the gusts, a real thrill but not as effective as sailing low and surfing on the bigger waves. The wind shifting slowly Eastward threw the lee mark into the shadow of Goat Island, making it a slow creep to get into it, and also very difficult to see. Most boats found the mark and reached for home. Kay D wiggled into the mark with two more gybes and captured the hard fought fourth place across the line. Only Electra managed to fly the spinnaker for the whole leg to the finish but with no visible gain while Velica, in her new suit of sails seemed to love the reach, moving up on both of them. Deryn Mor and Wildfire, both single handed had a close race as well, enjoying a fine sail and showing a healthy respect for relaxation. I want both these guys in IOM racing, we need their attitude.

Miraculously the wind held for the whole race, making it an evening to remember. Good close racing and lots of mark rounding and manoeuvres, it doesn’t get better than this.

Martin Herbert
aboard the Kay D

Official Results (courtesy Philippe Erdmer – ‘Kaitoa’)

Course: See Above

Scoring with SISC Club ratings:

Scoring with PHRF ratings: