Wed Night Race 2.2, June 10

by Martin Herbert aboard the Kay D

 Just made the start having missed the skippers meeting, but got the course from Steller J (Welbury Spar to port and home). The wind looked ‘way better than it was and the fleet headed off into a SE wind, a wind with a hitch in her get-a-long and a wicked sense of humour. The upside is that everyone looked brilliant at some point and were just plain unlucky at others. The Kay D got spit out the back so many times she felt like a yoyo. No lead was safe. In fact everyone lead at some point in the race. Firefly was skippered by Theo this night and he did a stellar job of passing me about five times before he sailed into the lead and stayed there, continuing his Dad’s streak of claiming line honours. They got to Welbury Spar first but the fleet was packed in tight. Steller J rounded second, with Kay D third and Slippery biting at her heels. Evangeline was not far behind and the spinnakers started to blossom. Firefly, with a crew of three, did a brilliant hoist and started putting distance on the fleet. The reach back to the Sisters was at the top end of control for the Kay D as her pole was against the forestay and stopping the jib from furling, so she was flying the full 300 square feet of sail on a tight reach. Hiking like a teenager was required.