13/05/2009 Race Report 9-10 May The 9th May was a glorious sunny day for our 3rd Saturday of the season with the wind from the southwest at 12 knots. At 1:20 pm the Squadrons gleaming brass cannon fired the warning signal for the 5 competitors bunched at the line in the ebbing tide. The men in uniform on the platform posted a perfect course for the conditions: Gurnard Ledge to starboard, Quinnell to port, Peters & May to starboard, Royal Thames to starboard, East Lepe to port and home.
The only place to start was at the buoy end, Thunder and Dilemma were clear winners, with Ecstatic close behind – Njord and Cavalier were …. a bit tardy. The leaders headed for the tidal squirt closer to the island shore, Njord tacked away (well semblance of a tack, as Dave Ross as middle couldn’t quite remember the intricacies of letting off and pulling in). Eric, with Richard Palmer and Jo Richardson on board stayed inshore to maximise the squirt, but Judge Nick took Dilemma further offshore pulled out a useful lead. Dilemma tarried too close to the shore and lost out allowing Ecstatic and Njord through. At the first mark the master (obi-wan-ka-Williams) was leading followed by Njord and Dilemma.
The broad reach to Quinnell was mainly processional, but Dilemma decided to multi-task and catch dinner during the race so trawled for mackerel with their spinnaker around the mark and for the next 100 yards.
This opened up a gap between Ecstatic, Njord and the rest of the fleet, and battle commenced on the beat back to Peters and May. Ecstatic headed for the channel towards the island shore, Njord tacked away towards the squirt off Lepe Spit. The results were close and Njord might have had the advantage, but with Champagne Mum in their sights the had to change direction rather quickly to follow Ecstatic, having read the first few characters on the yellow buoy they were rounding P E T E R S ……
On the run to Royal Thames Ecstatic, Njord and Dilemma took a risky track close to the shore at Lepe Spit, and all three sanded their keels on the spit and stopped breathing, but carried on through.
The fleet returned to East Lepe for the final run home. With the wind coming off the land the approach to the Squadron line was tense. A Thames barge complicating matters in the last 200 yards. In the final approach Ecstatic went for tide creeping towards the Mermaid and the Squadron wall, while Njord headed out for wind, but Ecstatic maintained their lead with a 20 second gap. Dilemma followed, with Cavalier catching up with new wind, and Thunder completing their first race for the season.
Apre sail: The Squadron most generously invited the day boat fleets for tea and cake on the platform. Highly civilised, and quite fantastic cake (particularly the chocolate fudgy thing) The fleet thanked the race officer for a perfect course and a grand day’s sailing, then after a polite pause went in search of more potent refreshment.
Day 2 Sunday 10th May
A greyer day started with leaden skies and slightly stronger wind from the southeast, flicking east. The race officer, aka Lallow-the-Magnificent, decided to send the fleet east to North Ryde Middle.
With the tide ebbing in shore, the optimum start was at the slack water at the buoy, heading out to the last of the flood in the channel and beyond. Njord led Cavalier around the first mark. Both flipped on to port to lay Peel Bank in one tack. The weather changed and the skies lightened with a hint of sun streaking through. The Dragons arrived at the mark leaving the mark to starboard while a fleet of Sunsails were leaving it to port. Sunsails by their very make up are not experienced racers so adrenelin is always increased. Njord laid the mark in one ahead of the bulk of the sunsail fleet. Cavalier on the receiving end of a lot of dirty wind was forced to tack. From that moment on with the substantial tide gate, it was always difficult for Cavalier to do catch-up.
A very enjoyable sail in perfect Dragon conditions …. The start to the season has been glorious, long may it continue.
