OOD: Heather Adams; Safety boat: Rob Adams; D-Course starting at 1440.
A lovely Autumn day but with little wind from the NW. Five starters arrived at the line James with Nikita, Chris and Felicia, Tim, Nick and Keith.
A running start saw the fleet cruise off down river at a slow pace. The fleet kept well bunched with the slower boats blanking the faster, not allowing them to get away through Chiswick bridge. The wind became more confused with James getting a small advantage. However, Rob in the rescue boat noticed a rapid change in the tide the fleet were not going to make Barnes railway bridge. A mark was laid on the Middlesex shore short of the old Thames Tradesmen Rowing Club (now demolished). With James now becalmed on the Surrey shore the fleet threatened to overtake him in a breeze that appeared in the middle of the river. In the end it was Keith who rounded the turning mark first, with the buoy cocked upstream confirming the incoming tide had arrived. The race was now a beat back home and the recent form book fell back into place with James and Nikita tacking well ahead of Chris and Felicia, followed by Keith then Tim and not far behind Nick. I suspect that the on the water result may be reverse once the handicaps are applied.
Heather Adams
PS. The Master of Sums is away but will calculate and publish the results as soon as possible.
And here they are …
