OOD: Leona Shepherd
Safety boat: Tim Young and Frankie Skrzezewski
Weather: Fair, light wind F1-2 from WNW (according to the Met Office)
Course: short ‘A’ with a Zoffany House start line.
Five boats were launched by 16:00, in good time for the 16:15 start. The wind had been teasing us all day and was still undecided as we approached the start time.
On the water were: Rob Adams in Phoebe (Laser); Henry and Mary Brown in Big Polly (Enterprise); Ben Chappell in Envy (Laser); Nick Floyer in flo (Gull); and Lev Kolobov in Porpoise (Enterprise).
A fine afternoon sailing progressed as the wind chose at this point to pick up nicely and the sun came out to make the scene photogenic. Although Lev was first over the start line and Rob rounded the first buoy in the lead it was Ben who led at the first lap. On the second lap, Mary and Henry flew past Rob and Lev to complete the second lap just behind Ben. Never-the-less Ben held the lead for the first five laps.
For 35 minutes the wind helped produce good times and some pacey down-river runs. And then it seemed to give up! Lap six was the slow one. However, just as quickly, the wind picked up again and the lap times picked up accordingly.
On the 6th lap, the Browns. Lev and Rob all overtook Ben with Lev moving into a convincing lead which he held for the rest of the race. With the high tide lapping the footpath the race finished after 62 minutes with 10 laps completed by all but Nick, who had briefly been becalmed above the upstream mark.
Thanks to Mary Brown for the new Covid-friendly starting horn – a significant improvement for the OOD.
Leona Shepherd (OOD)
Next week it’s a B-course starting early at 10:00.
