OOD: Leona Shepherd
Safety Boat: Tim Young
Weather: Sunny and breezy. NW 7kts with gusts up to 20kts
Course: A
In gusty conditions by the boat arch, six boats were rigged and launched by 16.50. However, out on the course, the wind settled down to a steady breeze of 7-12kts. Due to technical issues Sam withdrew before the 6minute horn. This left 5 boats jostling for position at the start of the race: Chris Greenwood with crew Felicia Biekarck on Distant Thunder, Lev Kolobov on Porpoise, Frankie Skrzeszewski on Tango, James Armitage with crew Ariel Biekarck on Zephyr (Enterprise), Joseph Armitage on Punt. Tim Young on the safety boat.
A beautiful sailing day with clear, sunny weather and a steady breeze. The A-course was made more challenging by a strong spring tide and a keen audience outside the Bell & Crown. The wind died momentarily on the start horn and picked up again just as suddenly. James led at the beginning however with Joseph in hot pursuit both boats finished the first lap simultaneously. This neck and neck ranking lasted into lap 3 when James started to pull ahead (ever so slightly).
Congratulations go to Frankie on Tango, who after a steady start picked up momentum and completed 2 strong laps before taking a capsize and deciding to retire after 40mins. His stated aim, to complete a full lap, achieved.
Sam, made a surprising re-appearance after more than an hour having decided to enjoy the conditions and enter into the spirit of the club, if not the actual race.
After 1hr 6mins the James was the first of the four boats to complete the course in 9 laps, closely followed by Joseph, Chris and Lev. Very enjoyable sailing by all accounts.
Leona (OOD)
