Coconuts and Frosties - Race One

Brilliant blue sky and a testing light E to S 4-8 knot breeze set in over Maylandsea Bay for what the club wish to be known as the Frostbite Series, and race one was set to start. But with a slight waft of Pinacolada, Pimms and sun tan oil drifting through the rigging, long nights, darkness and frost seemed a long way off.
Bill heading the Race Box team set an ‘in the bay’ course containing all the points of sailing and with a short delay for Lorna to finish her makeup and hair styling the fleet got stuck in. It was at this point that Bill’s plan of a running start took its first of the series casualties. Roars of laugher rattled out from the club veranda as the fleet, with less than a minute to go, tide on to the line, hit the panic mode of starting. Surprisingly it was Jacko and Lorna who won the start (just) with Paul Wilkinson (Laser) in close contact and even closer Martin Tarling (Laser). The fleet rounded race mark 1 mostly over lapped for the short hop to race mark 0, still overlapped where another bun fight of enthusiasm took place and they found themselves on the first windward leg across the club frontage (it is at this point that Bill’s wish to entertain the club veranda audience became clear). The fleet now spreading out and rounding race mark 2 burst out into the Bay on a tight three sail reach scraping past the salting point at the far end onto a more relaxed reach to race mark 4. The shifting breeze lead to much place swapping and a close race through the fleet with Jacko and Lorna taking the bullet.
To the left : Martin Tarling
It was a real pleasure to welcome back Dean and Rob sailing a rather smart Hornet, so new that the down hill start sailed by the Mayland wild west rodeo riders was too much pressure and it was resolved with a leisurely launch and a joining in after the start option was taken. However showing good boat speed pecked away very skilfully through the fleet to finish 2nd
Martin (Laser), with a brand new first time up the mast sail, still with all the neat creases in place, had his work cut out but not to be fazed with unfavourable conditions stuck to the task to take a very worthy 3rd

Race two stands testament to the sport of eyeball-to-eyeball dinghy racing. Bill (if it ain’t broke don’t fix it) much to the appreciation of the onward looking clubbies, left the start as before. The fleet appeared to join in with the spirit of the occasion including Dean in the new Hornet and it was race on.
It should be said that Jacko now in his late forties and having recently completed therapy with a behavioural etiquette therapist, a course designed by M Scarf to help sailors in awkward positions whilst on the racecourse, failed miserably. Appearing to have a game plan that failed before it had begun, launched the verbal starboard cry on the port fleet as the start gun fired (begged belief) the nearest of the fleet seeing Jacko’s Rocket travelling slowly along the start line passed both to the front and the rear; Jacko putting in a sloppy jibe and coming to face to face with the back of Ronet’s head and a disappearing Paul Gray, sailing a Kestrel, along with half the fleet.
Ron and Laura (who we have not heard much about of late) finding themselves leading Jacko brightened up instantly - this could be their day. Unfortunately someone forgot to put the centre plate down and on nearly rounding the first mark, slid sideways pushing Jacko and the remaining fleet out towards Maldon. But still in front and quickly getting a grip, headed up on to the beat. Covering Jacko on the next two tacks the number of shiny teeth between the ears began to grow. To the right: Roger walking the plank

I hate to say it, but with the shifty breezes you have to be sharp or lucky and in blink of an eye the Ronet’s had slipped down the order. Paul now with a healthy lead following a brilliant start was now up against the Hoover Manoeuvre Dean and Rob showing good boat speed and keeping Jacko covered, slowly sucked Paul in. On a downhill reach separated by only a few boat lengths disaster occurred as the two had sailed well high on the lay line and now bearing away found Jacko and Lorna at the Bay race mark. Dean and Rob sorted Jacko out regaining lead boat before Spit but could not make enough time up to finish 3rd
Paul sailed on well showing great concentration and was leading until the last reach from home when he appeared to lose a lot of space and time to finish 2nd
Jacko and Lorna it could be said “got lucky” but with the words “it’s never over till it’s over” repeated over and over took the second bullet of the day.
To the right: Deans new Hornet

This was a tough start to the series but in the superb conditions there is still time to enter as the series has two discards and four races to count.
Maylandsea Bay S.C. has its doors open and will welcome all to take part in this Frostbite Series.
Next Race Day Feb. 24th at 12:35

Thanks to Alan Wigg for the Pictures

Overall results