A wicked weather forecast of high winds and stair rods of rain decimated the dinghy fleet at the first outing of the winter series regatta.
This annual event has been gathering visitors from around the Blackwater River in increasing numbers for the last couple for years, but sadly this was not the best of starts with a 9:45 off and the BBC gloom and doom white arrows blotting out most of Essex.
It was a goodly sight to see Mrs Evelyn Darby in the front line sorting the sailing sec and collecting the entries. Sadly Billy the galley was missing presumed “partied out” or “sleeping in” but the ladies of the club quickly rallied and the galley came to life.
The notice board sported a new course card and once again contained every mark to be rounded in every direction. This year Geoffrey (Hon. Treasurer) has authorized the repainting of some race marks has removed the errors from said course card that led to so much mark damage in 2008.
With an hour to race start time it was clear that the fleet was showing wisdom and had already sorted the best seats to view the desperate sailors looking for a low count in the score line.
The water was flat and showing cats paws clapping away to the north and increasing grey cloud travelling at high speed, which set a mood of anxiety in the race box. The race committee had already set a short length course taking the fleet no further than the race mark North Shore but containing 13 legs.
Dean and Rob, sailing a Hornet, won the start and were a very welcome return to the bay. The short broad reaching leg, in the now quite squally wind conditions, to the first rounding mark saw the overlapped boats showing great keenness, with Dean and Rob pulling away from Jacko and Lorna, sailing the Merlin and Steve and Gordon, sailing a Lark, close behind. The fleet passing the club and bearing away at race mark 2 onto a dead run showing good boat handling skills as they sped past the marina pontoons were interrupted with a hearty row and cheer as the first victim in the Splat the Duck competition was Jacko and Lorna having been pushed towards Australia to pop upwards in a totally out of control panic, hit the wet stuff big time. The words “oh gosh” were heard faintly as Jacko headed slowly towards the approaching centreboard. Lorna who had played paper, stone, scissors, before upping the kite went in to child bearing mode at high speed rescuing what was left of Jacko’s humour, the spinnaker and poles all without a single cross word (and here are the winning lotto numbers).
By this time Dean and Rob, having upped the kite, had done a horizon job on what was left of the fleet round Bay and Jetty and on the next run again kite up and showing great boat skills. Steve and Gordon and Peter Playle, also a welcome return to the bay, were looking pretty steady as the first really heavy squall set in with lashings of rain flattening the water. At this point half the fleet turned for home leaving Jacko and Lorna doing a 360o having lumped race mark 4 and Peter gritting his teeth on the windward leg to mark 3.
It is the way of sailboat racing that it is never over till it’s over and Jacko and Lorna got stuck in for the return legs to the club line. Peter sailing the Laser took a number of bad shifty squalls leading to much lying with the fishes and Dean and Rob having found themselves out in front in wicked squalls and blatted by horizontal rain, lost the plot and race mark Bay. This was a disappointing end to a fierce sail but Bay was located and rounded and taking on the last windward leg to the finish had sadly lost too much time losing the lead on corrected time to Jacko and Lorna.
This leads us the ask the questions:
Is Jacko’s jam pot open?
Will the fleet fathom out the new course card?
Who will win the Splat the Duck Trophy?
Will Keith Fedi return?
Who will be the first to be lobbed for not rounding the Spit Mark on the right side (which is not written in to the course)
All will be answered as the series unfolds now read on dit dit dit
Next race Sun.8th 14:25
Full results:
1st Alan Jackson and Lorna Laval Merlin
2nd Dean Saxon and Rob Smith Hornet
3rd Peter Playle Laser
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