Race Day 2 - Port raft bowled out by Fireballs

 The day started very grey and a tad nippy, with the wind northeast 10 to 15 knots. This is a pleasant change to the 15 to 25 knots and may well be the on set of winter winds.

For the third start in a row the Fireball fleet, sailing on starboard tack hard on the wind, parallel to the start line took on the flying bedstead fleet as they bore off from a gathering above the port tack lay line.
This works a bit like tenpin bowling but accompanied by panoramic sound bite of panic and mayhem, all a bit gamey, and carried out in the best of possible taste; unless of course you’re a tad late in the queue, and left to avoid the forest of long black tiller extensions shaking and waving in the wind.
I am of the option that seeming how the first mark to be rounded can be laid without a tack on port from the wind ward end of the start line, that this is all about pushing the edges and making as much fun out of what would other wise be boring start with only one place to be on the line.

The race was won by a RS700 way out on his own somewhere and I would think he had a jolly good sail around the cans.
The race from what I could see was to be had in the Fireballs with places changing and gains being made from navigation error, all eyeball to eyeball racing and Martin and Tony crossing the finish approx 8 second ahead of Mark and Nigel to be 2nd and 3rd.
There was a fleet of three Blazes, the biggest class in the race, again with place changes and Alex coming out the leading Blaze in 4th place.
Jacko and Simon are heads in the boat and working to build Simons boat handling skills. As new to sailing and Jacko’s new front end man Simon is making fast progress and was seen to be putting some good kite work together and it will not be long before Jacko sleeps down the runs once more and again relies totally on the front end man as a Minder as well as a crew. They have (I think) scored a 10th and 5th.

We have still not quite got full knowledge of the lay of the land at this new venue. It is a splendid sailing club sitting at the top of the river and has a fine view over Northy Island with Osea Island in the distance.

With a winter fleet of 14 assorted boats it has a roomy feel about it. The river is almost empty of cruisers now and there was no sign of Thames Barges or the Maldon excursion boat tripper, so I guess it is the best of times to be out on the river sailing. I miss the sounds of the wading birds but have seen the flocks glinting in the skies over Maylandsea Bay on the horizon and miss sailing out past Lawling point and Mundon Spit.

The results have not been posted as yet but I have had sight of the result sheets and it is not clear what the format is for the series but it should be 2 races sailed with no discard, although two more races have been sailed.
The result after 2 races (as I understand it)
1st    R Foulds             RS700      3 points
2nd    Mark & Nigel      Fireball    4 points
3rd    Martin & Tony     Fireball    5 points

Maylandsea Bay Winter Series Results

Next Race Day Dec. 5th

From ‘A Day in the Life’ with The Head Cam

Some time ago we started playing with the Head Cam. It did not start well as the wind chill was subzero and ate the battery life so quickly that it was dead before the starting signal fell.

Having worked out that with the batteries left hanging in a bag on the changing room radiator till the last moment before launching we could get 40 minutes before battery death; the front-end girl lasted 20 minutes longer.

It has come to pass that we have a shed load of pixels, mostly very boring but there are some fun bits, and hopefully we can edit out the embarrassing bits and make L’s gybes look brill and share them out.

This clip shows Lorna and Jacko recovering from a rubbish start as leading boat, Dean and Rob ‘Hornet’ coming up to round race mark Jetty, sadly losing out to Lorna’s wicked handling of the kite on this tight three sailed reach to race mark 4.

Q&A Lorna and Jacko did take the bullet in this race. Yes, Jacko is always as considerate and helpful whilst racing. Yes, Jacko was fully strapped out with Lorna on this reach. No, the cam shot makes it look like the boats on its ear hole, but actually it’s dead flat. “Flashing” refers to the head cam ‘on light’ and nothing to do with Jacko’s personal life. Lorna said, “eat my shorts” and is a result of string friction and pleasure.

All complaints about the posting should be addressed to shorts@blondandbeutiful.net
All cam shot footage are rights reserved.

Thanks to Jan Nuttall for the Photo

Every thing comes to change

It is within a state of disappointment that I scribble the following.
Race team Jacko-Lorna are no more. The blond by nature Essex girl has closeted her rubber suit, hung up the sailing boots and kissed goodbye to the circus.
This followed a poor set of results and a miserable performance at the nationals. The pairing had not sailed enough races this summer to stay race sharp and on the pace. Lorna has mooted that come May 2011 having completed teacher training (a shed load of written work) that she may well look to return to sailing. For Jacko this was serious bad news and opened the door to spending more time in the Slice of Bread, or the Dog and Duck. It had been the plan to move to the Blackwater S.C. for the winter sailing series. This is a tough decision as the sounds of the flocks of wading birds and sight of basking seals add to the mystique of sailing in Lawling Creek and Maylandsea Bay.

Simon the new beef cake crew

With the need for a new crew Jacko placed an advertisement at BSC and has taken up the challenge of a newbie crew, one Mr. Simon Foote. Simon is new to sailing having completed three days as a guinea pig for the chaps doing a sailing instructors course at BSC, seems to have caught the sailing bug and shows great keenness.
Jacko and Simon having now sailed on three occasions and completed four races without any real trauma in some demanding conditions are looking fairly relaxed!
This Sunday gone saw the first day of winter racing at BSC; it was supported by a small but reasonable fleet of mixed boats sailing in a handicap fleet. There were two Fireballs but as for the rest it was one offs mostly of the flying bedsteads variety. The first leg was short and to windward followed by a long reach out into the open river to round south doubles. There was quite a high dropout rate as the squalls picked off the unprepared. The course was 6.5 miles and spread over a large area making it hard to relay what happed to whom, but it was a full on race day in a shifting wind. No results have been posted at this time of writing.



Lorna  & Laura

A large dark cloud passed to the north delivering cubic whammies down the course and stretching the sail trimming to the max as an unscheduled second race following the advertised race and it is not clear how that works in the recorded results at this time.

Jacko was heard to say that he had had some exiting moments, a little to exiting at times. Maybe this is on account that Jacko has reached his 46th year again and finding him self with a young male beef cake crew may regenerate and reopen the ‘Jacko Jam Pot’ or will Simon work out that sailing with Jacko is just to dangerous to do as a six a side football team player.



Al Wigg & Jacko

Jacko has been well looked after by Lorna who showed great patience as Jacko weighed up the options of Little Beers or Wet suited sailing and is sadly missed, as she appeared to brighten up the day for more than just Jacko. As did Al Wiggy, who is not obtainable for comment at this time, and we should not forget Laura another brill front end winning crew.

The Maylandsea Bay winter series is still alive and well with 18 boats sailing on day one, again no results posted at this time but I wish them well.
Mayland Bay winter series results

Next Race Day 21st November