This weekend saw the Whitstable open, a two day four race affair, sailed in the most demanding but stunning conditions. The wind form the West 12 to 20 knots, very shifty and an ebbing tide in brilliant sunshine.
As always the club had a warm welcome for visitors and the bar and galley was humming, being at the heart of club life.
This year the race team was in the hands of ex-Merlin sailor Jon Silk (a man not to be messed with) who did the club proud setting an excellent course and not keeping the fleet hanging about. By the time the start flag fell the sea was offering up a sporty Whitstable chop but nowhere as good as race two with the tide now on the flood against the wind, this is what the venue is famed for, the chop being able to stop a Thames barge, but for the Merlins it was play time. However surprisingly a number of the home fleet ended up laying with the fishes. The rumour is that practice for the Diving Duck team trophy at Looe was required.
The leaders of the fleet put up a stunning performance of boat handling and reading of the wind shifts with Glen and Olly coming out the winner from Roger and Ellie.
The mid fleet bulge, as it rounded the race marks, was a tough place to be with some very interesting and creative/artistic interpretations of the sailing rules and some brilliant get out of jail boat handling in the most testing conditions (and not a turn being required). It may well be that the plastic fantastic boats bounce of one another better than the wooden boats and maybe the terrifying sound of splitting tearing crunching ply and mahogany is gone for ever (hurray).
We can see from the results that the race to be in the top half of the fleet was as hard as it has ever been with Alex and Rachel 15th making the cut with 43 points and John and Hilary with equal 43 points, Tudor and Hamish on 44 as were Phil and Karen, finishing 16th, 17th and 18th
For Mr John Cooper (respect given) there was consolation for the race with the Bottle of Red prize. Jacko and Lorna handed over the bottle counting some 14 points higher score, but as Jacko said “it’s never over till it’s over” and John who has now room in a separate rack in his new wine seller accepted the bottle and disappeared.
It is scary to see the national champion, open meeting winners and top club racers who build the mid fleet and is a credit to them that they still have the ambition and determination to win races in a fleet of up and coming sailor that the Merlin fleet are blessed with, it is racing at it best.
Picture: thanks to Al Wigg. John adds to his wine seller as Jacko hides the tears
Notables: Jacko and Lorna were the only boat in race team Essex.
Glen did not mount the windward mark! It just moved out the way as he passed it
The Polish crew that JC set-up to crew Jacko on the Sunday did speak English (and was a splendid bloke with a good sense of humour as shown when Jacko understood the windward mark loosing four more places)
Next race is on the 6th in the Who is cutting the Custard series
Full Results
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