Osea Cup 2008

The Harlow (Blackwater) S.C. Maylandsea Bay saw the start of the Osea Cup trophy the second of the four joint club trophies raced for annually. The tide was soft and a 4 to 12 knot breeze setting north-to-north east in sunshine and blue skies
After an un-signalled delay Jacko and Lorna won the start and led on the short hop to Bay race mark and on rounding there followed a long tight three sail reach to Mundon spit and the relatively short windward leg to top of Osea Island.
Mark and Barry (505) took up the lead as they passed Mundon spit with Malcolm and Tony (Fireball) recovering from a dramatic start which included appearing to be very frisky and in butt kicking mode but sadly ended in mounting the jetty mark, leaving it on the wrong side but sailing a good three sailer to round the Mundon Race mark second. A boat on boat battle with Jacko and Lorna to the top of Osea kept them in touch and it was still race on; but sadly on the down wind leg past the Skumbles, Malcolm lost time to Jacko, but holding time on Batty and Barry.
The race was won as Batty and Barry as they fought with the wind shadow to the south of Osea eventually getting a goodly gust of wind that saw them speed away for the island and into Mundon creek with the kite up leaving the trailing fleet for dead to win the Osea Cup Trophy.
Jacko and Lorna made a good start but in a blond moment nearly left Mundon race mark out and making a pig’s ear out of the doldrums to the south of Osea, appeared to struggle up Mundon creek dropping the kite at one time! Then re-hoisting it, and then adding time by sailing the posted course, were lucky to finish 2nd
Malcolm and Tony as usual sailed a good race but could not get enough puff to do the buis to finish 3rd
As at the time of righting this report H(B)SC have not posted the results.
Notables: Ron having put L in the family way has now started working on a very handy new front-end girl, Elizabeth King. As is the way of sailing the Osea Cup was the first race for the new pairing where the wind was not blowing old boots. Ron in his excitement re-inacted the Poseidon Adventure in all its drama and sorrow. Having left the jetty and travelling quite quickly but un-noted by Ron the boat was already on it’s way to the bottom and as the boat crashed into a moored obstruction, first the gunwale, then the transom slid below the waves, Ron now clutching the detached rudder blade noticed that the centre board was neatly tucked away the its case. And explaining to the now rather wet crew, that it was always the crew’s duty to see that he knew that he had not requested, “plate” and returning to salvage the boat, by beaching it on the jetty to remove the water, was the norm and better than climbing out through the hole cut in the bottom.
The Sandhoppers felt that as opposed to the last Joint Clubs Trophy race, which had short racing legs and was too hard! this ninety-minute race around Osea Island was far too risky, as they might well not get back in time for lunch.

East point Osea Island