Maylandsea Frostbite: Arctic to spring in a blink of an eye

It would have been a hard choice, whether to stay in bed or chance your luck in no wind/subzero temperature, or blowing old boots and freezing. Sadly the majority of the fleet stayed in bed.

But then the trees encrusted with frozen mist started to drip as the sun blatted out a week of life threatening cold weather in a matter of minutes. It was a different world, blue skies a warming sun and a 15 knot S.W. breeze.
The hardy gathered sailors were somewhat overwhelmed and out numbered by non-sailors gathering in the clubhouse. There was much chatter and the downing of bacon rolls and coffee with that splendid smell that wafts out and surrounds the dinghies rigging outside.
The support boat coxswain and crew looked impressive standing in green and ready to do business. The ladies in the galley were busy and welcoming the visitors in a way that made you wish to spend more time drinking the coffee. The race box this week blessed with Mr Bill Wright and his better half Barbara, and last but not least Evelyn and Brian Darby looked after the sailors entering and making the club a better place to be.

By the time the fleet (small but beautifully formed) lined up to start, the wind had freshened. The fleet favouring the out board north end of the line started well (except for Martin and Tony who appeared to be fishing!). The course being a short windward leg followed by a thrilling down hill leg to race mark 5 laying off Mundon Spit and a hearty windward leg in the full force wind against the tide that makes the post Christmas racing a real joy to watch and as the fleet rounded race mark 2 out side the club house windows (now full of teeth and eyes) Martin and Tony ‘Fireball’ were setting the pace.
It was a feast of capsizing carried out as solo acts and in formation with all three Lasers hitting the water at the same time. But with true athletic style, legs and arms flaying around, recovery was impressively quick. There was an alleged seven capsizes with the Taling brothers counting two each, but it may be that some have missed nomination for the Diving Duck Trophy in this series.
On the day Peter Playle acquitted himself well with little error and good boat handling around the marks to finish with two 4ths to be 4th overall.
Jacko this week was saved from gloom by arched rival and best bloke, Ron Suffield, who on a late call filled the front end when Lorna pulled a sick note (in the frosty, no wind hours of Saturday). Ron a Mecca of sailing enthusiasm took to the front-end crewing job thank god “not like a duck to water” but settled down to the awesome task of readjusting his crewing techniques. He was heard to say that his respect for Elizabeth’s (Ron’s Merlin crew) crewing skills would never be questioned again.

The new pairing started well but sailboat racing is about the finishing and with Jacko’s desire to look at the south bank and Ron’s legs being in the air every now and again, the sail was fast and not boring with the Merlin showing good speed (in the wrong direction) finished 2nd and 3rd to be 3rd overall.
Martin Tarling returned to the front line and as ever cutting the custard and being very nippy with the capsizing and making little error finished 3rd and 2nd to be 2nd overall.
Martin Scarth and Tony King ‘Fireball’, who missed winning the Frostbite 2008 series by the narrowest of margins, have stamped authority on the fleet, recovering form; not with the best of starts but with good boat speed and skilful boat handling, excellent race knowledge are the team to beat taking the two bullets placing them 3 points clear in overall lead.
The Maylandsea Bay Frostbite series has three more race days, 8 races, 4 to count, plus one reserve day.

Next race day Jan. 25th starting at 10:25 with two races.
Full results
Thanks to Philip Spillane and Peter Freshwater for sending the photos
Overall
1st Fireball Martin Scarth & Tony King 2 points
2nd Laser Martin Tarling 5 points
3rd Merlin Rocket Alan Jackson & Ron Suffield 5 points
4th Laser Peter Playle 8 points

Maldon Mud Race 2009

With ice frozen along the high tide line and a nippy wind from the N.W. 250 competitors took to the task of out running, or crawling, the 500 metres of the finest Essex mud to be found with the river Blackwater to cross and return to complete the course.








This is one of the most demanding fun things to do on a Sunday morning. With half a dozen Batmen stuck in the mud, the twenty or more Farther Christmas’s splashed past only to be overhauled by Brer Rabbit, four Bank Robbers and a nippy bloke with bright green hair; the two fairies and Wonder Woman had a bit of a race on.

The winner of the day was the event itself with thousands of pounds being raised for local charities. The skies deeply grey, almost brightened as the race finished and the cold-water showers provided to help remove some mud amazingly didn’t freeze the Donald Duck or the inflatable tree to the tarmac, maybe due to the body heat from the thousands of on looking race supporters.

As a sailor getting wet is not on, and being wet and trashing through the mud is not the thing to do and to be avoided like the plague.
I have the greatest admiration for the
competitors and the winning chap made it look easy, although a fall near the end looked like the chap with the green hair do may have stolen the race.

By the time fifty-first competitor found himself wading through the same mud as the previous fifty runners life become a lot harder, but not as hard as trying to park your car anywhere near Maldon! It was a great event to see and had a good feeling about it, much as Maldon does itself.

Next Race Day is at Maylandsea Bay S.C. Jan. 11th 10:40 start