This week the forecast 20 knot ENE with 10 to 20mm rain didn’t eventuate. Eight (8) catamarans rigging up got to experience a much nicer warm sunny day with no rain, 19 degrees 5-8 knots with up to 10-15 knot gusts from an easterly direction. Paul English and Bill Ledger doing duty setting a great course. Start out in middle of lake windward/top mark up near holfuy mudstick and wing mark in front of point out front of PKSC clubhouse.
Club championship 3 for small cats. Duty for large cats and point score 5 for both classes.
This week Ross Fyfe, Tony Sanderson, Jacob Aleleven, Jody Matthews, Tony Zahra, Hugh Lewis and Jeff Reid making up the small cats. Les Porter flying the flag for large catamarans on his foiling A class. He went out early not racing in case the predicted strong winds came in the afternoon. Kurt Griffiths also dropping past. Ralf Steyer offering apologies due to October Fest commitments. Newcomer Jacob advised he had been getting in some extra sailing. Getting some thrills surfing 2m waves out around Sandon point on the windrush.
After a burger and briefing the sail out to the start line was a pretty straight forward. The start sequence starting approx 14:05pm, hence small cats getting away at 14:15pm.
Start although a bit spread out small cats got away pretty well on starboard tack heading towards the northern shore. The lighter folks getting out on the wire. Hence heavier folks like me stayed inboard and worked on pointing. At the top mark Hot pepper’s pinching (pointing high) payed off. Rounding the top mark 1st followed by White wave, I think next was Groove Thing, Yabby, Havok, Blue Tongue and Pedro (happy to correct if out of order). The downhill run saw superior trim skills of White wave gradually run down and overtake Hot pepper. In a moment of indecision Hot Pepper wrongly gybing towards an extra IYC mark on the course when he saw the response boat next to it, realising the error and by the time gybed back letting Groove Thing also slip past. White Wave rounding the bottom mark with a decent lead then Hot Pepper managing to just slip inside Groove Thing then heading up back to the start. White wave at this point leading the way followed by Hot Pepper and Groove Thing close behind, then Yabby and Blue Tongue. Havok appeared to make the same mistake as Hot pepper but not realising until much later and had to go back and hence not able to make up the deficit for the rest of the race. The windward return saw a mixture of approaches some choosing to work towards the NE and others choosing to tack and head back down the course. I think the wind direction favouring the NE approach slightly better. Yabby with 81 year old Ross proving to still be very competitive in the lighter conditions. Chasing White Wave home and only just losing out to Groove thing by a couple of seconds to finish in third place. Next across the line were Hot Pepper, Havok, Blue Tongue and Pedro.
Regards
Hugh Lewis
(standing in whilst Ralf is away)
Club championship 3 for small cats. Duty for large cats and point score 5 for both classes.
This week Ross Fyfe, Tony Sanderson, Jacob Aleleven, Jody Matthews, Tony Zahra, Hugh Lewis and Jeff Reid making up the small cats. Les Porter flying the flag for large catamarans on his foiling A class. He went out early not racing in case the predicted strong winds came in the afternoon. Kurt Griffiths also dropping past. Ralf Steyer offering apologies due to October Fest commitments. Newcomer Jacob advised he had been getting in some extra sailing. Getting some thrills surfing 2m waves out around Sandon point on the windrush.
After a burger and briefing the sail out to the start line was a pretty straight forward. The start sequence starting approx 14:05pm, hence small cats getting away at 14:15pm.
Start although a bit spread out small cats got away pretty well on starboard tack heading towards the northern shore. The lighter folks getting out on the wire. Hence heavier folks like me stayed inboard and worked on pointing. At the top mark Hot pepper’s pinching (pointing high) payed off. Rounding the top mark 1st followed by White wave, I think next was Groove Thing, Yabby, Havok, Blue Tongue and Pedro (happy to correct if out of order). The downhill run saw superior trim skills of White wave gradually run down and overtake Hot pepper. In a moment of indecision Hot Pepper wrongly gybing towards an extra IYC mark on the course when he saw the response boat next to it, realising the error and by the time gybed back letting Groove Thing also slip past. White Wave rounding the bottom mark with a decent lead then Hot Pepper managing to just slip inside Groove Thing then heading up back to the start. White wave at this point leading the way followed by Hot Pepper and Groove Thing close behind, then Yabby and Blue Tongue. Havok appeared to make the same mistake as Hot pepper but not realising until much later and had to go back and hence not able to make up the deficit for the rest of the race. The windward return saw a mixture of approaches some choosing to work towards the NE and others choosing to tack and head back down the course. I think the wind direction favouring the NE approach slightly better. Yabby with 81 year old Ross proving to still be very competitive in the lighter conditions. Chasing White Wave home and only just losing out to Groove thing by a couple of seconds to finish in third place. Next across the line were Hot Pepper, Havok, Blue Tongue and Pedro.
Regards
Hugh Lewis
(standing in whilst Ralf is away)