Playing Around

40.7 Nationals Race Report 21/22 May 2005





Saturday 21 May


A lively forecast of 25-30kts made some of the crew more than a little wary as we drove down to Portsmouth. “Forecasts have often been wrong before!” was shouted back from the younger members in the back of the car. Do we try out our brand new (yes, that’s right, untested) Mainsail from Hydes. Well, the event was sponsored by Hydes so we thought we‘d better.
An hour later, heading out to the start, it was clear the forecast was anything but wrong. The decision on the Jib was easy, just the smallest we could find which happened to be the #3. Kites? We wished we had left the 0.5oz ashore, and picked up the spare 0.75oz. No time for worrying about that now. The waves in Hayling Bay were getting bigger in front of our eyes.

Race 1

We decide to start conservatively, a little in from the favoured Pin end. Euphorix and Love Shack show us how it is done, by shaving the pin as close as possible. We watch out for the black clouds, and tack out to meet them, whilst trying to stay in the rhythm of the oscillating wind. The wind shifts nicely for us and at the windward mark we round 2nd behind Euphorix. Loveshack gybe off behind us, and we watch them pick up better pressure on the left hand side, wishing we had the nerve to do the same. By the leeward mark, Loveshack had pulled ahead of us, places which we keep to the finish. Close behind us (in fact very close) Grand Cru catch up. We go for the committee boat end, Grand Cru the Pin. Fortunately for us, our end was favoured and we scrape a 3rd.

Race 2

An even more conservative start. Genie starts 2 boat lengths ahead of us. Unfortunately for them they were a little too eager, and have to return for a restart. Euphorix pull out on the fleet, with Loveshack rounding 2nd, Grand Crew 3rd. We go round 4th. Kites up, and the wind starts to hit the low 30s (Kts). Glad we have the 0.9oz! 14kts on the log , and big surfs down the waves. The waves are hitting at an angle to the wind, making boat control very interesting. Everyone broaches at some point, with more than a few torn sails. (We noticed this as most put up different spinnakers on the next leg!). A few crew feel seasick and retire below. “Windward bunk if you go below!”. We weren’t sure the sick crew heard. They didn’t really care. Eurphorix go on to cross the line first, followed by Loveshack. Unluckily for Euphorix they were judged to be OCS, giving the race win to Loveshack.

Race 3

The wind drops a little for the start, with a big (read REALLY big) black cloud off to the right. We opt to go right, though unfortunately it doesn’t pay off. The boats that go off left round ahead. As we go around the top mark, Loveshack & Euphorix gybe-hoist, whilst Grand Cru do a normal bear-away hoist. The wind builds… and suddenly shifts 30degrees. What was a run becomes a beam reach. Having gybed early, we just bear away and enjoy the ride, 13, 14… 14.5kts our log reads. Grand Cru, still on starboard try to gybe… and fall over big time. Spreaders in the water. They take down what is left of their kite, and carry on under Jib. Lucky for them the wind went so far forward that they do not loose out. We finally drop our kite, and reach up to the leeward mark, rounding 4th. We should have dropped earlier, but it was great fun! A short beat to the finish (thank goodness) and we set off home.
As we get ashore, we find we are not the only boat with seasick crew down below. It makes those who bowed out feel a whole lot better! After a few drinks and some food, the bad sea is easily forgotten. Any sail repairers around? Incognito have no kites left, and also are rather short of Jibs. Grand Cru have trashed a brand new 3DL Jib. We don’t feel so bad after all with just a couple of nicks in our #3 jib and one kite. Those Hyde sails seem quite tough, thankfully.

Sunday 22nd May

A similar forecast, and Race Officer Simon Oatley wisely sends the fleet into the Solent towards Wootten. No big waves to play on today.

Race 4

This time, the wind starts at just 10kts. We get out our new heavy #1 Genoa, and take a look at the start line. A heavy port bias, with tide ripping down the line pin to the Committee boat. Dare we risk it? Yes, we decide to go for a pin end, port tack flier. Eddie calls down the seconds. Heart in mouth, we slowly wind her up, and charge off. The rest of the fleet had misjudged the strength of the tide, and we harden up on the pin and cross the fleet for our moment of glory. We tack for the layline, and to our dismay Eurphorix , Grand Cru AND Loveshack tack ahead of us. There was more pressure over to the left, which more than compensated for their extra tack. Live and learn! We confuse the foredeck on decisions with kites, and boat handling gets under a little pressure. As we round the leeward mark, Grand Cru try to squeeze into a non-existant gap with no water. Unfortunately their pushpit get caught on our stern, and they end up doing a 720 up the next beat. A race to forget. We are allowed one discard…phew!

Race 5

The wind starts to build, up to 20kts now. Not as windy as yesterday, but still enough for the #3 jib. A new longer course, with a finish towards Portsmouth. This time the line is biased to the Committee boat. We decide to be aggressive and go for the inside berth. As the gun goes we are going flat out at the right end, and a gust with a right-hander allows us to surge above the boats just below us. We control the first (very short) beat, and round 50 metres ahead. As we round, we forget we haven’t plugged in a kite…. and watch as Loveshack followed by the rest of the fleet overtake. We eventually settle down, and head for Browndown. Up the next beat, we pull in some distance by tacking on the shifts, then round for a beam reach up the Eastern Solent. Everyone else just stays with their jibs… we go for our ‘A’ sail. We round behind Chimera, put up the ‘A’ sail and go low. Quickly we overhaul Chimera, and close up on Euphorix. They don’t let us past so easily, and luff us hard. In the process they let Chimera though both of us. Frustrating, but quite legal. We successfully peel to the Code 2 down the next run, and head off to the finish. A great race, and clearly showing the benefit of having the ‘A’ sail up our sleeve for those tighter reaches.
Back to Gunwarf for the prize giving. We watch the log as the wind starts increasing more, thinking how lucky we were to finish when we did.

Many thanks to Hyde sails, the event sponsors, and also to Yacht Solutions and Royal Albert Yacht Club for such a successful and enjoyable regatta. We’ll be back!



Peter Robson 25 May 2005