Another dark, cold, cloudy evening with grey skies but unlike last week we had wind and whilst the 30 knot gusts didn’t materialise there was more than enough wind NW 3-5 to keep the skippers and crews on their toes. A fairly long course was set with the 1st windward mark at MYA1 then downwind to 26 and back to 23, then home via 24 and 25.
Red Dwarf ( Sonata ) made an excellent start followed by Valkyrie. Red Dwarf were the 1st to hoist their kite and sped away from the rest of the fleet. However the longer waterline of Valkyrie proved much faster in the reaching conditions. Musical Express electing for a smaller jib and no kite followed the leading 2 boats into Gillingham reach.
Having watched the Sonata fly the kite without problem, Zephros, Reefer and Gandalf eventually hoisted their spinnakers and overhauled Musical. A few broaches occurred in the gusty conditions with plenty of keels on display. Whistle also decided on white sails only and took some time to overhaul Musical at buoy 26.
On the way back Gandalf progressed well as did Reefer. Line honours went to Valkyrie for the second week running, followed by Gandalf. There was then a gaggle of boats finishing within seconds of each other.
Red Dwarf sailed an almost perfect race and won overall on handicap. Reefer was 2nd and Gandalf 3rd.
For full results please refer to the results section.
Next Wednesday evening promises to be warm and sunny with light winds so let’s see you on the water !!