The weather seems to be getting better and better on Saturdays with a glorious sailing day last week. Unfortunately the OK’s were still in Queensland, or maybe on their way back, and Ollie and Tony were off doing Sabre States. This left us with a Division 1 consisting of Peter C and Peter E on Laser R’s, Manfred on a full rig and often time visitor, Ron Fergusson sailing his Aero 7. In division 2 we had Sabres sailed by Andrew, Geoff, James, John Price (sailing Gary Venn’s boat 32) and your scribe. The fleet was completed by Steve Copland on his Impulse.

Dave Kershaw was the Race Officer and inverted us as he set a course with windward returns sandwiching a triangle for Division 1 with Division 2 dropping the second windward return. This course kept the divisions pretty close and coupled with a shorter course approach enabled three races (although Dave was actually aiming at four)

Division 1 races were a romp for Ron as he led race 1 a minute up on Peter C who was five seconds ahead of Manfred with Peter E a couple of minutes behind. Ron again led Peter C by a bit over a minute in Race 2 with Manfred again 5 seconds behind. Peter C is maintaining the great form he has brought back from SA and seems to have it over the full rigs. Peter E was a couple of minutes back. Manfred got his revenge in Race three as he headed Peter C by 28 seconds but trailed Ron by about half a minute. Peter E was a couple of minutes behind Peter C. There appears to be a pattern developing.

Division 2 featured some tight racing between Geoff and Andrew, with your scribe trailing them. Andrew was a second up in Race 1 but Geoff came back to beat Andrew in Race 2 by 47 seconds. The decider should been race 3, but Geoff went walkabout and allowed your scribe to keep him at bay and finish 8 seconds ahead trailing Andrew by a minute and a half (James, John and Steve C had retired). Going back to Race 1 there was not just stuff happening at the front. Further back in the fleet James was sailing better than he had for a while and came in fourth a minute behind the scribe but, to his delight four seconds up on the Impulse. He actually won on handicap. John Price was two minutes behind Steve C but appeared more competitive out of the Club Sabre. Steve C’s troubles continued in Race 2 when he passed your scribe on the last leg to the finish but then suffered a huge knock which the scribe managed to tack away from and re-pass Steve C and finish 3 seconds ahead.

And here is a question for sailors. In the first race, while trailing Andrew and Geoff closely down the run, your scribe managed to tangle his tiller extension in his main sheet and may have lost a degree of control as the lee mark approached. I hit the mark in a move possibly best described as an attempt to destroy the mark by broadside attack. I exonerated after getting unattached and around the mark.
On a latter occasion, your scribe shouldered a mark aside as he passed, not a full Tony Abbott shirt front, but a fair shoulder. A few years ago I would normally have done another 360. But the rules changed in 2021 and for start and finish, the hull of boat crossing the line determined whether a boat had crossed the line and it didn’t matter if the crew was holding a hand over the line or you let your kite fly ahead. If this is now the philosophy of the rules then to hit a mark should logically mean that the hull hits it, not the crew. Case 77 says that contact with a mark by a boat’s equipment constitutes touching it. But is a crew part of a yacht’s equipment?

Thanks go to Race Officer Dave Kershaw who was assisted by Glen, while Peter V was on the crash boat. Alex (who vows she will not remove her Christmas tree next year as she did this week and then stood on the stand requiring stitching up) and then Anne kept a watch and times from the tower. Julie did necessary stuff in the kitchen but has advised that she will be away next week.

Coming up:

Saturday 2 March 2024
Club Racing 1400 Matthew Flinders Series continues

Saturday 9 March 2024
Junior L2S commences 0900-1100
Senior L2S commences 1130-1330
Club Racing 1400 Matthew Flinders Series continues