How good a job was the dock brush doing? I cleaned her bum again with the repaired brush (Thanks Knoxy) Saturday, then Knoxy dived on her for inspection and tidy up of sail drive, bulb, keel and rudder, the places the brush isn't quite up to it.
Sunday, race day, a 28 mile triangle in the bottom of the Bay.
Crew:- Kev, Knoxy, Jenna, Matt, Steve & Livy, Vicky. and Gypsy,
The sign on sheet showed, 7 POB + 1 DOG.
Gypsy look for wind shifts
The start line just outside the entrance was a little tricky with only 3-4 knots of northerly and a big 4.4 metre tide flooding across the line.
We hit the line with good pace at 2-3 knots at the top end of the line with Blackout and Xena (Young 9.9), to weather, Future Feedback to leeward, our other treat in these conditions Wild Thing (Young 8.4) way to leeward, Code 0 unrolled and moving quickly up the Bolder Bank out of the tide.
Blackout & Xena to weather just after the start
We managed to sail out from under both Blackout & Xena with better boat speed and height, Wild Thing had come up below us against the bank crossing ahead as they came out.
We stayed in, working the bank out of the tide, taking back the lead with our next cross with Wild Thing, the tide had affected them.
Blackout had done an early tack out to clearer air from Xena, Future Feedback and Geralda the Giant Slayer (Elliott 6.5) all 3 were tacking on Blackout, bouncing them out into the tide.
We did the same to Wild Thing, tacking on their nose each time, sending them on short boards out as we worked up the bank in less tide and the odd lift in the slowly building breeze.
Xena was working the Bolder Bank, that close the were almost on it but it was paying off, as they were in 3rd place, Future Feed Back 4th.
At the Glen Marine Reserve buoy , 8 miles up the bank we had a good half mile lead on Wild Thing, Future Feedback not too far behind them, followed by Xena and Blackout.
A tight kite across to the west side of the Bay to the Marpua Bluffs 12 miles away, a 3rd the way across and the breeze increasing to 8-10 we started to power up the light masthead kite, now struggling to stay high enough to lay the mark.
The sea breeze was now on it's way, time to change to either the heaver 3/4 oz masthead kite or try the gennaka - jib top - inner staysail combo? I have been waiting to try this combo since I bought C V.
All up and flying, no trouble staying up on or above course but a knot slower. Bugger.
What do we do? The wise old Fellow that hold's the steering stick decided, "NO WORRIES", the breeze was freshening, soon the 3 behind would be struggling to hold kites and we would be in the groove with our triple foresail setup.
The 2 of them got closer and closer carring the breeze to us and still holding mastheads, Wild Thing a huge gennaka, Future Feedback a kite.
AS much as I liked the look and idea of this 3 sail combo, we looked like a Volvo 65 in slow motion I thought? but we had been caught up, hoist the fractional, Wild thing took the lead, Future Feedback now level to leeward.
For some reason Wild Thing was high on the mark and now running low & slow, we were approaching the Mapua mark together, much discussion on the next setup for the tight reach home? Large tiptop and inner staysail, the decision,
The plan the kite brace becomes the jib top sheet, we need to get rid of the pole, the staysail needs to be gybed and oh the kite needs to come down, easy, and all this with an audience, the two other boats.
We run to the mark side by side with Future Feedback, they dropped their kite 1st, got their pole off and ready to gybe, our plan, get the pole off, fly the kite without the pole, to the mark drop the kite, Matt on the foredeck would ping the kite (normally we run it), hook the brace to the jib top as the sheet, hoist the jib top, as the kite was being retrieved. a busy time for all, and a cock up waiting to happen?
Wild Thing got around the mark 1st, we gybed across Future Feedback's bow on port, but they were slow running flat to the mark with the early but orderly kite drop.
The C V crew went into action, as planned, beautiful to watch, around the mark in 2nd all set up for the 8 mile tight reach to the finish.
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Mapua mark rounded, rift of photo, just the staysail to sheet in, then off to the finish
Everything sheeted and drawing we pulled in Wild Thing, taking back the lead, at the finish only a minute or so between each boat, C V 1st, Future Feedback 2nd Wild Thing 3rd, Blackout 4th, 5 minutes back.
Prize giving sounded like a Jim Young benefit race. Young 11's 1st and 2nd, Young 8.4 3rd and Young 9.9 Xena 1st on handicap. - Well done Jim,
Thanks Knoxy for the bottom clean
Im feeling much better than I have the last couple of weeks, much more fun up front!
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