|
Written by Mike McKechnie
|
|
Monday, 17 May 2010 16:08 |
|
Wayfarer “Southerns” Open Meeting – Shoreham Sailing Club – 15th / 16th May 2010
Everybody gathered at Shoreham on Saturday morning the 15th May in glorious sunshine and full of anticipation for what appeared to be a sunny and light wind weekend in prospect. The forecasters had been saying that the cold north wind had gone! Some people were also distracted by the warm and sheltered feel of the Shoreham dinghy park and so, when they ventured out to sea on the Saturday for the first race at 2 pm, the sharp and cold south-westerly was quite a shock for May (that’s the month of May, not Colin May, who was sadly not at the meeting! He would have enjoyed it!). There were a total of 17 boats with 5 from the home club. A breeze of about force 3 was in place but also with some surprisingly large waves.
The racing weekend at Shoreham was being shared with the Phantom Class and they were away for their first race at about 2.15 pm. The Wayfarer start followed six minutes later and it was immediately apparent that Mike McNamara had noticed the line bias and had won the pin end start. He was quickly away on port tack heading towards the shore. The tide was with boats heading up the first beat and so there was a danger of over-laying the first windward mark, but Mike McNamara kept it tight and rounded a clear first with Alan Chaplin, Bill Whitney and Richard Stone chasing hard. Spinnakers were up and flying to the first wing mark and it was a pretty sight. The race consisted of triangles and sausages and there was much changing of race order in the middle of the fleet as mistakes were made and then individuals tried to claw back the places lost. Gordon Harris was on a charge from the first windward mark, which he only rounded in 6th or 7th place, but by race end he had worked his way up to 2nd place behind Mike McNamara. Both of them had dispensed with their famous wooden boats and were sailing in Hartley Wayfarers. Obviously Alan Chaplin was revelling in home waters because he finished 3rd in this first race of the meeting! The second race followed a similar pattern with Mike McNamara leading off around the first windward mark and being chased by Bill Whitney, Gordon Harris and Richard Stone. Overnight, the open meeting order was Michael McNamara leading from Gordon Harris, 2nd, with Shoreham local, Bill Whitney in 3rd place.
For the second day of racing, Sunday 16th May, more wind was expected and everyone had also learnt the cold lessons of the first day and many dry suits were in evidence. Windguru forecast force 3 in the morning and force 4 in the afternoon and that was probably how it turned out. To begin with the sea state was quite quiet after a relatively cold and windless night but the swell built up reasonably quickly and for the start of the first race there was quite a wind-driven chop to contend with. The 3rd race began at 11 am in the morning which meant that the tide was against boats for the beat to the first windward mark. There was the choice to go in-shore for the first leg and for some this paid off. Others went up the middle – keeping their options open! Once again Mike McNamara was first to the mark, this time with Bill and Lisa Whitney close behind and with Richard Stone, Mike McKechnie and Peter Kay from Warsash SC chasing. There was a strongish breeze to the first wing mark which was also quite shy, so many chose to delay putting up the spinnaker. Mike Mac flew his spinnaker but had trouble laying the mark. Others copied him and then got themselves into trouble. On balance those who chose not to fly the spinnaker had least problems and planed at high speed to the wing mark into good positions. Even after the gybe at that mark some chose not to raise the spinnaker and, for this first triangle with wind and tide as it was, it seemed to pay off with some very fast planing and surfing down towards the leeward mark. Half way through the first race on Sunday the tide turned and so it appeared then to be more favourable to go left and out to sea up the second beat. By race end the positions were Mike McNamara first, Bill Whitney second and Peter Kay, from Warsash, a well deserved 3rd, having worked very hard on the off-wind legs.
For race 4, the final race, the wind strength and sea state appeared to have increased and beating was sometimes quite a challenge. There were numerous tales of people losing their footing in the boat in the large waves – even a story about Lisa Whitney going overboard at one point! Mike McNamara raced, even though he didn’t need to, and then secured another win, thus demonstrating his total mastery of the conditions with his crew Simon Townsend. Another well deserved second place went to Bill and Lisa Whitney, followed home by fellow Shoreham crew Alan Chaplin and Philip Ayton. Mike McNamara’s new boat is Aquamarine green – the old Rob Lyne boat from the Falmouth 2009 Nationals. Bill Whitney’s new Hartley is also Aquamarine Green, so the on-shore clubhouse banter was that you either had to have a gawdy green boat or come from Shoreham SC to do well! It was an amazing weekend of wind and waves with many lessons learnt and one or two bumps, bruises and tired bodies. Full results attached.
A. M. D. McKechnie
UKWA Racing Sec.
17th May 2010
|
|
Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 May 2010 16:24 |
