Two reports for you, one from Leaky, one from Beezer. Leaky gets to go first, as I got his first - Al:
Okayyy, Here's the race report for the Whitstable "very open" event. The "must be there to get the training in before the NATIONALS" event. Yup there it was. All the hotshots simple oozing testostrogen and other illegal hormones, ready to do battle as they square-up and face-down the opposition ready for Beer, next weekend.
Saturday. We were held on shore, waiting for Johnny Rotsniff to stop texting and get his wetsuit on. The we got delayed again by a curious creaking noise. Turns out it was Bees & Ferret getting on their ageing gear. (More baby oil could help boys).
Eventually we all launched while it was blowing the top end of a force 0 from some direction or other. Who cares? Anyway, we hung around the start line, sizing up the course, (as you do?) zooming around the remnants of the Whitstable YC committee boat, that had a nice, "hands on" feel to it. Six people huddled in a small rib with some bamboo poles shows how tuff the local volunteers are. About time they suffered for their "art"? (Many thanks to them tho').
First race was started. We lead it most of the way until Geri put us in the drink at WW mark. This let the hotshots excell. Buuuuummmmm! Somebody won, in a very lucky way. Nobody protested. The rest of us might have been disappointed, but hey. It had picked up to the bottom end of a F1, so you couldn't completely sleep on the foredeck, just a casual Kate-lounge.
Second and third races were pretty much more of the same, except Geri didn't make me swim. Thanks Babe.
There were smug looks on the beach, So draw your own conclusions or read what Mr Barnes will no doubt, publish.
Sunday's racing was met with a lot of moaning that the wind direction and air temperature had changed. I forget who that was, but I guess I joined in too. It just looked nasty. Not very McCrae. Cross-on, windy-ish. A bit rude for tender newbies to B14 sailing like me. Geri wouldn't take me home so we followed out the Fleet in the bottom-end of a F14 and we didn't need the sails, (Which was good, because it's very difficult to get sails these days).
We had four races. Some people reserved themselves to two. Craftily keeping their powder dry for that mahoosive Beer swell in a few days. Barnsie and Bees sort of bit chunks out of eachother. One of them won the Meeting. It could have been Barnsie as I did see some money changing hands between those two.
Everyone had a great time. We didn't break the Bar this time, probably because the likes of Watts/Bishop et al weren't there. Mostly "Best-behavior" was exhibited. However, it has to be mentioned that if you are gonna be a little Chunderbag, it's usually best to check to see if the toilet is fully-functional before using it to unload a Dickie stomach. Especially if the aforementioned WC belongs to your Helm who is trying to get his house fit for moving in soon.
Finally, remember, it's important to provide entertainment for the Committee boat crew.
Maybe they don't even have a WC.
As a side note, does anyone know what leaky and geri's new dog is called? Answer's on a postcard to Barnsie please. Now, Bees:
Saturday's forecast of little wind, clocking round from an initial SW to somewhere in the east, began to materialise as launch time approached. Wisely PRO Steve Gray raised the AP. After a wait of an hour or so the breeze reformed from the SW and the fleet was released. A further delay ensued when it switched off again, and after a pleasant drift around Whitstable Street it eventually settled in to a steady F1.5 from the NE. A course was quickly set, and racing underway.
In race 1, Blue Badge (Mike Bees/Ferret) made the early running but were pushed all the way by Seavolution (Mark Barnes/Dan Hare) with Team Harken (Simon & Nikki Hadley) and Anthill Mob/North (Tim Harrison/Jonny Ratcliffe) in close attendance.
The breeze remained slight but steady, and in race 2 Seavolution turned the tables and lead narrowly from Anthill Mob/North, with Blue Badge and Team Harken further back.
With time marching on, race 3 was to be the final one of the day. This time it was Anthill Mob/North's turn and they pulled away to the most comfortable win of the day, followed by a squabbling Blue Badge, Seavolution and Team Harken who had all had a turn at 2nd place at some point. Newcomers Ed Lowes and Rob Spaughton showed their potential, hanging closely on to the coat tails of the fleet in their first B14 event.
After a nervy day's sailing, with nailbiting downwind legs into the tide, the evening provided a welcome opportunity to unwind in the knowledge that the following's forecast was for a healthy F4. A barbeque at WYC was followed by trip round some of the local establishments which provided a number of highlights including a trip back in time to the 1940s, the 2012 Champions League final, and games such as "How much pear cider can a young man drink?" and "Where's Jonny?". Towards the end of the evening Cider Man lost all of his special skills, including the ability to identify whether a toilet bowl was actually plumbed in or just sitting in the middle of the room of his helmsman/host's unfinished house awaiting the plumber's attention.
Sunday morning brought the promised F4 from the NE, kicking up the customary Whitstable lumpy sea. A prompt 10am start for race 1 got the bodies moving. Blue Badge led around the first lap from Seavolution and Anthill Mob/North, with the minor places contested by Team Marlow (Dan Cowin/Dan Hollands) and Team Harken. On the 2nd lap Blue Badge had consolidated but attempted to gybe whilst surfing down the biggest steepest wave of the day, with the inevitable waist-deep plant into the back of the next wave mid-gybe leading to the unavoidable swim. This left Seavolution to win from Anthill Mob/North and Team Harken.
Race 6 started in similar conditions, and this time Blue Badge kept it together to record a lights-to-flag win from, you've guessed it, Seavolution and Anthill Mob/North. Team Marlow were now starting to find the right gears in 4th place.
Quickly on to race 7 and the sound of the starting gun was followed a few seconds later by the sound of Anthill Mob/North's starboard rack exceeding its major service interval, leaving Tim & Jonny (or more likely just Jonny) with some major boat work to do before the start of the Nationals. A 3-way tussle between Seavolution, Blue Badge and Team Marlow was resolved in that order with Seavolution easing away over the final beat to a comfortable win. Hi-Torq (Geri & Leaky Fermor) found a 'secret' way up the beat in this race, although with secrets being what they are it is not possible to report any further on it.
One race to go and the breeze softened slightly leaving boats feeling underpowered in the sloppy chop. Again the first beat was a battle between Blue Badge, Team Marlow and Seavolution. Blue Badge came out on top and stretched away to the biggest margin of the weekend, whilst Seavolution and Team Marlow battled gybe-for-gybe to the finish.
At the end Blue Badge & Seavolution were neck-and-neck on points, with the same number of 1st & 2nds, leaving the last race as the tie-breaker in favour of Blue Badge.
Overall a big thanks to Whitstable and their crew who managed to run 7 excellent races in difficult circumstances for them - their beloved committee boat, Slotty Dawes, had perished a few weeks previously in a storm leaving the race team to run the show from a rib with flags held up on bamboo poles! This must have been fairly unpleasant on a lump breezy day so maximum respect to them.
Next up, now only a few days away, is the National Championships at Beer Sailing Club where a strong entry is already booked in and summer is poised to arrive.
1 771 Blue Badge Mike Bees/Ferret Worth Brightlingsea Sailing Club 1,(3),2,(5),1,2,1 7pts
2 788 Seavolution Mark Barnes/Dan Hare Whitstable YC/Stone SC (2),1,(3),1,2,1,2 7pts
3 758 Anthill Mob/North Tim Harrison/Jonny Ratcliffe Haven Ports YC 4,2,1,2,3,(DNC),(DNC) 12pts
4 769 Team Marlow Dan Cowin/Dan Hollands Hythe & Saltwood SC (5),(5),5,4,4,3,3 19pts
5 770 Team Harken Simon & Nikki Hadley Bough Beech SC 3,4,4,3,5,(DNC),(DNC) 19pts
6 786 Team Torq Geri & Leaky Fermor Down-on-the-Farm YC 6,6,(7),(7),6,4,4 26pts
7 766 HBR Consulting Barry Price/Al Storer Broxbourne SC 7,7,6,6,DNF,(DNC),DNC)35pts
8 724 Ed Lowes/Rob Spaughton Whitstable YC 8,8,8,(DNC),(DNC),DNC,DNC 42pts