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Spring Points
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18th September 2023
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Spring Points Blaze racing
10th May 2021
Spring Points 9 and 10, 9th May 2021
As always, close racing in the Blazes at WSC. The course was HooNessWestCardinal starboard, 30 port, 26 port, 23 starboard, 26 starboard, 29 starboard, HNWC port, 30 Starboard and home to the finish. The wind was a gusty SSW, full of holes around the club and on Gillingham Reach, quite smooth further down the river and for the first race the tide was on the make.
Six Blazes with Chris Saunders going straight out into the lead at the start and winning the first race. Russell Wheeler (a visitor and a very useful dinghy racer) followed Chris around in second. Third at the first mark was John Goudie and myself in 4th. Dave Thornelow and Phil Cope further back. John Goudie fell in on the way back to the club so slipped to 4th. I was all butter fingers too as it was my first sail since October. Apart from the short beat from HNWC to 30 at the beginning of the race it was all off the wind to 23 and then a beat or close reach back since the tide was under us. Down wind from 26 to 23 I was hoping to catch John Goudie by heading inshore and out of the tide but a large cruiser (who I presumed was racing) rather forced me out into the main channel whilst John Goudie was forced to cut behind him and thus went into the slacker water. So a complete reversal of my tactic. It wasn’t all hard on the wind, thankfully, since I’d used the wrong type of rope on my mainsheet strop during the winter refurbishment and I couldn’t sheet in properly.
For the second race we used the same course and there may have been a little more wind, but the tide had reversed, so we expected a great deal more beating. I had changed the rope on my mainsheet strop but another little innovation I had applied to the mainsheet system broke so I was again sailing a bit crippled. I mention this just to wind up the opposition since I managed to win this race.
Chris felt he was over the line early and so by returning, started last. Russell took the lead but I was not far behind, by 30 Chris had gained 1st place and by 26, it was Chris, Russell, myself and John Goudie. I think I was the only person to gybe going down the run to 23, the others were all running very deep to avoid a gybe and so were a little bit slow. This of course meant that at 23 I would have to pull off the most difficult maneuver. I don’t recommend this - especially when it's a bit windy. So coming into the mark I was on port, I had to gybe, round the mark and then round up onto a beat. It was apparent that the two leaders were then standing out into the main channel. Even in ordinary circumstances I’d want to put a tack in to “clear my air” but a tack would take me out of the tide so that was a double imperative. So my manoeuvre at 23 was a thorough exercise in boat handling which I pulled off but over my shoulder I saw Phil get it all wrong. This took me into the shallows and out of the tide (remember the tide was flowing out) and I tacked up the shallow to Folly Point. John Goudie followed and this took us into the lead.
Tacking across the tide to 26 I tried to get uptide first, John Goudie went straight across from Folly point and that worked so by 26 we were pretty close. By 29 I had again pulled out a bit and so via HNWC and 30 I was beginning to feel quite good. But approaching the club line the wind was full of holes and of course the tide was against us - so I was horrified to find Chris had caught up and was only a couple of boat lengths behind. Fortunately I got a little gust and it propelled me over the line.
I’ve included GPS traces of the 2 races, dark blue is slow (about 3mph and red is fast at about 12 mph). See if you can find my gybe halfway towards 23 from 26 and also see my complex gybe, round-up round buoy, harden up and then tack at 23. You’ll also see my tacks up the shallows by Hoo Island towards Folly Point. I did run aground and you’ll see that tack.
GPS Traces https://photos.app.goo.gl/isEBjvKaMRmg1vkV9
As always, close racing in the Blazes at WSC. The course was HooNessWestCardinal starboard, 30 port, 26 port, 23 starboard, 26 starboard, 29 starboard, HNWC port, 30 Starboard and home to the finish. The wind was a gusty SSW, full of holes around the club and on Gillingham Reach, quite smooth further down the river and for the first race the tide was on the make.
Six Blazes with Chris Saunders going straight out into the lead at the start and winning the first race. Russell Wheeler (a visitor and a very useful dinghy racer) followed Chris around in second. Third at the first mark was John Goudie and myself in 4th. Dave Thornelow and Phil Cope further back. John Goudie fell in on the way back to the club so slipped to 4th. I was all butter fingers too as it was my first sail since October. Apart from the short beat from HNWC to 30 at the beginning of the race it was all off the wind to 23 and then a beat or close reach back since the tide was under us. Down wind from 26 to 23 I was hoping to catch John Goudie by heading inshore and out of the tide but a large cruiser (who I presumed was racing) rather forced me out into the main channel whilst John Goudie was forced to cut behind him and thus went into the slacker water. So a complete reversal of my tactic. It wasn’t all hard on the wind, thankfully, since I’d used the wrong type of rope on my mainsheet strop during the winter refurbishment and I couldn’t sheet in properly.
For the second race we used the same course and there may have been a little more wind, but the tide had reversed, so we expected a great deal more beating. I had changed the rope on my mainsheet strop but another little innovation I had applied to the mainsheet system broke so I was again sailing a bit crippled. I mention this just to wind up the opposition since I managed to win this race.
Chris felt he was over the line early and so by returning, started last. Russell took the lead but I was not far behind, by 30 Chris had gained 1st place and by 26, it was Chris, Russell, myself and John Goudie. I think I was the only person to gybe going down the run to 23, the others were all running very deep to avoid a gybe and so were a little bit slow. This of course meant that at 23 I would have to pull off the most difficult maneuver. I don’t recommend this - especially when it's a bit windy. So coming into the mark I was on port, I had to gybe, round the mark and then round up onto a beat. It was apparent that the two leaders were then standing out into the main channel. Even in ordinary circumstances I’d want to put a tack in to “clear my air” but a tack would take me out of the tide so that was a double imperative. So my manoeuvre at 23 was a thorough exercise in boat handling which I pulled off but over my shoulder I saw Phil get it all wrong. This took me into the shallows and out of the tide (remember the tide was flowing out) and I tacked up the shallow to Folly Point. John Goudie followed and this took us into the lead.
Tacking across the tide to 26 I tried to get uptide first, John Goudie went straight across from Folly point and that worked so by 26 we were pretty close. By 29 I had again pulled out a bit and so via HNWC and 30 I was beginning to feel quite good. But approaching the club line the wind was full of holes and of course the tide was against us - so I was horrified to find Chris had caught up and was only a couple of boat lengths behind. Fortunately I got a little gust and it propelled me over the line.
I’ve included GPS traces of the 2 races, dark blue is slow (about 3mph and red is fast at about 12 mph). See if you can find my gybe halfway towards 23 from 26 and also see my complex gybe, round-up round buoy, harden up and then tack at 23. You’ll also see my tacks up the shallows by Hoo Island towards Folly Point. I did run aground and you’ll see that tack.
GPS Traces https://photos.app.goo.gl/isEBjvKaMRmg1vkV9
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