Autumn Points, Race 9 - 27th October 2019

The last race of the series was an all Blaze affair for the Medium Fleet. Just myself in 609 (a Mk1 Blaze, Colin Treadwell in 679 (a Mk 2 Blaze) and Alastair Smith (in his Mk 3 Blaze) number 756. It was light winds and a flooding tide which took us downriver to 30, SY4, Hoo1 (that’s the little green one), 22 and then backtrack to the steel beacon near 23 and then 24 (or was it 25) and home. It was the same course as the Fast Fleet and took us about 10 minutes longer. That’s an hour and a half of racing just right I think.

Downwind starts against the tide are the easiest to get right, you merely sail along the line until the gun and bear away. It’s easy for everybody so there is little room for error because everybody will be there. I practiced several times so that I was able to be exactly on the line, going fast and where the wind and tide were best. I must have gybed half a dozen times during my practice runs but on my first gybe in the race, I capsised - bear in mind this is light winds.

So I was third right from the start and being mostly downwind, in fact mostly a run all the way to SY4 and not a lot I could do about it. I enjoyed it though, I tried all sorts of things like: sailing into the shallows, heading up to get planning, crossing the tide in a different place. Some of it worked, some of the time, but others didn’t and although I think I gained a little I finished 3rd just as I had started. I think Colin and Alastair had a bit of a fight but Alastair won.

Have you noticed a column in the results labelled BCR. That is the PY number created from my performance. In this particular race I scored 1065, a Blaze is rated as 1027 so Alastair sailed his boat as if it had a PY of 1027 and I sailed the race as if I was in a boat with a PY of 1065. A National 12 has a PY of 1065. I was just over 3 minutes behind at the finish - that’s the price of one capsise.

However, for me, it’s not all bad news. I won the Autumn Series. Chris Saunders came second and Brian Lamb was third. Its been a series of extreme winds with 2 races wasted because of light winds and 4 races lost because of strong winds.

Wild sailing today. I was the only Blaze. There were a Musto, 2 or 3 2000s, and in the morning a 3000 and a Streaker. We organised informal racing and blasted about with the occasional capsize. The wind was a Nor Westerly and we set 32 as our windward mark and went downriver to 30 with a gybe at 31. If there was any winner in the morning it was me, but well done to the others for attempting it.

In the afternoon even more wind and a longer course. Wild down at 26. Huge squall on the way back to the club but it looked worst than it was. John Hewat and Simon sailed well and almost kept up with me (I was being careful) so they must have surely won. The Musto was out there somewhere, doing a second lap. It wasn't really racing weather. The other 2000s capsised, Andy and Rachelle, having a harrowing moment with Rachelle under the boat but it all ended well.

So that is the second weekend blown out by the weather. So far we have lost 6 of the 9 races in the Autumn Series. The only race left is number 9 on the morning of 27 October and in the afternoon is the Laying-Up Cup.

Next weekend is the Leigh Trophy Race - which is much like a creeks race. Hopefully, the weather will be better.

Autumn Points - 23 September

What dreadful weather, cold and raining heavily. No wonder there were few takers - 2 Blazes and a Miracle.

It seemed to be a Nor-Westerly and so I set a course up to 32 (near MYC), down to the cardinal mark at the west of Hoo Island and then 30, 26, back to 30 and finish. High tide about 12:30.

I had a practice beat towards 32 and yes it was pretty much to windward, so I reckoned on a reach along the line on starboard and harden up on the gun. It didn’t work out, Dave Thornelow started out in the channel and just sailed up river whilst I had nothing and just sat there. The Miracle started with us too.

I eventually got going but the wind had obviously shifted more northerly and came in turbulent gusts over the hill or blasted down the river channel. Neither was long enough to confidently get out on the rack fully extended and Dave got to 32 first.

Once around the mark we ran downriver against the tide. We either had a gust on nothing very much, and so my route which kept me in less tide paid off and I moved into the lead.

After passing back across the line and out into the tide the wind picked up a bit and by the cardinal mark I had to be a bit careful with the gybe. Apparently Dave had trouble there and I had my heart in my mouth approaching 30 as the wind was up another notch and I had to gybe again. The reach to 26 was fast but I never settled, it was so gusty.

A tack around 26 and a close reach back was really hairy with the wind now up to survival conditions and full of holes and sudden headers. I kept the boat going but I couldn’t really grasp the boat and make it motor and the waves were really quite sharp now. I had several “events” where I went backwards into the water and had to “water start” to get going again. At times it was that horrible angle where you can’t luff to parry the gusts and you couldn’t bear away. Despite the cold I wondered if I might melt my mainsheet block as the rope was having to come in by several metres and then be let out by several metres, several times in as many seconds. Good for the shoulder muscles I suppose.

I made it to 30 and hardened up for what was now a beat to the line but again it was not sailing I felt proud about, rarely being able to settle into a powerful position on the rack and this just got worse and worse as I got closer to the club. A capsise would have been so easy and there was a large timber ship coming up the river. I kept going on port to get out of the channel by 31 but the lulls were so severe I eventually decided to cross the channel on starboard and finish close to St Mary’s Island. I waited there for the ship to go by before crossing back to land the boat.

Coming back to the club the wind just faded. I’ll never know if this was the affect of the hill or the wind had died off. I suspect it was a bit of both but when I got ashore and looked at the Medway Cruising Club website they had experienced a gust of 28 mph (they are near buoy 26), and Sheppey had had a gust of 43 mph. So it was a windy day. Both the other Blaze and the Miracle had retired and we decided we wouldn’t bother with the afternoon race.

Tough Racing on the Medway

Light flukey winds made this a tough Sunday because you could be in the lead and lose it very easily. Most Blaze racers experienced this, for all it was annoying but for some it added extra spice. It’s certainly true that you may not be rewarded for hard work and luck was more in play than normally.

Race 1, took us downwind and downstream with the falling tide. The course, via 29 and 28 to port was down to buoy 23, but were turned back (shortened course) at 25 to beat back against the tide.

If you even see a white flag with a blue rectangle in the middle, it means “shortened course” and at Wilsonian, that means sail directly to the finish line and don’t include any other marks.

So 5 Blazes, a Wayfarer, RS200, Buzz and an RS100 got off the line in very little wind. The tide was sweeping out so I was “line shy” by about a minute which is a huge amount in this fleet but I actually managed to get close to the others by 29 and rounded right on their tail at 28. By 25 which is when we were flagged I rounded 2nd to only Chris Saunders. There was a bunch of Slow Fleet boats ahead and some of the fast fleet and the usual trick against the tide in Gillingham Reach is to work the shallows on Hoo Island. I didn’t think I’d get past all those slow boats and went out into the tide where at least I had clear wind however there was a lull so I could barely make progress against the tide. It was so light I thought if I tacked I would lose all forward momentum. I almost lost forward momentum anyway and continued on this tack which took me further and further out into the tide and the wind didn't increase for quite a while.

When the wind filled in it came from the north (I was about the most southerly boat in any fleet at the time) and so I lost out in a big way. John Goudie got it first out of the Blazes but Chris being ahead also got it and they pulled away. Being on the opposite side of the river I couldn't go back across the flow and hoped I might gain as we rounded the next bend and headed for the line. That’s exactly what happened and for a moment I thought I could be the first Blaze. However, that was not to be and John managed to just pip Chris and they both just pipped me. Meanwhile, the Wayfarer with Brian Lamb and Tony Hunt crewing were close by and so on handicap they won that race.

Race 2, fewer boats in the afternoon, 2 less Blazes and the RS100 had gone home. A similar course but now the tide was slack. Just as we started a flock of about a dozen Wayfarers from MYC came down the river and across our line. I managed to start and stay ahead (you can imagine the disturbed wind) but they were going to 30 and we were going to 29 so we separated. For a moment I was in the lead but I was attacked on both sides by Chris Saunders and John Goudie. Running into buoy 27 I just managed an overlap on John and Chris had gybed away which hadn’t paid, so I was back in the lead. Fortunately, I managed to get to buoy 26 without getting too tangled with the Wayfarers who were also using that mark, for those behind I imagine that was a nightmare.

It was now a fetch to 23. Chris got past, just, at 23 and we ran back up to 24 and then there was that beat back along Gillingham Reach. The tide was slack but a direct line took us close to Hoo Island and the shallows where the wind was disturbed. Chris did pull a little distance out, but John somehow gained and sailed through my lee, leaving me in 3rd. The Wayfarer was in the mix and so when the results were worked out it was 1st Brian Lamb in the Wayfarer, 2nd Chris, 3rd John and myself in 4th.

Chris didn’t think much of the days racing, but then he wouldn’t because when there’s more wind he just has that bit more pace than anybody. As for me its all part of racing a sailing boat and I have to accept I didn’t do it as well as I can.

Medway - WSC Autumn Points 21 Oct 2018

Two challenging races for me. Light flukey and tidal, sums up the conditions.

Five Blazes in the first race. Myself (609), David Thornelow (617), Colin Treadwell (679), Chris Saunders in his latest Blaze and John Tinnams (749). No Wayfarers surprisingly especially as it would have been their day with long runs and light winds.

The first race, I got off to a good start, which was a broad reach to 30. I led the Blazes but the rest were close behind and there was Martin and Ben Brown in their V3000 just ahead. The next leg to SY4 was a huge long run in slack water but Chris and I kept to the shallows down Hoo Island, John Tinnams and another went right down the middle and marginally lost out. There was a well-sailed Laser in amongst us and we couldn’t get away from him. Chris tried to sail the shortest direct, route. I put a few gybes in and scored by SY4 with a decent lead.

By now the tide had turned as was coming down the river and we had to cross the flow to get to H1, a small green can, at the entrance to Hoo Creek. Still, in the lead, I overstood to get into the shallows to Folly Point. Once around Folly, it was a beat against the tide to 29. It fell light and I kept well into the shallows but Chris had seen more wind further out and when I tacked out to avoid running aground there he was crossing ahead.

I had worked so hard at thinking it all through, concentrated so much on smooth tacks, good gybes and choosing the right route. It was such a disappointment to see him ahead. He had chosen well and he reaped the benefit because at 29 the race was shortened and he led us home. Colin was not far behind me. John Tinnams and Dave Thornelow were well back. John had lost out on that long run. By choosing the main channel he was at a disadvantage because the tide always turns earliest at the edges. Well that’s my theory!

I’m not sure who was in the afternoon race. Chris was there and Colin and so again I thought it through and decided the ebbing tide although strongest in the middle, it was also the middle that had more wind. This was important because the first mark was 32 which is upstream and lies off Medway Yacht Club.

The only problem with going up the middle is if the wind dies - even a bit - it suddenly is not the best place to be. I was lucky, it held enough for me to make way against it and tack up to 32. It wasn’t all clear cut though, just as I was approaching MYC their Wayfarers started, a dozen boats, all with their spinnakers up does knock a bit of a hole in the wind. Soon after that there were 3 or 4 RIBs towing strings of Optimists back upwind for some training, and they were going to slow down for me, and to cap it coming into the mark in a sluicing tide the wind faded. But I got around and ran off down river. Chris wasn’t far behind but as I went off with the tide under me it stretched out my lead to a magnificent couple of hundred metres. All I had to do was hang on to it.

I think the next mark was 30 to port and down Gillingham Reach to 27. The wind was very light but I got there first and I still had a decent lead and tacked into the shallows.

From my position, Chris always looks so calm. Sailing carefully and of course, always fast he just bides his time and waits to pounce. Well, that’s how it looks but he may be boiling inside for all I know. He tacked less than me, went out into the tide more than me and gained, and then I ran aground. Now I’m well practised at running aground and I have a touch and tack method that works a treat but not this time, I just lost too much momentum. You have to remember there was precious little wind and the boat touched and I stopped before I could get the boat onto the other tack. So it was messy and in the end, I had to stick my foot over the leeward side and push the boat around. Chris sailed serenely by and I followed him home. He had taken less risk, and had been happy to wait for me to make the mistake. My mistake decided the race.

I’m happy though. It was great close racing, tense all the way round. It was tough (mentally), I came 2nd and I led both races for a substantial time. The best man won both races but he had to work for it and by the way, Colin was not far behind in both races. The writing is on the wall - Colin is going to be trouble!