© GBR1259T 2023
Results - 2010
Crew for this race weekend was as for the previous three inshore races of Robin Lawton, brother Peter and
myself, ok for the light stuff but not enough weight on the rail if it blew up. We got out to the start area nice
and early and did a few time runs from the slack water off Egypt point to the line, all in the one and a half
minute area working out from the slack water to the strong tide pushing us over the line. All felt good until
just as we started our timed run the wind dropped away to next to nothing making our timed drift a little
longer than planned still we crossed the line in the front echelon and proceeded to drift our way up the
eastern Solent with the occasional zephyr to fill the kite. Steerage way was a delight when it was there. The
drift/run to North Sturbridge was actually reasonably quick with a strong tide under us and fortunately we
got there just as the tide was turning. Unfortunately a good number of boats had stretched out quite a lead,
we spotted both 31.7s, at least a brace of Sigmas and the biggest boats of our class all beating away from the
mark towards Hill Head and disappearing into the distance. The beat to Yarmouth seemed fairly pedestrian,
broken by an exciting spinnaker leg across the Solent and spiced up by a building breeze. We just managed
to change from the #1 to #3 genoas whilst the kite was up which made the final two beating legs
manageable in the rising wind. We felt a decent result had slipped away from us on the downwind leg and
so it proved with a 9th position, just in the top half of the fleet . Feeling we could do better with the
anticipated mostly downwind legs of the return race we had a good few beers and a meal in good spirits
looking forward to Sunday's race back to Cowes.