Conditions today:
Moderate SW with some marginal planing conditions - OUR WIND!
The big story today is for 2nd place; our local heros from RSC Peter and Dawn Langdon lead the Sir Ralph Gore Cup race for 12 of the gruelling 13 miles, before generoulsy handing it to someone who hadnt won it before, 38 years ago.
How was it for the rest of us?
The race was dominated by the conditions at the start. After two general recalls the black flag was flown and ensured a more obedient start. But the gun went as the wind begun a huge 40 degree shift to the right. The further right you were on the line, the better. We got a great start, but 3/4 down the line we were 1/4 mile behind the leaders within minutes. Of course we weren't on our own, but it was going to be a long fight back from the back of the fleet, rounding the windward mark in about 50th.
But its a long race, and we were going like a train. By the last beat, 3 hours later, we had gained about 35 places. But then disaster happened. A few hundred meters from the line Liz missed her footing on a tack and slipped overboard. Having filled up with water in the process we lost 16 places before limping over the line in 31st. Argh!
It's a blow and cost us a load of places in the series, but you cant dwell on these things. The positive is we were going really fast in the first place, and that will give us confidence going into the last 2 days.
However, that just might be a nomination for the Duckhams Award for Gross Over-achievement.
Now Neil, I have read your comments from the begining of the week and its worth saying that Liz, when she is in the boat, is the best crew anyone could hope for. Her agility on the reaches alone must have won us 20 places today. So unless you reckon you could do a better job yourself, I suggest you button it.
Catch lata, Ben
Wednesday 6 August 2008
Langdons lead Gore
Today Peter and Dawn Langdon lead 68 boats in the Sir Ralph Gore Cup race, 38 years after they fist won this prestigious prize. The Restonguet veterans lead the race, a minimum 13 nautical mile marathon, for twelve miles, succumbing at last to the boat currently leading the Championship series, Paul kameen. Paul said "Peter and Dawn showed us the way around, but we were lucky to get them in the end. I wasnt even born the first time they won this Cup! When we finally got abreast of them on the final reach Peter called over "We wondered when you lot would show up!"
We are expecting the largest cheer ever for 2nd place at prize-giving tonight. Never mind Paul, you did well too!
Roller coaster riding – Race 4/8
Roller coaster riding – Race 4/8
Windy and choppy sums up the conditions today, gusting over 20 knots from the SW. These aren’t our best conditions – being light we struggle in heavy weather, but having said that there are plenty of other lightweights in the fleet too!
Today we took off from the far righthand end of the gate start. This was a good with clear air and open water, getting to the windward mark around 20th. The reaches were amazing, fast wave-riding planing all the way, and here we were able to make up a few places. Liz makes a superb spray deflector!!
In the end we finished 26th after a gruelling 1.5hr slog. Everyone looks as knackered as we feel right now.
The race wasn’t without incident. Several boats capsized around the course, and we only just escaped a swim by the narrowest of margins ourselves.
A couple of protests were made too. We are witness to one of the incidents, a barge on the leeward mark that messed us and another boat up. The protest hearing will be held at 1900 this evening.
Tonight the crews and helms split – the helms to the ‘Helms Dinner’ and the crews to the rather less sophisticated ‘Crews Union’, where it seems food is banned and potent punch is obligatory. But what would I know – the details of this dubious organisation are closely guarded secrets.
Tomorrow the fleet gets split in half on the racecourse too – the front half of the fleet racing for the most prestigious prize in Firefly racing, the “Sir Ralph Gore Cup”, whilst the remaining boats sail in the Marlow with a new mainsheet on offer for the winner. Entrants into the Gore are worked out by results in the previous races, so with our 9th we will qualify for the Gore. The Gore is a marathon of a race, with a time limit of 4.5 hours – more on that later.
We are still praying for lighter winds over the next few days.
Catch lata,
Ben
Windy and choppy sums up the conditions today, gusting over 20 knots from the SW. These aren’t our best conditions – being light we struggle in heavy weather, but having said that there are plenty of other lightweights in the fleet too!
Today we took off from the far righthand end of the gate start. This was a good with clear air and open water, getting to the windward mark around 20th. The reaches were amazing, fast wave-riding planing all the way, and here we were able to make up a few places. Liz makes a superb spray deflector!!
In the end we finished 26th after a gruelling 1.5hr slog. Everyone looks as knackered as we feel right now.
The race wasn’t without incident. Several boats capsized around the course, and we only just escaped a swim by the narrowest of margins ourselves.
A couple of protests were made too. We are witness to one of the incidents, a barge on the leeward mark that messed us and another boat up. The protest hearing will be held at 1900 this evening.
Tonight the crews and helms split – the helms to the ‘Helms Dinner’ and the crews to the rather less sophisticated ‘Crews Union’, where it seems food is banned and potent punch is obligatory. But what would I know – the details of this dubious organisation are closely guarded secrets.
Tomorrow the fleet gets split in half on the racecourse too – the front half of the fleet racing for the most prestigious prize in Firefly racing, the “Sir Ralph Gore Cup”, whilst the remaining boats sail in the Marlow with a new mainsheet on offer for the winner. Entrants into the Gore are worked out by results in the previous races, so with our 9th we will qualify for the Gore. The Gore is a marathon of a race, with a time limit of 4.5 hours – more on that later.
We are still praying for lighter winds over the next few days.
Catch lata,
Ben
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