Pakuranga sailing club

Yesterday afternoon saw a mixed bag of weather, and a mixed fleet of boats, at Pakuranga sailing club.

With pouring rain and no wind at home, I didn't bother checking the calendar until around lunchtime. Then we decided to make a day of it, and the whole family piled into the van, hooked the laser on the back, and headed off.

As I didn't know whether PSC would have a second race (It was already too late to join the first one) we had a plan - go there first, and if there was no second race, head over to Panmure Lagoon, where they were holding a long distance river race. As the last forecast I had seen was for 25-35 knots, the thought of beating back up the river to PLSC from Otahuhu against a fleet of serious competitors was a little daunting.

Arriving at Pakuranga, we found clear skies, hot sunshine, and nice 5-10 knot winds. Perfect for the fleet of scout boats and juniors that were mostly in attendance.

Looking at the fleet of boats, I thought I had seen another laser, so went over to find out about race 2. There was a race, so I set about rigging.

After launching, I discovered that the "laser" was in fact a spiral, which meant I should be the quickest boat on the water.

At the start, I was second over, behind a visiting Starling. Of course, being in a faster boat meant I was soon in front, and pulling away. After two legs I had built up a sizable lead, however not the one I was expecting, as the girl in the Starling proved to be very competent sailor.

Being the only Laser gave me the opportunity to practise tacking and some basic boat handling, which, considering how little time I have spent sailing since 2009, was suprisingly reasonable.

I think once the handicaps had been applied, that I may have beaten the Starling overall, but it would not have been by very much. I'm hoping that the local sailors took notice of what she was doing, and can start applying it to their own sailing.

As is normal for this club, the course was well planned, and the socialising afterward was great.

Next race is on Sunday 26, at 12:30.

We're undecided, however we'll most likely take the Topper over, so we can compete on the water with the starlings.

Looking forward to it!