Today was the annual Manukau shield challenge, hosted this year by French Bay Yacht Club.
66 boats faced the starters flags, with visitors from Maraetai, Manukau, Panmure Lagoon, and Weymouth clubs, as well as twelve-foot skiffs from Auckland Sailing Club. Two races were sailed, each lasting just over an hour.
Maraetai also provided some extra safety cover, in the form of three RIB's.
The weather gods turned on yet another perfect day, with temperatures in the mid to high twenties, and wind ranging between 5 and 15 knots. The water was fairly flat, although once the tide started running out, the chop started to build.
The on-water action was really hot, with everyone having a good tussle with the boats around them.
I was busy with the Laser fleet, where we had 12 boats. Most were sailing with standard rigs, although a few opted for the radial rig.
The wind shifted part-way through the starting sequence of the first race, making the start line a bit biased to the left, although looking up the course showed what seemed to be a right hand shift. This resulted in most of the fleet starting on the left end, while me and a few others went out on the right.
There didn't seem to be a lot in it, as at the top mark I rounded as the first of the right-siders, in fifth place but right behind the leaders.
Don won this race quite easily in the end, setting the standard for the rest of the fleet.
Race two saw a much more orderly start, and Chantal picked it right, taking first around the top mark, with me in second. We then took off down the reach, heading in the wrong direction! This dropped us down the order a tiny bit, although both still in contention.
The final results showed PLSC sailors taking the top three places, with Don winning both races.
Looking forward...
The shield challenge seems to have lost its glory and prestige, with very few eligible clubs sending teams to compete in recent years. Ineligible clubs have been sending large numbers of boats, with Taikata sendng several boats to Weymouth last year, and PLSC sending good numbers today.
One must wonder, therefore, whether the shield should be re-defined, and such clubs allowed entry.
