Todays third day of the TY summer series at Weymouth provided some intense racing and very close finishes.
The day dawned overcast and raining, with very little wind. By the time everyone was rigged and ready to go, the breeze was up to around 15 knots, and the rain had gone away for a bit.
Course 2 was chosen from the book for the first race, which saw boats starting in the river mouth, racing up towards the cosmo club, before heading further south, towards Papakura.
After an even start, Murray and Rob L, in the quicksilver took an early lead, with Rob K in the beachcomber, and Aaron, Gina, and kids in the cherry close behind. Beating upwind from Shark Island, the cherry crew hooked into a favourable shift early on, and took the lead, just ahead of the quicksilver.
After beating for a mile, these two boats were still within a few meters as they rounded the cosmo club marker, while the beachcomber had lost a little ground. On the flat run back out to Shark, the gaps remained fairly similar, as none of the boats could quite reach escape velocity and get planing properly.
The next leg, heading towards the Papakura motorway, was a very close reach, and with the breeze still just below planing conditions, the longer waterline of the beachcomber came into play, and Rob came charging up on the other two. Both 16 footers just managed to hold the front placings rounding the next mark, and then managed to maintain their advantage on the downwind leg. The next leg, again upwind, allowed the cherry to open up a bigger lead, mostly thanks to the others getting out of phase with the shifts.
From then on, the race became a procession, as the gaps were big enough that no-one could challenge the others.
The second race was just a windward-leeward sprint, starting and finishing in front of Wattle downs, to allow the beachcomber time to get back on the mooring before the tide ran away. Another even start saw the beachcomber leading the way, ahead of the quicksilver and cherry. approaching the windward mark, thats how the positions stayed, until all three boats got into the strong opposing tide. At this point, the cherry again managed to scrape around first, with the other two boats scrapping it out for second, just a few seconds behind. Downwind to the finish, the beachcomber and quicksilver were each trying to get past the other, which allowed the cherry an easy win, and in a photo finish, the quicksilver again managed to finish second, just barely ahead of the beachcomber.
Then the rain came, and we all ended up sailing back to the club sopping wet. But above all, it was a good day on the water, enjoyed by all who went out.
One more day, two more races, and the final results will be known.
Showing posts with label Tropic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tropic. Show all posts
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Trailer Yacht Summer Series at Weymouth
Our summer race series for trailer yachts starts this weekend, on Sunday.
Briefing at 11:30, first race to start soon after, once everyone is afloat.
We have a selection of courses planned, will decide which one at the briefing.
Course books available at briefing, or will be available on the WYC website tomorrow afternoon.
We would love to see all the auckland trailer yachts in attendance!
Drag your old boats out from the back yard, and bring them down, entry is free, snacks and drinks available.
Briefing at 11:30, first race to start soon after, once everyone is afloat.
We have a selection of courses planned, will decide which one at the briefing.
Course books available at briefing, or will be available on the WYC website tomorrow afternoon.
We would love to see all the auckland trailer yachts in attendance!
Drag your old boats out from the back yard, and bring them down, entry is free, snacks and drinks available.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday Sunburst action
With most of the fleet away racing elsewhere for the long weekend, the few that turned up used the three club sunbursts for a bit of blasting around.
We had a new member-to-be, Ajith, who came out for his first ever sail, and then crewed for Aaron in the day's only race.
Conditions were trying, and one boat capsized early in the day. Once they recovered, the race was started.
Rob K sailed the red sunburst single-handed, and lead the race from the start.
Rob L, sailing with Codie in the white sunburst, held a very close second for the early part of the race, with Aaron and Ajith in the blue boat a bit further back after a bad start. This is how the positions stayed until the last beat, with some serious wind and a short, steep chop.
In the early part of the beat, where the wind was up but the water flat, Aaron and Ajith showed huge speed, and rapidly closed up on the other two, passing the white boat, and closing up to within a few feet of the lead.
As the boats hit the choppier water, their speed took a hammering, as they ploughed through the waves, shipping a lot of water.
At the finish, Rob K just managed to hold on, with Aaron and Ajith in second, with Rob L and Codie in third.
Everyone had a blast, and the stories flowed on for hours afterward.
In two weeks, we start our Trailer Yacht Summer Series. All welcome, we would especially like to see some of the less competitive classes, just coming out for a sail around. We'll have soft drinks and snacks available afterward too.
We had a new member-to-be, Ajith, who came out for his first ever sail, and then crewed for Aaron in the day's only race.
Conditions were trying, and one boat capsized early in the day. Once they recovered, the race was started.
Rob K sailed the red sunburst single-handed, and lead the race from the start.
Rob L, sailing with Codie in the white sunburst, held a very close second for the early part of the race, with Aaron and Ajith in the blue boat a bit further back after a bad start. This is how the positions stayed until the last beat, with some serious wind and a short, steep chop.
In the early part of the beat, where the wind was up but the water flat, Aaron and Ajith showed huge speed, and rapidly closed up on the other two, passing the white boat, and closing up to within a few feet of the lead.
As the boats hit the choppier water, their speed took a hammering, as they ploughed through the waves, shipping a lot of water.
At the finish, Rob K just managed to hold on, with Aaron and Ajith in second, with Rob L and Codie in third.
Everyone had a blast, and the stories flowed on for hours afterward.
In two weeks, we start our Trailer Yacht Summer Series. All welcome, we would especially like to see some of the less competitive classes, just coming out for a sail around. We'll have soft drinks and snacks available afterward too.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Trailer Yacht Action at Weymouth... Soon??
I have been chasing trailer yacht owners recently, with a view to establishing a racing fleet for the less competitive Auckland trailer yacht owner. After a bit of looking around, it would seem that most clubs have stopped hosting trailer yacht racing.
I am tentatively calling this a 16 footer squad, mainly because of our much loved harbour's shallow depth in places.
Of course any small trailer yacht will be welcomed.
We have a series of river and harbour races planned for next season, all starting from the Weymouth club.
In no way are we trying to step on the toes of MYMBC, merely offering a less serious alternative during the summer. I still recommend MYMBC as the best place to race trailer yachts during the winter months, as they have great launching facilities, and well organised racing. Plus, we don't have racing over the winter at present.
The boats I would love to see include old Hartley 16, Kestrel, Whiting 16, Moonraker 17, Tropic, Farr 5000, Davidson 16, Quintet 5, Young 5.2, Monarch, plus of course more Quicksilvers and Cherry's.
All of these would be ideal for the area we sail in, small and easy to handle, yet big enough to handle the semi-open waters heading towards Auckland Airport. And all similar speeds too!
Stay tuned for more.
I am tentatively calling this a 16 footer squad, mainly because of our much loved harbour's shallow depth in places.
Of course any small trailer yacht will be welcomed.
We have a series of river and harbour races planned for next season, all starting from the Weymouth club.
In no way are we trying to step on the toes of MYMBC, merely offering a less serious alternative during the summer. I still recommend MYMBC as the best place to race trailer yachts during the winter months, as they have great launching facilities, and well organised racing. Plus, we don't have racing over the winter at present.
The boats I would love to see include old Hartley 16, Kestrel, Whiting 16, Moonraker 17, Tropic, Farr 5000, Davidson 16, Quintet 5, Young 5.2, Monarch, plus of course more Quicksilvers and Cherry's.
All of these would be ideal for the area we sail in, small and easy to handle, yet big enough to handle the semi-open waters heading towards Auckland Airport. And all similar speeds too!
Stay tuned for more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)