They say what happens on the field stays on the field, well let’s hope so because there was some language, a few f@#kups and a few frayed emotions as the pressure was on all day. Today the crew was the skipper, Gilligan, Ginger, Mary Ann and Thurston Howell 111( Me, Chris, Ele, Mandy and John). Not sure who was who but I felt like Gilligan a few times. A Easterly wind around the 10kn mark was pretty nice but it was up a tad on that around Cockatoo.
We had our best start with AOE and SF to windward and RST just ahead, LOEG and BV behind. We followed SF pre start and then were able to run at the line with them. RST came across us on port with about a minute to go but I was happy to give them some room and not get into shenanigans. First tack was a little deeper into Bedlam than the crews ahead but that gave us a nice run into Abbotsford and then down under the bridge. We kept RST in sight until under the bridge and kept LOEG behind until five dock bay, but again their tacking skills and river experience showed. We did a RnR from last week and went deeper into Tarban and thought LOEG tacked too early for Drummoyne steps but the current and their pointing got them around and with a strong lead on us.
In and around cockatoo with a few gust was fun until we encountered the fleet of lazers. We gave one fella some room on his mark which cost us a bit but then he wanted to head up wind and we wanted to go below. I felt like a cotton harvester was we nearly harvested his head as we tacked above then stalled and tacked below him.
That was OCL part 1.
We have been practicing spinnaker sets and spinnaker gybes pre-race at the wharf and that showed today as we had a flawless set and then 2 flawless gybes at the police buoy and then again at Searles. LOEG had gotten a jump of around 300m coming out of cockatoo but by 1 we had around 200m on them. Apparently we aren’t ahead of another boat until 6…. I just thought we needed to be fully in front of them.
Then it was on…. Was it really ever off…
A long run up to 5 and around and LOEG get ahead, we talk spinnaker for the run to 3 but it’s been unclipped
OCL part 2…
So we run with the pole out on the heady. A gybe around the rower’s club and do the old under and over and manage to get passed LOEG again before 3 but then
OCL part 3
Skipper calls harden up, the trimmers think we are tacking and pull on to windward and LOEG tack around the mark and slip through as we flounder in the middle of Hen and chicken.
We work hard back to 5 and the run home and finish only metres from LOEG. Lots of fun and plenty of enjoyment for us and League. Not sure if it was that much fun for everyone else but we had a ball.
Thanks to the club for another great race and a great course.