It was a Cooler day around 18 degrees with a reasonable breeze approx. 10-11 knots, due to increase and then back off again by 5pm. We are on the Abbottsford end of the line in Xena with 3 up, with Farrago 2 x up right behind us -right near that rock shelf of the club with Firefly well over to Sydney Rowers.
Anne has shown us the South course , course 2. The Start hooter goes, but there’s a recall of XWP and Farrago, both just over to avoid the rock shelf ,we came too close to hold back.
Firefly gets slow start but straight from over near the rowers, we (the offenders or cheats as some may say) quickly go back and restart catching Firefly, but Barry keeps going in Farrago beating us both to the corner of Hen and chicken Bay and down to No.4 mark.
The breeze round the corner is way stronger 12 -14 plus knots, our No2 headsail is a bit overpowered but we make good headway with firefly just ahead to the No 4 mark.
We are all in wet weather gear and we need it , I look across to Vince who has had a shower , its usually me.
Farrago has nice lead now .
As we head back to Cabarita we have the whole DIV 1 fleet come at us in an angry pack we get outta there with nice run down round to number 1 mark just behind of Firefly at the mark and stretch out up to 5 with some great sailing with not so many tacks required rounding 5 in front coming over from Searl’s.
Barry’s long gone with no spinnaker , we are off back to 1 as we go well downwind in the middle of the river to the mark at 1.
Back to No 4 mark avoiding Div 1 which is now a bit more spread out. We have a handy lead now on Firefly but between 2 and 5 marks as they make good ground round Abbottsford on XWP.
So we decide to finish strong up goes the purple spinnaker giving good speed according to Baz.
We have 2 x backwinds, only small but Vince says keep it up and we do to finish nicely over the line 2nd .
We drop the headsail and this is where all the action for the day happens- spinnaker goes nuts and the spinnaker sheet wraps me into the spinnaker Pole with calls to pop it ASAP, so I do but have to untie myself, we turn and get hit by wash so I can play KERPLUNK !! with my phone that’s fallen out my top pocket in the mayhem. Or for those who have seen the Freddie mercury / Bohemian rhapsody movie lately – Another one bites the dust !
And wait there’s more - more action as the days not done yet = Fun to get on the mooring due to the wind drop at the bag , a second pass and were in.
Well deep breaths, it was still a good Saturday sail yet again on the Parramatta river, Bring it on next week.
Brad XWP / Rear Commodore J
Firefly gets slow start but straight from over near the rowers, we (the offenders or cheats as some may say) quickly go back and restart catching Firefly, but Barry keeps going in Farrago beating us both to the corner of Hen and chicken Bay and down to No.4 mark.
The breeze round the corner is way stronger 12 -14 plus knots, our No2 headsail is a bit overpowered but we make good headway with firefly just ahead to the No 4 mark.
We are all in wet weather gear and we need it , I look across to Vince who has had a shower , its usually me.
Farrago has nice lead now .
As we head back to Cabarita we have the whole DIV 1 fleet come at us in an angry pack we get outta there with nice run down round to number 1 mark just behind of Firefly at the mark and stretch out up to 5 with some great sailing with not so many tacks required rounding 5 in front coming over from Searl’s.
Barry’s long gone with no spinnaker , we are off back to 1 as we go well downwind in the middle of the river to the mark at 1.
Back to No 4 mark avoiding Div 1 which is now a bit more spread out. We have a handy lead now on Firefly but between 2 and 5 marks as they make good ground round Abbottsford on XWP.
So we decide to finish strong up goes the purple spinnaker giving good speed according to Baz.
We have 2 x backwinds, only small but Vince says keep it up and we do to finish nicely over the line 2nd .
- Farrago 2. XWP 3. Firefly but HC win to Firefly , 2nd XWP 3rd Farrago.
We drop the headsail and this is where all the action for the day happens- spinnaker goes nuts and the spinnaker sheet wraps me into the spinnaker Pole with calls to pop it ASAP, so I do but have to untie myself, we turn and get hit by wash so I can play KERPLUNK !! with my phone that’s fallen out my top pocket in the mayhem. Or for those who have seen the Freddie mercury / Bohemian rhapsody movie lately – Another one bites the dust !
And wait there’s more - more action as the days not done yet = Fun to get on the mooring due to the wind drop at the bag , a second pass and were in.
Well deep breaths, it was still a good Saturday sail yet again on the Parramatta river, Bring it on next week.
Brad XWP / Rear Commodore J
RSS Feed