Report by Martyn

Martyn arrived to fill in for Mick as OOD (hope you are feeling better Mick), to find that early bird riser Richard had set most of the required equipment up requiring only the repositioning of the buoys to suit the moderate Westerly wind. We were blessed with a bright sunny day that warmed as the day progressed, but only 6 sailors! Definitely quality versus quantity though, as a highly competitive but friendly sailing session ensued.

Martyn got off to a great start with 3 wins before Mike and Colin H found winning form. Positions were changing all the time in the races though and every sailor enjoyed some glory time whilst heading the fleet. Alan sailed very well, but a win eluded him. Colin Toll was thrilled to deservedly win a race. Richard was experimenting with his rig settings. Some worked, some didn’t of course; he took one win but gained a reputation for pinching places on the finish line!

There were a number of rapid finishes with multiple boats vying to cross the line first and quite a few position changes on the final leg due to the changes in wind direction. Gusts of wind made the downwind leg entertaining in some races and guiding the boat to prevent submarining could add vital distance between competing boats before negotiating the gate and commencing the final long beating leg.

It was a great day, and came with a free sun tan. Everybody mucked in to help with the tidy up after 14 completed races and everybody notably took a turn on the start line. Martyn was the most consistent sailor taking the day with 19 points. Mike also sailed consistently, taking second spot with 29 points. Colin H was a little more erratic in his positions, but sailed very competitively and took third with 37 points. Then, Alan on 42 points, Richard on 43 and Colin Toll on 55. All the sailors went home with a smile on their faces having enjoyed a pretty-much perfect day sailed in the best of spirits (thanks for the wording, Colin!).

Martyn Aspinall