Little did we know that on Sunday 23rd February, at the farm, for round 5 of the DF65 winter series at LRSC, we had a celebrity amongst us. Sailing a DF65 in a discreet disguise. Only his sail number gave him away 180!

Yes, the young sensation of the Darts world, Luke Littler, or as we know him at the club, Dave Rigby, was unstoppable. 180 was the boat of the day. ‘Luke the Nuke’ would have been proud of the number of times that Dave despatched 180 with skill, finesse and consummate ease.

On this blustery day, where gusts of 40 knots were forecast, we still managed to sail 9 races. Could our very own ‘Dave the Nuke’ complete the perfect 9 dart finish and win every race?

The forecast likely put a few off and with other regular skippers attending open events elsewhere a small fleet of 5 skippers arrived early. Bright eyed and bushy tailed to a gusty, but a dry morning. The pre-race chat resulted in a consensus of all skippers rigging their B rigs, which turned out to be the right choice and the rig used for all the races.

Unfortunately, Roger Bowtle had rig issues prior to the start of R1 which resulted in an early exit and no racing for him. But my thanks go to Roger for showing me the ropes & helping set everything up (my first attempt as an OOD at LRSC).

The Southerly wind direction was awkward and very shifty. But a long course was set utilising almost the whole length of the East Bank with 2 Beats and 2 reaches (the reaches to position the fleet back offshore to enable a fairer beat) followed by a long downwind leg. We were going to get our steps in today.

R1 saw a close race between Dave 180 and Martyn 66 with Dave coming out on top. A close race a little further back between Sam and Jen saw Sam coming out victor. What was obvious to me as an onlooker, was that all the skippers had set their boats up well. The blustery conditions required skill and experience to get the best from these small boats. One bad tack and it was game over.

R2 was very similar, with the same top 2, Jen, however, was starting to show her ‘Hand’ (apologies) and finished ahead of Sam for third place. A couple of tweaks to her rig and Jen was now showing better pace.

Dave the Nuke was on course for the perfect nine dart score line. Could it continue?

R 3 and the weather was pretty static, Dave was comfortable with his sailing and another victory secured. Jen continued her gradual improvement notching a 2nd, she was adapting well to the conditions and was starting to threaten Dave’s masterclass so far.

R4 started with the course changed. The wind having veered enough to enable one shorter decent beat with a spreader leg followed by a run whereby avoiding the bow going ‘down the mine’ was key to a good result.

Unfortunately for our sporting hero, ‘Dave the Nuke’, the dream of the perfect 9 dart finish ended and 180’s dominance so far came to an end. Jen’s gradual improvement and adoption to the challenging conditions pushed Dave hard and as she crossed the line first, a delighted Jen exclaimed ‘Yes!’ after realising she had completed the course and there wasn’t another lap.

A quick break followed with some rather delicious flapjack type birthday cake supplied by Jen to celebrate Martyn’s upcoming birthday. Lovely!

Race 5 and the conditions continued as before with the added spice of a splash of the wet stuff that falls from the sky. But our intrepid quartet were still keen as flapjack to sail, and sail hard they did.

Sam had nailed his set up now and was noticeably quicker with little separating the four skippers. Jen again showed the way. Dave’s earlier dominance was faltering and Jen now had a chance to affect the overall standings, her consistency starting to pay dividends.

Race 6-9 and ‘Luke the Nuke’ must’ve had a word with Dave. He was on fire again, back to his best. And 180 was the boat to beat winning the final four races.

Race 7 saw Sam hit the start line at full speed on the B of BANG. The best start of the day. He led the race right up until the last couple of tacks, where the cool head and hands of Dave snook over the finish a matter of seconds ahead of Sam.

So, with a cool 7 wins out of 9 Dave Rigby took the honours. Consistency and skill, particularly gaining good speed out of the tacks, rarely getting caught out and stuck, as a spectator, were the difference and how Dave managed to dominate so well.

Well done to all the sailors. A competitive day in testing condition, sailed in a friendly manner with good humour.

Thanks to all for helping put things away at the end of sailing. I know where everything lives now. A most enjoyable first attempt as OOD and a great way to spend a Sunday.

Report by Paul Kelly, Results from Colin the H Helliwell .