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Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club Regatta - Day 4

by Adam Saltonstall 16 Aug 2012 15:47 BST 11-18 August 2012
Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club Regatta 2012 © Amy Saltonstall

Another day, another a west/sowesterly breeze, another force 3/4! Tuesday of the 155th annual RYYC regatta brought the fleet again to a start line in front of the on-looking com’f’ts watching from the north pier of the harbour wall as the PRO used the inflatable T mark out in the open waters of the mid-bay to set a windward leg from mark 2.

With the cruisers’ problems with low high tides, the squibs started first, with Class B following at the end of the sequence for the first races, then leading the racing themselves for the 2nd round of races later in the day – a fact which seemed to escape a couple of the less informed skippers in the cruiser fleet!

PY (Cruiser) Class

With the Kaye team taking a ‘day off’, Sundance’s absence from the start line allowed the rest of the cruiser fleet a relaxed start in race 5 as everyone powered across the line in clear air. (for those of you who haven’t noticed, Mr Kaye has a tendency to choose a slot, sit in the slot and protect the slot on the line – great tactic! As usual, the fleet quickly spread out according to their handicaps, with Starchick leading the fleet around the course, closely followed by visiting Hippie Chick and Endeavour who finished the race in 47, 48 and 49 minutes respectively.

However it was Contessa Daisy Dog who won the race on corrected time, 2 minutes ahead of Starchick. The lead-up to the 2nd race of the day, race 6 in the series, showed signs of excitement as Mr Waine, helming Yilt, YOD 5, decided to get in on the action, catching Daisy Dog on a Port/Starboard. Rules of the road say Yilt has right of way, but gentlemanly conduct says ‘Yilt, get out of the way, we’re under P flag!’ You decide who was in the wrong!

As it was, a collision was avoided and all cruiser started cleanly…eventually as Such Fun and Jewel both clearly missed the L3 notice which stated that the B class would start 1st in the sequence for race 2, leaving them to scrap through the tussling squibs to cross the line. Hippie Chick lead the fleet around the bay and finished 1 minute ahead of Starchick, but it was again Daisy Dog who claimed the win, a tiny 5 seconds ahead of Starchick on corrected time – if only the cabin boy (yes, him again) had got the pole up and spinnaker sorted quicker! Hippie Chick claimed 3rd place, a mere 25 seconds back on corrected time.

National Squib Class

For the 3rd day in a row all 5 squibs crossed the line in smooth harmony (?!), with everyone claiming a near-perfect start. It was again Ghost which crossed 1st at the pin end, only to find themselves in a tight battle for 1ast at the windward mark, having lost out to both Grey Matter and Porkers on the windward leg. As Porkers extended their lead on each leg, it quickly became apparent that they had the boat speed, despite pre-race drilling and shifting aboard Ghost! As the race went on, the 5 boats found themselves each cementing their place in the fleet, with Porkers eventually winning by a clear margin from Ghost.

Race 2 saw much the same patter, albeit with Grey Matter leading for a short while until Porkers stole their thunder. The visiting squib seemed set to hold out Ghost until they hit the leeward mark at the end of round 1, where their challenge stuttered and eventually stalled. Porkers wins the North of England Championship and the Secretary’s Tray for the 1st 6 races. Well done boys.

Yorkshire One Design Class

Blackie reasserted her dominance of the class today, having given Iolanthe a head-start, but it was the racing behind her which really caught the eye. In both races, all boats in the fleet seemed to take clear starts from my distant viewpoint up the windward leg, but the hottest rumour in town is that “Barging in the YOD class is as good as ever, there are too many bargers at the pin-end to name” (I will not reveal my sources, but it’s the sort of gossip I love! Thank you!)

Gentleman, I use the phrase loosely, you must not try to squeeze in at the pin end. If there’s no room, there’s no room! But if you want to protest someone, just say the word!!! As the 1st race unfolded Blackie, Iolanthe and Yilt appeared to be battling for the top spot, with Blackie gybing left and right to hold off the chasing fleet down the spinnaker legs of the course. Eventually they held out for the win with Iolanthe and Yilt in 2nd and 3rd respectively. In the 2nd race it was Ditherumpop who poked their bow into the fray, with Blackie and Iolanthe desperately looking over their shoulders to keep out the 9th YOD from the yard. Yilt, Joca, Patience and Mona all scrapped around for 4th position too, with Yilt eventually forcing her way through.

Contessa 26 Class

The Contessa class seems to be getting closer and closer as the week progresses. Tessador, Contessa Juliet and True Blue but it appears to be Keith Richardson’s Tessador which is taking the bull by the horns at the moment as they are the only boat in the racing fleet to be on for a clean sweep. In race 1 Tessador looked to be clear ahead of the fleet and led across the finish line by nearly a minute, ahead of True Blue and Contessa Juliet. Racing looked even closer later though as the lead 3 boats looked to be with 5 boat lengths of each other at the windward mark in race 2. Eventually Contessa Juliet managed to overhaul True Blue to claim 2nd place behind Tessador.

Don’t forget that L notices 1-3 continue to apply for the first remainder of the week! Also, prize giving for today’s racing is at 2000hours, as published in the Regatta Handbook. Another wonderful day in the bay, tomorrow’s forecast gives up to gusts of 25knots according to WindGuru.com, we’ll wait and see!

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