Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club Regatta - Day 5
by Adam Saltonstall 17 Aug 2012 14:18 BST
11-18 August 2012
3 words to sum up race 7 - Wet, Windy and Lively! 15knots rising to over 25knots met the intrepid yachtsmen and women of the 155th RYYC regatta today, blowing straight in from Denmark and clearly gathering pace all the way across the North Sea! The fleet raced from a start line laid at Mark 2, heading to windward mark 4, with the Contessas and Cruisers rounding number 3 under Sewerby Cliffs as a gybe mark. Conditions eventually deteriorated to the point that Race 8 for all classes was abandoned as soon as the first boats crossed the line to finish race 7 due to high winds and heavy rain. A decision regarding the rescheduling of Race 8 will be made at a later time and competitors will be notified in an L notice on the main clubhouse board as soon as possible.
PY (Cruiser) Class
With 2 boats opting to stay 'home and dry', 6 cruisers took to the start line for race 7, and all hoped to get away cleanly with all boats keen to avoid any need to turn around and restart, but unfortunately both Starchick and First Fling were a little eager, both going OCS to avoid a collision with the committee boat! Once everyone was underway though, and following the pattern of racing for the week, Starchick, Endeavour and Hippie Chick led the fleet away as the lower handicapped boats in the class, all fighting for the lead on the water. Endeavour seemed to have the lead, ably crewed by several extra, albeit small bodies gathered from other boats that had chosen not to take to sea! However, Starchick regained the initiative on the final windward leg, only to then discover that they had headed out to the wrong mark, not spotting the 3-foot-tall number 5 on the side of the mark and heading out over 500 yards too far to windward – was the cabin boy on the gin instead of mark spotting?!?! This closed up the gap between the lead 3 boats, with Endeavour eventually leading across the line 24 seconds ahead of Starchick. However, corrected time shows Daisy Dog 1st, 2 minutes ahead of Jewel.
National Squib Class
All 5 squibs chose to start race 7, although Kaizen made possibly the most sensible decision in retiring after the 3rd round. As all 5 boats crossed the start line on good form, the team aboard Ghost quickly asserted their clear preference for the heavy winds, leading the class from the 1st tack out to sea. With big surf to top off the strong breeze, they soon moved clear of the chasing Porkers, who in turn left Grey Matter in their wake too. Having followed the lost boys of the Cruiser class towards number 5, until the eagle-eyed crew aboard Ghost eventually persuaded his helm to bear away and aim for Flamborough Head after using the phrase "I guarantee you that is not number 4!" three times! Ghost led the way to number 4 and rounded to claim only her 2nd win of the week, with Porkers in 2nd.
Yorkshire One Design Class
All but 2 YODs took to the start line for the Class E race today, with many looking to avoid damage to 'the old girl' after hefty refits over the last few years. Mona also failed to record a finish today as they retired in anticipation of the forecast winds. A clean(ish) start led to all boats getting away safely – the word barging hasn't been used quite so strongly today! With a slightly less-than-new mainsail up, Iolanthe was clearly looking to avoid damage to her first choice set of sails today but still kept pace with Blackie to challenge for the lead. However the team aboard Blackie clearly had the pace as they led the fleet from start to finish, with Iolanthe in a clear 2nd position ahead of Patience. A good day's racing for the club's oldest boats, showing that they've still got it in the heavy weather.
Contessa 26 Class
With half the class choosing that discretion was the better part of valour, only 3 Contessas took to the start line today, all with aspirations of taking a win in race 7 of the series. Having headed out alone to the far right-hand corner of the course, Contessa Juliet led the fleet around the windward mark as Tessador and True Blue both discovered that their choice of sticking to the left corner of the beat had not paid. Tessador gave chase but could not catch the elusive Contessa Juliet until a last ditch 'Water' shout on the final gybe got them through. Contessa Juliet couldn't quite find the gap they needed to regain the lead on the spinnaker reach to the finish, leaving the in 2nd place.
Tomorrow's forecast gives a little less wind, but still enough to keep you all hiking/sitting out on the weather deck! Have a good night tonight, enjoy the hog and make sure you leave me some for a pork sarnie tomorrow!