ILCAs in the Frostbite Series 2023/24 at Queen Mary Sailing Club - Week 4
by Marshall King 17 Jan 2024 12:54 GMT
14 January 2024
Twenty ILCA 7s went afloat in a light NW on Sunday, January 14th for races 7 and 8 of the Queen Mary Winter Frostbite series. The wind was shifty and had puffs of 7 or 8 knots interspersed with some wicked lulls to trap the unwary. The PRO set a three lap course: sausage, triangle, sausage.
In Race 1, the fleet got away after one General Recall. The shift at the start favoured the pin, and Marshall King took the pin end start and looked pretty launched on the left. But as ever at Queen Mary, it was a beat for playing the shifts. Those who tacked early in the header and came back on starboard mid-way up the beat crossed the early leaders from the left. Marshall took his medicine, ducking 4 or 5 boats. As the mid-beat leaders all sailed into a lull trap on the left, he found a late right shift to bring him into the mark first, closely followed by Mike Hicks, Rupert Bedell and Gary Bullock.
Mike Hicks dropped to fourth on the run, and Marshall, Gary and Rupert rounded in that order. Gary Bullock sailed an excellent second beat picking nice shifts on the left, to snatch the lead. Marshall was now second and Rupert third. On the reaches, Rupert found some nice pressure which he used well to close the gap. The wind had shifted right on the bottom reach, so Marshall and Gary tacked soon after the mark expecting a header at some point. Rupert held on starboard a few more boat lengths and was rewarded with a persistent right shift up the beat (as was forecast he said later - when does that ever happen?). He rounded first and held on down the run to win. Marshall was second, Gary third and David Casale finished strongly in fourth.
By race two the wind had filled to 8-10 knots and occasional toe strap use was required. The sun came out and everyone warmed up and congratulated themselves for not staying in bed (which many had contemplated).
Marshall again won the pin, but this time the wind was shiftier and it was the right which eventually came good. Dick Soderberg rounded first, followed by Steve Pears. Marshall and Markus Bird were the next two around and gained by gybing immediately and finding more breeze coming from the right of the course. Marshall and Marcus extended down the run, and the remainder of the race was easy when in the lead, but tough in the pack where some great battles were taking place. The light winds and flat water meant the quietness was broken sharply not once, but twice, by the slap of a mast as some over-enthusiastic kiting down the runs ended in a cold swim. Dick Soderberg recovered well from a mistake on the first run to finish third and Tony Woods pulled through characteristically to fourth.
A cracking morning of winter racing followed by a nice hot shower and a good chin wag.
Overall the series is taking shape. Although Tony Woods (a comfortable 1st) and Guy Noble (2nd) had some rather underwhelming results this week, they still have a reasonable lead. However with a group of sailors off to Masters Worlds in Adelaide later this month, therefore missing several races, and with such a highly competitive QM fleet, they will have to fight hard to stay on top. Marshal King, Marcus Bird, Rupert Bedell and several others are still very much in the mix.
Full results at www.queenmary.org.uk/results-2024/frostbite-series-202324-results