THERE WAS plenty of excitement at Toward Seasports Club as crews headed down to the shore for the latest race in a steady north-westerly breeze. Last week’s event saw the tables turned, with one member of each crew taking on the role of skipper, adding an extra challenge to the evening’s racing.
Drama unfolded before the fleet had even settled into the race. A cry of ‘starboard’ from Saorsa to Still Game on the start line caused confusion, while Tern, the lone Optimist dinghy, briefly feared being squeezed by the larger keelboats. Parallel Motion and Wild Goose crossed safely, keeping clear, with Toots and Katana following close behind.
As the only Optimist on the water, Tern enjoyed an uninterrupted sail, completing the course in record time.
Out on the main course, Parallel Motion made an excellent start, overtaking both Still Game and Saorsa on the way to the first mark before holding the lead for the remainder of the race.
Behind them, the battle between Toots and Wild Goose proved to be one of the highlights of the evening. The two boats rounded the first mark side by side, with Toots edging ahead after Wild Goose was forced to give way. The positions continued to change throughout the race, with Wild Goose regaining the advantage on the following leg, only for Toots to slip back inside at the next mark. It wasn’t until the final triangle that Wild Goose finally managed to pull clear.
Many of the competitors opted to thread their way through the moorings, sailing into increasingly shallow water before tacking. Crews kept a close eye on their depth gauges, although some instruments appeared to have ideas of their own, producing some rather unusual readings.
Although Katana sailed well, she was unable to close the gap on the boats ahead.
Further back, Still Game overtook Saorsa after a costly error approaching the Ardye mark forced Saorsa to make an extra tack. Despite their efforts, they were unable to recover the lost ground.
Results
1, – Still Game (S. Spence); 2, – Wild Goose (S. Judd); 3, – Parallel Motion (E. McTaggart and E. McTaggart).
Optimist Class
1, – Tern (S. Gaze).
