KPMG RACE Saturday 05 April 2008
Crew: Ian Coward, Greg Harrowsmith, Walter Paige, Micheal, Matej and four Varsity student guests.
The race started at 14h35, the coarse was Start - No.2(S) - Milnerton(S) - 2(P) - Finish at the No. 10/Wall
We had a bad start having been squeezed out at the pin end, after being held up by a very slow moving Muira at the gun. We recovered well will a hasty tack and gybe at the pin, which saw us start about 6-8 boatlenghts later. We were still held in dirty air after the start which saw us tack off on to port and head to the right of the coarse to clear air. This was to be our nemisis, as the wind became light and switchy. While the majority of the fleet kept to the right of the coarse. This saw them sail clean over the top of us, as we wallowed in our private hole. It took a series of short tacks to get us back to the breeze, by which time, we were well and truly at the back of the fleet. It was to be a game of catch up the rest of the race.
We caught and past about five boats by the time we reached No.2 mark. This was followed by a Gybe onto starboard at the mark and saw Michel and Matej prove their very first attempt at poleing out the Code1 for the run down to Milnerton. The wind faded a bit more as we progressed down the coarse, passinfg more of the fleet as we went. We put in a gybe about two thirds down the run, as the wind turned more westerly. Only to be followed a short while later by a pole down as it swung back to NW.
We had a resonable rounding of the Milnerton mark, which saw us looking much better as we caught up to a Simonis 35 and the MountGay 30 Just Fun. Midway up the beat the wind started to freshen up, much to our likeing, as we overtook the Simonis and others. Approaching No.2, saw us on the tail of the L34 Spectrum. We rounded the mark and reached off for the finnish line. Realing in the L34 , the J27 Pure Magic and the MountGay30. We managed to cross the line ahead of Spectrum, hot on the heals of Pure Magic and Just Fun.
"Not one for the record books" as they say. But we did get our student working through their paces in the cockpit, as Greg mentored them throught the manouvers, one student at a time. I believe all on board enjoyed the sail non the less.
We retired to the Bar, for free drinks and food.
