November 12-13
Winter has finally arrived to the Winter Series. Heaters were running below decks on high, the B&B option looks better and better, but there we all were again, ready to sail in the cold.
This weekend was slightly different in format. Saturday was the Charity Pursuit Race (postponed due to high winds the previous weekend). High Tension (Geraldine Fabre) and Me Julie (Martin Richmond-Coggan) decided to race, while Doris J (Shaun Curran) and X-perience (David Harrison) opted to practice.
After week 4's results between High Tension and Me Julie, we could feel a re-match coming on. High Tension certainly made their mark by storming off the start line and not looking back. It all came together for their crew on this race. High Tension crossed the line 3rd in IRC (at least that is what I have been told, as results are still not up on the website) [Ed: later confirmed, see results]. So, congratulations are in order, well done.
Doris J claims a band of mice wielding Stanley knives attacked their main during the week. As Saturday morning was spent patching up a few holes. They managed to get out for training just in time for the wind to die off. X-perience ran out of wind just as we were starting kite work. So, as one does, we drove backwards down the western Solent and practiced kite work. Ah well, not exactly what we had planned but, this is the Solent.
Funny, all boats were back and tidied rather early on Saturday! Wonder if rugby and football had anything to do with that?! The Square Rigger was heaving in the mid- afternoon. One needn't watch the match, as one could hear the chorus of voices floating out the pub.
Again, Saturday evening found us all below decks, enjoying home-cooked meals (Master Chef Will making all three boats meals), raucous conversation (perhaps the England results earlier?) and a good night's sleep. Sunday morning arrives: cold, but clear. All the usual decisions were discussed during breakfast, the prepping of boats and large lattes. [Ed: latte??? never - capuccino with an extra shot]
Race day: How to describe the carnage. If one was superstitious, one might have thought this a Friday the 13th, not Sunday the 13th. It just didn't go right this Sunday. LCSC was having a Volvo Ocean Race kind of day. [If you have been following the race reports, then you know the Volvo70's are taking a pounding in their first leg.]
I must admit, we were the first to encounter problems. Aside, from a wee bit of start time confusion (okay, yes were 2 and half minutes late), we came to the second mark, kite flying nicely, and we attempted to gybe. Well, pit (that was me) managed to blow the kite halyard, not the pole-uphaul. You get the picture. After sorting that out, I heard a voice, 'Um, we have torn the main'. Great, fabulous, terrific!!! We are all looking at this tear running back to the leech line. Not much holding it together, so retire we did. Engine on and frustrated, we headed back to Hamble.
VHF race channel chatter filters up thru the companion way 'Hamble Race Comms, Hamble Race Comms, this is Me Julie, Over' ….. uh oh. Seems Martin and crew were having their own kite issues. Kite dropped, hit the water and shredded under the boat. [Hmmmm, sounds like Ericsson, a sheet knotted around their rudder]. Martin took the precaution to presume the prop was fouled and called for assistance. His buddies at Hamble Inshore Lifeboat sprung into action and attended to the tangled up Me Julie. (A bit of history - this isn't the first time he has met the Hamble Inshore Lifeboat crew. Offshore Rally in September, broken steering, enough said). Seems Martin has made a bit of a reputation. One of the lifeboat boys was heard to say, 'We saw you going out this morning, so thought we had better get dressed up as we would be needed later!!!!' Absolutely priceless.
Well, with 50% of the LCSC boats now receiving 'DNF' for the day, it was up to High Tension and Doris J to carry on. Again, all I can report is what I know. High Tension did finish, a bit slower and lower in the Bowsprit class than they cared. According to one crew member, 'It was one thing after another, and we shredded the #1'.
Doris J's race started out quite well indeed. Good start, nice first leg just behind High Tension, and were entertained by Martin's voice booming from behind. A nifty move at the mark put them ahead of High Tension [Ed: busy being not so nifty] and then, in the skipper's words, 'the wheels came off'. A broach, a recovery but oh dear, another kite situation. Seems the sheet shackle broke loose, so the kite was flying itself. A new method of retrieval, via the tack line nice and clean, and off they went to finish the race. Their race de-brief was the good, the bad and the ugly!
So, not the best of race days for the Corinthian crews this past weekend. When competing in a sport like ours, it is important to remember there will be race days that simply don't go your way. (Look at everything happening to the Volvo70's as proof). What matters is how we react and respond in these situations, keeping our crews and our boats safe and making sure that we learn from them.
The Corinthians will be back in Hamble this weekend, ready to take on the challenges of 'racing round the cans' again. Why? Because even on a bad race day, it is a day on the water!! And that always makes for a good day!!
Copyright © London Corinthian Sailing Club, 2005