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From: Colin Smith (Colin.Smith@msdw.com)
Date: Mon 07 Feb 2000 - 10:49:26 GMT
The Queen Mary Winter Series continues to provide lessons to forgetful
fourteeners. After our sinking feeling over our bung a couple of weeks
ago, yesterday it was Victor Brellisford's turn to learn - in his case,
that on leaving home with boat to go sailing, it is wise to check that
your foils are in your boat and not left behind in the garage.
Apart from the unhappy Victor, other new arrivals to the series were
Dave Hitchcock (out in the Morrison one last time before the new Bieker
arrives) and Rob Sutherland, so another 10-boat turnout.
Some were suffering from a slow start, a quiet dinner at Karen's house
the night before apparently having turned into a bit of a session.
Saddoes of the week were Spragg and Loukes, having been logged onto the
internet at 2:30 in the morning. Sometimes I worry about our
webmaster...
Wind was a nice 3 to 4, with the variations making finding the windier
areas of the reservoir and judging gybe angles key factors.
Hitchcock/Hemsley took the first race, followed by Smith/Helm and
Sibthorpe/Merron. The second race saw tight racing and place changing
between the same three initially, but with Spragg/Loukes coming up fast
behind. Hitchcock took a big lead through finding a gust down the run,
only to lose it through finding a hole on the beat. Sibby capsized out,
leaving Spragg to take the lead through a well-judged gybe angle on a
big gust, with Smith just taking second from Hitchcock. A damp
Technotrousers crew were last seen trudging to the chandlery in search
of a new trapeze t-terminal.
A couple of teams looked at the rising wind and drizzle after lunch and
elected for the call of family and warm fire - however Brellisford, king
of the M25, returned from what must have been a 150 mile round trip to
collect his foils to take the first two of three races on a (very) short
course. In a gusty wind, this was hard work, the run through the gate
just allowing time to hoist, gybe three times and drop. Pearson/Evans,
sailing their new Bieker without a spinnaker after Karen had pulled the
system apart with her bare teeth, found they lost relatively little on
the run compared to the gasping crews in other boats. Smith/Helm won the
last race, held on an impromptu basis among a few boats still out after
the advertised two afternoon contests.
The series continues until the end of March. Anyone wanting to join in
is still welcome. There is a penultimate, a conversion, and even a
classic looking for someone to race against, so older boats don't be
afraid to turn up and blow off the cobwebs.
Colin Smith
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