Day 1
After a couple of days of sunny weather interrupted by thunder storms it was looking doubtful for the ‘traditional Garda sailing’. The fleet eagerly launched and drifted down to the start area in gorgeous sunshine. After a couple of hours waiting for the breeze to kick in the race team were able to get underway.
Al Hall took the pin and was looking good half way up the first beat. Unfortunately for him, the breeze under the cliffs kicked in and those who headed right came into the windward mark hiking hard. Jon Holroyd led at the windward mark followed by Dave Gorringe and Greg Booth.
The RS100s were on the outer loop, so headed off on a reach that was just about lose enough to hold the spinnaker to. On the run to the leeward mark Paul Childs came through to second with Holroyd still leading comfortably. Childs banged left up the second beat to try and hook into the left cliff and managed to claw back into Holroyds lead with Giles Chipperfield also making a lunge for the lead.
Places held downwind until the final reach to the finish, where Holroyd was unable to carry his spinnaker all the way to the finish, which allowed Childs to capitalise and take the first race win by a narrow margin. Chipperfield broke to third with Gorringe 4th and Booth 5th.
A second race started in max power breeze with a heavily biased port line. Most of the fleet started on Port at the pin and charged towards the windward mark. Holroyd showed some real pace heading straight to the windward mark in-one to lead by some 50 metres followed by Gorringe and Booth. The reach this time was tighter and some tried to carry kites to no avail. Holroyd pulled out a big 200m lead only for the race to be abandoned on the run as the wind was rapidly dying. Everyone was towed in and started to get on the beer son. Before the pasta party provided by the club.
Today is a warm one and it is widely expected by those in the know that we will have the ‘typical’ Garda wind, so it is looking good with three races to play for!!
Day 2
The fleet sailed out to the start in light winds, with a lovely 12knots filling in half way to the start line. The fleet started on a starboard biased line with the fleet battling out right to get under the cliffs. Greg Booth led at the windward mark followed by Dave Gorringe and Giles Chipperfield. The fleet held positions on the reach only for Jon Holroyd to have a storming run and jump from 5th to first. Childs managed to find some more wind going down and leapfrogged to second closely followed by Chipperfield in third.
A dropping breeze made the next beat tricky but places remained the same. Childs caught right up with Holroyd on the run and managed to overhaul him on the final reach to the finish with Harrison taking 3rd followed by Chipperfield and Booth.
The second race of the day started again with the fleet hitting the cliffs. Holroyd led followed by Childs and Booth at the windward mark. On the run there was a left shift, which let Childs through to lead. On the final leg the wind dropped to nothing with the fleet bunching up hard and left to drift towards the finish line. The race committee abandoned the race and the fleet disappeared back to shore to tuck in on the pasta provided by the club and to head out into the town for some beers and a lovely evening.
Today there will be three races scheduled and hopefully the wind will hold for the duration of the day.
