A big day in Riva. Three back to back races in a building Ora. Today Garda was on true form.
The RS100 fleet headed out to the start line, arriving there to a warm 12 knot breeze. Dave Gorringe Fired up the first beat like a man possessed followed by Childs and Al Hall. Gorringe then popped his kite for the long reach. Most of the others went high as they thought he had no chance of holding but somehow he alone managed to hold his kite all of the way to the wing mark, building a big lead early that was never to be challenged. The second beat saw a lot of place changing with some big differences in pressure and big shifts. Jon Holroyd made the best of this and pulled into 2nd with Mark Harrison also jumping a few places to third. These guys held unchallenged to the finish.
The breeze increased to a strong 15knotts for a big hike off up the first beat. Gregg Booth showed cracking speed up the beat to lead by 20m at the windward mark followed by Childs and Holroyd chasing hard. Both managed to jump Booth along the top reach. The fleet then gybe hoisted and sent it back into the middle of the course where the best wind was. Childs managed to catch some big breeze and definitely had pace planing down to the leeward mark, pulling out a hundred yards of the rest of the fleet. Holroyd, Booth and Harrison faught all the way around the course entwined in an almighty battle for second. Holroyd managed to do enough to take second, closely followed by Harrison and Booth.
The final race of the day pushed the bodies and minds to the limit with the wind really blowing hard and the heat making people tire. Childs led at the windward mark and sailed steadily off into the lead as the battle between Booth, Harrison and Holroyd raged on with Chipperfield awaiting any mistakes. Unfortunately for him there was relatively little mistakes made, with exception to some synchronised swimming by Dave Gorringe and Michel Rotach at the leeward mark. Childs took the bullet followed by Holroyd and Harrison with the consistant Booth taking 4th.
The sailors and their families wound up the day with an evening meal at the local pizza restaurant followed by copious amounts of alcohol, including 1 litre mugs of beer for Gorringe and Childs (Just to prove 10.2 sailors do it bigger!). Gorringe is still to be seen this morning, so it is still to be seen what effect the beer had on him...
Three more races to be sailed today with everything still to play for. Early signs are yet again looking good for another big breeze day.
