Two Handed Race

Back from holiday it was time to join PYRA racing again.

What I had not appreciated is that cruising does not make you match-fit and that racing 2 handed is much harder than cruising – because you don’t go upwind (if you can help it) when cruising.

May I congratulate RMYC on two excellent courses. Setting class 3 off, with its large handicap range, 5 minutes ahead of classes 1 and 2 meant that the start was interesting without being overcrowded and that the faster boats still had to get through the larger fleet. All exciting stuff.

The day began with a slight delay to the start but we were away in 15 knots of breeze within 10 minutes. Training was ongoing throughout the race on Saltmead as Nikki helmed the whole lot (under near constant instruction – on our boat it was more like a one-handed race with somebody else helming) and had to miss those with greater experience than her as well as being determined to give everybody sea room (mainly to ensure she wasn’t held responsible for crashing her parents’ retirement fund). Sadly we were a few yards short of the windward mark (Poole Head) and had to tack, give way and then re-tack in order to round the mark. In the pandemonium that followed in such short tacking 3 boats got through ahead of us and we went round the mark with Dream On easily creeping through inside of us. This became the format for the rest of the day.

Then for a downwind leg to Jenkins Marine. Some flew spinnakers - not many, particularly on the larger boats as they did not have the luxury of large crew numbers to do the work and so settled for an easy run. We tried goose winging but nothing could get our boat speed up to catch Dream On (or any other boats, slowly creeping further and further away). Help was on our side with the strength of the wind as we got a better angle and were able to close the leeward mark with the wind more on the beam and 20 to 25 knots of wind and so yet again we rounded the mark with Dream On just behind us this time around. Then the beat back up through the FL just to go around for a second time. Some how Dream On (our racing nemesis for the day – they were always just there) was just ahead of us again shouting at us that he needed sea room as there was an obstacle on the mark. Looking forward we saw the results of Green Magnum squeezing through – she had caught her reefing lines on the ironmongery on the top of the buoy and Geoff was out with the boat hook tying to get free. Again Dream On and Saltmead went round the mark in company. The wind remained constant and when we finally got over the line Dream On was safely behind us. We do not mention the handicap difference (or size difference) between the boats – only to say that Matt is in one half and vice captain and David in the other (and the absent captain of class due to his long summer holiday).

Not long to wait and race 2 was off with only a 15 minute interval, and that was for us who were not last over the line for once.

Race 2 gave us an interesting start when Parallel Universe shouted at us that we had 30 seconds to our start, despite having no Genoa out and a fair distance from the start line. Whatever happened to the other guns I have no idea. Anyway the Genoa rattled out and we went over the line as the 4 minute gun went for Classes 1 and 2. Yogi was just in front and Juno II someway behind. How things changed in the beat up to the mark. Yogi was 1^st round with Juno II not far behind. This should have been a Saltmead race as the wind was just aft of the beam as we reached across to East Hook and then a reach to Jenkins Marine. Class 1 and 2 meanwhile carried on to South Hook before joining Class 3 at Jenkins Marine.

This time we had Spell Bound for company who bravely raised their Spinnaker as we both chased after Dream On. She only had to dump it twice as the wind hit 25 knots (Spinnaker fliers don’t believe in wind instruments as it ruins concentration). We caught up a bit with the rest of the fleet on this leg and then we started the beat back for the FL before going round again to repeat the fist race of the day. At this point the muscles began to ache and as for who finished where…well, you will have to look at the results for that.

For me full credit has to go to the start boat who organised the racing so that all classes not only had good close racing but all finished relatively close together.

At the end of the day we all got back to the bar within a very short time span after 30 or so miles of racing.

By the way, the difference between cruising and racing: everybody knows who they are racing against

David & Nikki Lewis