RACE REPORT - SATURDAY 3 August 2024

Winter Sprint Racing

Photos by James Tudball

By Miles Greenwood and James Tudball

On Saturday we had another instalment of our Youth Volunteer Days, where a team of our youth members are tasked with managing the onshore and on-water duties. We had Miles Greenwood (PRO), James Gosling and Jasper Kinsman (Co-PRO) and Felix Feng helping out in the kitchen.  The team was assisted by adult members James Tudball, Ian Tudball and Miles' father, Mark Greenwood.

The weather on the day aptly reflected our official transition from morning winter racing to warmer afternoon sailing!  When we arrived at the club at 10am we observed a typical "winter westerly" of about 10 knots.  But with the temperature increasing quickly on land, the westerly breeze began to fade. 

When we went out to lay the course at 11am, we monitored the conditions out on the water (matched with the forecast) and made the decision to plan for a light NNE course. Sure enough, the breeze completely fizzled by mid-day.  But after a brief postponement onshore, the wind started to funnel down the harbour from the NNE direction and by 1:45pm we had racing underway!

Five races were held in beautiful 4 - 6 knot sunny conditions, which was enjoyed by all 20 boats who competed (10 x radials and 10 x standards).

Race wins throughout the day went to Sylvie Stannage and Raph McLachlan in the Radials.  And Quentin Burns, John Sweeny, Geoff Kirk and Steve London in the Standards.

A special thankyou is extended to the fleet for some excellent starting behaviour.  Our sprint racing format is a good opportunity to push the boundaries at the start, providing we also respect the recall flags where applicable.  This balance was really well struck by all boats on Saturday. The Standard fleet were also courteous in giving the Radials (who start one minute prior) a clear go at the starting line.  So thank you to everyone for a great day of competitive racing.