HSSC RNSA Wednesday Spring Series Race 8 Results
Published 14:21 on 29 May 2024
By Ric Hanslip:
A West-Southwest wind of 18 gusting 20 knots provided challenging conditions for the final race of the Spring series, although the east going tide was useful in helping to reduce the sea state off Gilkicker point. Jambo, the SOOD set a course of a beat to SE Ryde middle, a tight kite reach to Mother bank and a run home. Unfortunately, the conditions were not ideal for the smaller yachts in the fleet, along beat into the tide very much favouring the quicker boats.
At the start Sunshine and Jambo were neck and neck with Jambo just holding on to an inside overlap at Stokes Bay east but slowly falling back as both yachts hardened up at the start of the beat. Clawing to windward off Stokes Bay was the tactic used by the fleet with the decision of when to tack for the windward mark key. Sunshine went first but failed to hit the lay line by a few boat lengths but Jambo suffered the same fate and rounded 80 M behind the faster boat. The tight kite reach proved to be the decider for the race with Sunshine managing to keep her kite going whilst getting high enough to round Mother Bank against the sluicing tide. Jambo not so lucky, having to drop her kite as she was set to leeward to make the mark. Two tacks on a reaching leg to round the mark did not help her position. So, it was Sunshine that took the chocolates in the final race with as expected the smaller yachts unable to hold their time in the detrimental tidal conditions.
Jambo, however had the last laugh winning the Series by 1 point from Sunshine with Spirit of Kudu making up the podium. In NHC the positions were changed with Kudu taking the win and Sunshine and Jambo filling the next two places. Perhaps NHC works after all.
With the amended race programme for Spring there is no break so next week sees the start of the Summer Series when hopefully if interest is maintained there will be two starts to help keep the slower boats out of the melee at the start and eventually further up the pie queue at HSSC.
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Last updated 14:24 on 29 May 2024