Turning the tide on Medaillons

June 25, 2018

Until this race, we had sailed in 2018 only one race: RORC Cervantes. We missed the RORC Easter Regatta because of problems with our new Carbon Fibre rigging and the RORC Myth of Malham Race, because of a social (still with a maritime colour) commitment. My mother would have said ‘one cannot dance at all parties at the same time’.

So after an unusual interruption of 7 weeks we could start in the RORC Morgan Cup, Cowes-Dartmouth, with one new comer Max Daarnhouwer. Others Leen, Peter Morton, Renze Runia, Paul Glazener, Herman and Florent Prisse.

Wind prediction 5-10 knots only, so we believed Winsome would be an easy victim of Foggy Dew. It all turned out differently.

At the start we had 12 knots wind and at the gun, with Peter Morton at the helm, we were 5 boat lengths below the line. Good trimming and tacks did the rest and soon we were the first boat in Class-4. To our surprise we stayed close to Pintia.

Nolens Volens we went over the Shingle Banks at one Nm before we reached Buoy Bridge (something to repeat I believe).

At midnight the wind dropped to 5 knots, so we could not pass Bill of Portland with a favourable tide. At 6am the wind dropped to 3 knots. Leen was fully prepared to drop the anchor (in 50 meters of water), but each time he started the process he changed mind knowing it would cost us perhaps 20 minutes to get it up again.

At that time we were still leading Class-4, closely followed by Foggy Dew, Pomeroy Swan and Cora. Pintia was not more than 3 Nm ahead of us.

Several times we considered to change G-1 to G-light but since G-1 was brand new our sailmaker Renze Runia on boat suggested not to do that.

Not dropping the anchor, nor changing our fore sail must have paid off tremendously.

Once we passed Bill of Portland we had to decide going into Lyme Bay (less tide against us) or staying outside (more tide but perhaps more wind). We chose to go inside Lyme Bay, just like Pintia did. It paid off since Foggy Dew stayed outside and lost distance on us.

The weather was beautifull, the sun was shining, there were no waves and we sailed in front!

At the last Buoy ‘Skerries Bank’ we were 3Nm in front of Foggy Dew, 4 of Pomeroy Swan and 16 of China Girl. All of a sudden Peter Morton discovered at sight a Sigma 36, a boat in our Class which had sailed without AIS the entire race. Unfair, but luckily she must have lost lots if time on the last leg to the finish. ‘Zonder geluk vaart niemand wel’.

Apparently we made no mistake and won our Class-4. Now we are in third position for the IRC Trophy 2018, but with two races sailed less than Foggy Dew. Reasons given earlier.

We used at the last leg our Dantuma spinnaker. Of course we are happy with the result.

 

Dartmouth, never visited by Winsome nor by me, looked very nice indeed.

 

 

Close to IoW we hoisted our new G-2, so we could blame Renze in case it would have been too large or too small. Nothing of that, it looked beautifull and fitted like a shoe on Winsome’s rig. Thanks Renze.

Paul Glazener was afraid not to catch his Sunday evening flight and consequently miss the court case in The Hague. Herman kept him company. I just got proof he made it.