Cowes week 2009, day 3

August 3, 2009

Dear Winsome followers and fans, here is another contribition from the blue waters of the Solent, brought to you by the brave crew of Winsome on this 183th edition of Cowes Week.

What happened today on the water? Well, typing this post takes me twice as much time as usual, not because of a writer’s block but because my left one is wrapped in bandages due to some 2nd degree burns after an unsuccesfull spinnaker drop. Since this unlucky event happened in the leg to the first downwind bouy I can only give an detailed description on the first part of the race. The rest is a journalist impression of someone following the race from below decks trying to cool his hand under the tap.

After a good spinnaker start we saw most of our important competitors behind us. Unfortunately we gave up our adventage of keeping up the spinnaker at an high angle by a dramatic drop halfway to the first buoy. Did the barbarhaulers save us from loosing the spinnaker (they jammed the windward sheeths in an attempt to get the pressure out of the kite) or did they frustrate a coordinated drop? At least the system needs seem to improve spinnaker trimming, but needs some fine tuning.

The rest of the race the fleet was battling over the Eastern Solent in windward-leeward direction slowly making their way up back to Cowes.  With our main competitors out of sight we felt somewhat pointless in finding a good strategy to fight back in the race. A few unlucky tacks worsened our position even more. The result, a sixth place, was just as Joost would say it, a ‘reality-call-back’, . Yet, a rank three position is still in reach! A few positive points to help us tomorrow;  Theun seems to be recovered after from his somewhat adhoc appearence in this race and brought Winsome in a favourable starting position, Floris picks up things quickly on the foredeck and had a busy day with me below decks, the Frisian sailmakers Jan & Renze can’t get enough off looking at their own sails thats probably why they trim them so well, Joost and Boj are good company during this week just like years before, Harry is a perfect match to lady Winsome and vice versa.

Pieter Joosse