English (UK) Copy of an article by Yachts and Yachting.com see on line version here
Mixed fortunes on a very wet day
The news that the Met Office was about to lose the contract to supply weather bulletins to the BBC was rather apt, seeing that they'd clearly gotten the forecast badly wrong. As the fleet headed out for the start of racing the expectation was for sub 10 knots breezes, with up to a half inch of rain. What they actually got was a wind that spent most of its time comfortably into the low middle-middle double figures, but what must have been the best part of an inch of rain falling between 11am and 4pm. Conditions out afloat were miserable for the competitors and really testing for the Team running the racing out afloat, as crews on the Committee and Mark boats did their best to keep dry and warm.
Once again it seemed that the competitors were determined to drag out proceedings for as long as possible as the usual run of General Recalls got under way. With the kinder U flag now replaced by Black, any starting issues would have potentially serious consequences and so it would be. Two of the top performers from last week's UK Nationals would be destined to sit out the first race of the day. Georgia Booth, who won the ladies prize last week, had ended the UK Nationals with a BFD score. Showing a remarkable consistency, Georgia would be starting this week's campaign with a similar result, but she was to be in very special company, as Tom Gillard and Richard Anderton were also pulled out of the race. Last week the pair had made a virtue out of careful sailing whilst the others made all the errors, this week they would be starting with their first discard.
However bad it was for Georgia and Tom, for Czech sailor Petr Koran it was about to get a whole lot worse. Coming up under the Committee Boat to see if their number was on the BFD board, a loss of attention for just a few moments saw them impaled on the bow of David Winder's Fireball. One didn't need the RRS book of the rules to know that this was serious damage, as the collision left the classic Fireball 'letter box' shaped hole in the hull.
At the next time of asking the fleet got away cleanly, with Christian Birrell and Sam Brearey making a superb pin end start. The pair romped away in the building breeze and in the absence of Gillard, it would be the newly arrived 'DJ' Edwards and Vyv Townend to lead the chase with 'Team Dobbo', Ian Dobson and Ben Ainsworth in third.
Maybe the fleet was finally getting to grips with starting (there was certainly space for all on the 700 m long line) or maybe they too were getting cold and wet, but it would only take two starts to get the fleet away for Race 2.
After his first race BFD, things looked to be going from bad to worse for Gillard and Anderton as the gap they were aiming for down at the pin was suddenly closed. Knowing that they dare not risk going high again, the pair would be forced to drop down and spin around, starting behind the majority of the fleet. The breeze was starting to kick in more, resulting in a few capsizes and problems for the fleet, particularly on the offwind legs and with a Triangle, Sausage, Triangle course set, there would be plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong.. Lucy Priest was one crew who found that on rounding the windward mark, the decision making was a 'no brainer'. As Lucy said, "when you bear away and you're aiming for the gybe mark, two sailing with me still out on the wire, then the spinnaker is best left where it is". Lucy went on to say that they had made a number of places along that leg, as other boats struggled with the kite up and started to sag below the lay line. It was just proof of the competition and fun that was being enjoyed through the fleet. One boat that was now enjoying itself was that of Tom Gillard and Richard Anderton. After their second unhappy start, they simply carved their way through the fleet, hunted down the leaders before replacing them at the front of the fleet. Behind them Birrel and Brearey continued their good day at the office, with a second place to add to their earlier win. Dobson and Ainsworth would be one of the form teams on the day with a pair of thirds. Switzerland's Claude Mermod and Ruedi Moser, who had been quick but had suffered a nightmare week last week, put their issues behind them to sit in fourth place overall.
As the fleet started gathering for the acclaimed Welsh Lamb meal tonight Dave Winder was still busy working on the damaged Czech boat and it was clear that Dave's legendary 'we can fix this' approach would be tested to the maximum. But, amazingly, Petr Koran seemed confident that his boat would be on the start line tomorrow.
Tomorrow should see the wet stuff further south, with North Wales having an 'almost' dry day with the outside risk of an outbreak of sunshine later in the day. The breezes though will be lighter, which could well be the cue for the French, Swiss and Czech boats to enjoy their turn at the top. Or, will that new found lighter airs speed that Tom Gillard had found last week prove master of the conditions.
