The Jerwood conspiracy.
Never let is be said that Problem Child gives up easily. With Nia Jerwood already on the boat and a crew person bailing out at the last moment, it was a quick call to see if Nick would jump on board. Glenn was very pleased to walk up to the Commodore and snaffle both first and fastest with a grin that was hard to take off his face. Looking around I saw the boys and girls from K Factor slumping wearily on a couch at the back of the room. They had done the Valmadre with Sagacious on the Saturday and picked up a 5th , just slightly ahead of King Canute who sailed out there as well and made it back up the river for sailing on Sunday. More power to both the skippers and crew.
Rob Male’s Jindarra must have most dangerous main sheet position anywhere on the river. He’s sitting on the transom running the main. He’s not mad, but would qualify as such if it was a busy day on the water. However it was Denise Bradley on Sidewalk Café who let the Jin get ahead but took the win on handicap with Dean Picot and Fair Game with a riot of people on the boat taking a strong third on handicap and over the line. But if the rumour was right, Cover Drive repeated their effort of a few weeks ago to run a really shy spinnaker to the finish line. It made the starters wonder what was going on.
Almost ground hog day for Div. 3 with another dash up to Armstrong, but with a difference. This time it was a beat. Some people banged corners, others worked their way up the centre as we did and with the blue boat, Wynella and Eutopia all in with an urge to be first over the line, kites were going to be used on the down breeze runs to try and split the difference. The battle to Sampson was flat out between the 2 H28’s and there wasn’t much difference at Armstrong either with the blue boat getting ahead. However they hadn’t set up for a spinnaker and had a little trouble getting it to fly once they had set it up. But it was a tight run with the three boats bending around Print and heading off to Como with Eutopia close on our heels. Wildfire and Commotion were in another world and another battle.
But the outer startline arrived and with our bow tucked firmly inside the transom of the blue boat, we rounded the mark, only to find him trying to duck up inside us. However the door was closed and the crunch of a bow on a transom had the skipper checking the rudder for damage shortly afterwards. Several howls of protest were heard as he tried to take his penalty, taking the other H28  up in the process. Maybe he gybed to get out of trouble. Then to Sampson and the small triangle with a spinnaker run down from Dolphin East where we fell foul with a bad hoist and gave Wynella a lead that they grabbed hold of and didn’t let us in. Good sailing. Eutopia had sailed well enough to take a distant fourth, but the handicap difference boosted them into second over the line.
I wouldn’t have missed the day’s racing for quids. Lots of fun and photos. Many thanks to Hayden Shenton, bow on Wynella who carried a camera as well
