2009 Autumn Series»RPCYC Autumn Series - Race 7 & Overall Results
Saturday 19th December saw the last race of the Autumn Series, those that were brave enough to break the ice off their covers had the joys of drifting conditions with a flood tide to add to their enjoyment.
Fancy dress was the name of the day with many Father Christmas outfits along with a few fairies to brighten up the cold day. Winner of the fancy dress competition went to Graeme McCloud dressed up as King Kong & Chris Butler dressed up as a Damsel in distress on board their Hobie Tiger.
Eventually the wind filled in enough for the race officer to set a course which saw the slow & fast handicap fleets race the same course. The fast handicap fleet started first & by the time the boats reached the first mark the wind had subsided to the slightest breath. It was not long before the slow handicap fleet caught the fast handicap where the majority of boats remained trying to beat the flood tide. Most dinghies were able to keep pace with the tide but as soon as anyone lost momentum they were seen sailing in reverse at 3 – 4 Knots much to the amusement of the others.
Iain Christie & Tim McEvoy in their 505 were the first to manage to round the windward mark & make it past the second mark before heading to the finish line.
Eventually the race officer had no option but to end the race with only one finisher. The rest of the boats were towed home in the calm conditions & were greeted by a snowy end to the days sailing.
The results for the seventh race of the series can be found here.
The Overall results can be found here.
Congratulations to all that took part in the series. Special thanks need to be made to Keith Kendall our Race Officer & his line crew. Along with the safety boat crews of RPCYC / Plymouth Youth Sailing / Hooe Point Sailing Club who turned out in all conditions ranging from sunny days to very stormy conditions & finally snow !!
Without these people we would not be able to race.
We need more volunteers to help man the start line & the safety boats – please contact sail@rpcyc.com if you are able to help.
by Jon Buckler