Sydney Flying Squadron, Season 2017-18  29.10.17

First North -easter at the squadron this season. 2 sprint-races scheduled, 2nd sail, run-in tide.

1st race, Geothermal, JRW and LCC Asia Pacific all on the line with speed, LCC to boat-end, other end favoured, giving the other 2 a break at the first crossing out of Bradleys Head.

2 short tacks into Taylor Bay, opted to go east to avoid the 18footer pack in a bunch out of their start.

Caught and passed JRW doing this, but coming into the Neilsen Park gas Buoy top-mark Geotherm had made  a big break in the traffic on the western shore: they were gone down the run, and away fro the race. LCC held off JRW down the run, and kept them behind on the second work, crossing gybes on the second run from Nielsen park to the finish, with Maersk trying to get back into the top 3 on the final run: Goetherm, LCC Asia pacific, JRW, Maersk.

1 lap for the second-race. Huge pin-end bias to the line saw Geotherm and Maersk roll LCC on the line, in the gas LCC couldnt lay the pin, tacked east omg port.

Tacked back to the bunch at Bradleys Head, just behind Geotherm and Maersk. Swapping tacks with them up the western shore, then the log Port fetch to Nielsen Park. Geotherm just ahead, Maersk over stood the lay line and behind LCC, reaching down to the lay made the Nielsen mark just in fromnt.

Gybing down to the finish, Maersk just able to keep ahead to take 2nd by 20m from LCC, with JRW 4th.

Last week big-sail easterly at SFS, JRW for the win, Sydney Sailmakers 2nd, LCC Asiapacific 3rd.

 

 

 

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Lane Cove Race, Saturday 14.10.2017

Inter-club championship, Lane Cove, run-in tide, South-Easterly course, Forecast third-rig, 2nd rig call from boats rigging at club, Woodford Bay skiffs all opting for third-rig.

Scratch start, low-pressure, all bunched on the line, low-pressure 2-sail each down river to first rounding mark. Arrogant Frog well early at the start boxing a number of boats, Geotherm over-early and restart, Hey Charger away clear with the 2nd rig power going well. LCC Asia Pacific boxed by premature starter, then over the top and clear air came back to 3rd by Woodford rounding mark. Fleet lifted behind to reach the Humbug pileup ahead of LCC Asia Pacific. Melee at Humbug, very short tacks seeking puffs of breeze to get out of the river saw LCC get back into 4th, leaving a pile-up behind. Light, massively underpowered for the third-rig in the main river saw all the 2nd rig boats power away.

Work up to the Goat Island top mark in shifty underpowered stuff, looking for pressure and lifts, Sydney Sailmakers making the most of the downrange, and taking the fight to Hey Charger, 3 of these difficult works and 3 runs into the bottom mark in Kerosene Bay, with the wind shifting into the east more as the day progressed. Run back to Valentia St LCC Asia Pacific in 5th with Form Civil right behind, they got inside at the gybe off Long-Nose Point, then a deeper puff pulled them into the Valentia St bottom mark well ahead. On the work to Birchgrove LCC went on a flyer to try and split, falling further back for the run into the river to the finish. In the long grind up-river to the finish LCC clawed back time on Geotherm and Form Civil, finishing just behind in this order in 6th, having put all but 2 of the 2nd rigs behind them. Hey Charger with the 2nd rig first, Sydney Sailmakers second, the 49er stars the Chapmans in 3rd, Geothermal 4th.

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2017-18 Opening day, Saturday 07.10.17

Back at the Squadron after 3 weeks at Lane Cove, sailing Saturday for the opening day,  to integrate with the Historic 18s for the opening day.

South-South-east breeze, forecast big-sail, soft in the morning on the coast, but feeling a bit fresher than the forecast 12 knots. All skiffs other than Geothermal trusted the forecast and went big rig: as it eventuated, all these skiff made the wrong choice, Geothermal was right with seconds sail.

So the whole afternoon massively overpowered big-sail. Heavily biased line, LCC and Geotherm holding the pin, Sydney Sailmakers trying to come in on port, Lcc just behind them fell into dirty-air and had to tack away: this allowed Sydney Sailmakers and Geotherm to hold to the south and get an 80m lead by the Point-Piper top mark – with all the other skiffs well back, struggling in the somewhat extreme conditions.

Front 2 dragged down to Bradleys Head, LCC held the set and stayed high, but overplayed this and lost ground.

Rest of the day was a procession in this order: Sydney Sailmakers, then Geotherm, then LCC, to the Rose Bay mark, then Clifton Gardens, then Shark Island, Taronga Zoo, Point Piper then the run to the finish, with a good margin to Sydney Sailmakers (recruited a 95 kg forward hand from the 18s today working well in the over rigged conditions), then Geotherm, then LCC, with a distant gap to the only other finisher of the day.

 

 

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