Sunday 30 January 2011

Steve Nicholson Race

5 Moths rocked up at Northampton SC for the 2011 Steve Nicholson Race. There wasn't much wind when we turned up, but thankfully we weren't starting until after midday which gave a bit of time for the forecast 10 mph to kick in.

We were sailing with the asymmetric fleet which gave us a busy startline to play with and plenty of moving obstacles around the course to do battle with. After some vaguely synchronized port tack starting with Tom, I took and early lead and didn't really look back with the shifty lake sailing playing to my advantage and the Ninja Turtle doing the rest. After 7 laps I'd nearly lapped Tom in second with Martin a few minutes behind him posting a 23 knot best in not much breeze and very cold water...

The format of the event means we get to sit around and watch the other fleet race before going back out for a second race. With the weather being pretty cold it's quite hard to drag yourself back out again and it takes about 20 minutes back on the water just to get vaguely warm again! This became a bit of my downfall with two appalling tacks on the first lap, once with the tiller extension up the back of my buoyancy aid and another saw me kicking out my elbow while leaning on the wingbar post tack dumping me unceremoniously out of the boat! Anyway, I managed to get back in the groove and catch up with Tom and after having a good battle with him for a few laps sneaked away as the breeze died towards the end with Martin coming in third again.

Was very good fun as usual despite the ice on the ground and massive windchill! Results are up HERE and I will post links to photos when they materialise. I had the first chance to use my new ProStart and it's definitely idiot proof - Hopefully when I get back out at BCYC I can use it to sort out my starting issues!

Saturday 22 January 2011

It's Miller time

No I've not started drinking again. Yet.

Nope, it's that time of year again. I'm up in Nottingham getting the latest round of Ellway foils machined up. The very fast and skinny foils of last year are making way for something faster... Rudder mould is nearly done (this pic was taken late last night) and the wings and daggerboard will be done over the next few days...

2011, year of the Ninja.

Friday 14 January 2011

Down in Flames

Well, I think it's safe to say the ashes will be staying in Australia this time around...

I'd like to congratulate Nathan on a dominating performance on a relatively level playing field shows him to be a true class act. I would also like to congratulate Scott on a top result while running the event - This has been far and away the best worlds to watch online with the daily video and constant Facebook updates.

2011 is going to be an interesting year - I'm currently trying to get my head around how on earth the GBR fleet can up our game sufficiently!

Sunday 9 January 2011

Bloody Mary 2011

 11 Mothies braved the most reasonable forecast anyone has seen at QM for a long time. We arrived to find it blowing dogs off chains but due to the forecast drop after lunch and non freezing temperatures no-one was too phased.
 With the first boats going off at midday and the Moths not due to start until 75 minutes later we all sat back to watch the race unfold which is a most bizarre thing to do! Got to feel sorry for the slower boats chugging around for all that time while we are ashore drinking tea...

Our startline proved quite entertaining as we had boats crossing on two different downwind legs while we were milling around and with the general tactics being to stay the hell out of trouble off we went.

With the wind having abated by our start, Alex Adams and I played a good game of cat and mouse as we sailed into and out of puffs pulling away then getting caught again. This was going to be the order of the day, although I gave Alex a good lead at one point when I missed a mark out due to following an MPS who obviously had no idea where he was going leading me astray (I never know where I'm going either...). We both spent a good leg lowriding on the second lap while the wind gods stopped for tea, but once they kicked back in we got the hammer down pulling through the fleet nicely. I had to stop for a break a couple of times too, having my mainsheet block break off the boom and need a lashing (figuratively and literally) and my pushrod bottle screw undoing itself while I wasn't looking meaning another nice dip and cool down while I reassembled on the water!

The final lap was a good one and with time ticking away we both tried to pull through as much of the fleet as possible getting around two big chunks of boats on two seperate legs. I pulled through to 10th in the end getting past 10 or so boats on the last reach and unfortunately left Alex just behind them in 25th.

Further back in the fleet DJ Edwards had a good race coming in 77th, Olivier Vidal in 80th, Geoff Carveth and Tim Penfold duking it out for 100th and 101st respectively, Martin Fear in 111th, Doug Pybus in 118th with an overtightened wand bolt causing some pretty special launch positions, Gareth Davies in 130th, Jon Peats came in 184th. Tom Offer had a nightmare, launching to a KA special with cams popping off, starting late and then taking half the tiller extension with him after missing the toestraps post tack... Overall was taken by the 14 of Roger Gilbert.

I always enjoy this event and this year was a good one with my personal best result being a mid teens in a N12, coming away with the first foiler trophy and first in class, although they are both pretty much the same thing now the 600 fleet has vanished. If anyone has any ideas what to do with 1.4L of Vodka when you don't drink, please let me know.

Next event is the Steve Nicholson Race on Saturday the 29th of Jan. Meanwhile Fotoboat and Ian Roman have both posted up some galleries from the event already...

Monday 3 January 2011

UK Winter event pre entry

For all you fellow winter idiots out there, here are the links for the rest of the Moth winter series events. So far we've had the Tide Ride and the Grafham Grand prix, although it looks like no-one went to the GGP! We usually have a big turnout for the Bloody Mary so lets make this one a bumper year...

Bloody Mary pre-entry is HERE....

Steve Nicholson pre-entry is HERE....

And finally the Tiger Trophy is HERE...