Winter Pointscore Race 7

RW missed Race 6 due to an onboard plague of the dreaded Man-Flu that took out the crew.

Race 6 results were:
1st: Kindred Spirit (Hood 25)
2nd: Nelson J (J24)
3rd: Exalte (X-332)

Race 7 this week saw Jenno and Tess join Kev and Ruth on RW for their first ever race. Who would have thought after 30 years I still get the same kick out of teaching interested crew about nautical stuff as I did on day one!

A nice steady 5-10 knot breeze made for a congested start with some narrow misses as boats fought to stay close to the line without being pushed back by the ebb tide. RW made a reasonable start to windward however we soon found the air behind the big Champagne on Ice (Beneteau 46) shaken and stirred! We tacked away into clean air to climb to windward, once again gaining ground quickly using the Narrows Reef for relief form the tide. We pointed high and kept good speed all the way to the first mark which we rounded in 4th. The beat to second mark was a beautiful sail as the sun finally managed to show itself and we distanced ourselves from the pack behind. By the 2nd mark we had gained ground on the big Beneteau but unfortunately we lost him downwind as his sail area far outweighed our own. I chose to only fly the old Assy and not our new spinnakers until the crew is confident to hoist, gybe and douse without mishap. I think next week the new black and blue spinnakers will fly in anger!

Whilst Daz is off sunning himself in Hawaii with the Hoff,  Ruth stepped up into the foredecky role and gun kite trimmer and did a great job. Growing crew confidence to undertake all crew positions is important to me as it eases my workload and allows me to concentrate on boat speed and tactics.  Happy to say I am thrilled with the dedication, performance and potential of Daz and Ruth.

The breeze once again faded away and the race was shortened. RW crossed the line in 4th behind Knot Working (Etchells), Exalte (X-332) and then Champagne on Ice. As we doused sail a storm front came through strengthening the breeze sufficiently to allow Geoff and Kerry on Kindred Spirit to gain valuable seconds.....97 seconds to be precise.......to leapfrog them into 2nd place. The handicapper also liked their performance so much he slugged their handicap for the next race!! Down below in the cosy cabin we had a well deserved crew beer in lieu of a few bevies at the clubhouse.

Results were consistent even with two new crew so I am very pleased with the result. We managed to keep Exalte, Annilese and Goodlife2 behind us on handicap. We are now 4th in the series with only 5 points seperating the top four yachts....interesting times yet to be had.

Race 7 results were:

1st: Knot Working (Etchells)
2nd: Kindred Spirits (Hood 25)
3rd: Champagne on Ice (Beneteau 46)
4th: Rogue Wave (Sigma 36)