The morning was quiet and still as I slipped the Salamander Bay mooring.....not a ripple on the water until I turned the point headed for the Soldiers Point Marina , where I was greeted by a stiff 25-30 knot westerly. The wind came in so fast and strong it was as if a switch had been flicked! Berthing RW was certainly a challenge as tide opposed wind combined with a cross current thrown in for good measure!
Every Sat the Port Stephens Yacht Club (PSYC) sets up the Starters caravan in the carpark manned by Heather and her gang of volunteers. They do a great job......some days it must be freezing, some stifling hot and some just long and boring when there is little wind. To show our appreciation for their seasons efforts, the RW crew provided some tasty morsels to make the day a little more pleasant.....and no, it wasn't a bribe!!!
We rigged for a #1 reef and set off for some pre-start tacking practice to warm up. I was determined to improve our starts as I wasn't being aggressive enough, thereby losing valuable time....sometimes up to 90secs. That may not seem a lot but when your handicap is applied there may only be 90secs between 1st and 5th place. All was going well and we did several dummy runs at the line. Anneliese (Northshore 33) has jumped the start in several recent races and today was no exception. The gun sounded and during their gybing manoeuvre to get back to the start line they caused Exalte (X-332) to take collision avoidance action resulting in RW having to tack away, even though we had right of way over both yachts, effectively stalling our flying start. We cleared the line in 3rd place, but thanks to some slick crew work we quickly came up to speed to be leading the fleet. So great effort by Daz and Ruth to do a lot of pre-start tacks in a short period of time.
The course (D4 approx 15M) was a windward/leeward course that does not suit RW. It was too breezy for the spinnaker and we had no pole anyway. We crossed tacks several times with Exalte and Knot Working (Etchels) on the way to the top mark and it was very satisfying (and rare) to be in a position to force Exalte to tack away because we had right of way. We were in a good position to lay the top mark when Knot Working tacked right on top of us just 2-3 metres apart.
A windward boat must keep clear and allow the leeward boat to sail her 'proper course'. We tried to sail our course but Knot Working were sailing directly at the mark. The boats were so close at one stage, my crew could have trimmed Knot Working's sails and she was heeling so much in the gusts their spreaders were close to hitting our rigging. Passing the mark to starboard was not looking good now, so to avoid any top mark carnage, we freed both sails, effectively braking, and then we tacked under her stern, sailed off for 20 secs and then tacked back tp lay the mark. It quickly became apparent Knot Working had stuffed up the course as they rounded the mark to port (meant to be starboard).....which explains why they were trying to sail lower. To their credit they apologised as we sailed away. RW had lost so much speed in the tacks Exalte was able to slip by and round the mark 15 secs ahead in 1st position.
Downwind Exalte is a faster boat hitting 9.2 knots SOG with a poled-out headsail, whereas RW could only manage 8.5 knots max SOG. Unfortunately our spinnaker pole was off the boat for repair so Daz the human pole set to work! After rounding Middle Island, we managed to make up lost ground on the second beat to the Garden Island top mark. The breeze had strengthened considerably and in hindsight I should have put the #2 reef in the main. The gunwhale was under water most of this beat and I managed to take some water over the bow soaking the crew...... usually an indication we are over-powered!! The final downwind run was past Middle Island followed by a starboard rounding of West Bank mark. Now this mark is a sandbank and it was about an hour after LW so it was going to be interesting with our 2.0m draft! The breeze was 18knots TWS up the clacker as we lined up our approach. The big steel structure loomed closer as my eyes were glued to the sounder and the alarm screaming as the depth shallowed to 2.1m.....and then the unexpected.......a 34knot gust!!
RW started to round up and although we quickly dumped all sail, it was too late. We were going to hit the mark so I continued hard over and around into a Chinese gybe. There was a lot of mainsheet out and Daz tried to gather as much as he could to ease the shock of the main slamming hard over on the opposite side, but it was a losing battle in this big breeze. The main sheet attachment block tore clean off the boom ripping the boom open like a tin can......but most importantly no people damage!
This is where I was very proud of my crew. They listened to what needed to be done and did it calmly and safely. With the mainsail dropped and the boom nicely 'captured' and secured we raced on under reefed genoa (#3) for the final 2M beat to the finish line. There was no way RW was going to score a Did Not Finish (DNF) in this her final race of the Winter Series!! We hit 6.5-7.0 knots SOG under headsail keeping Exalte in check all the way to the line.
This is where I was very proud of my crew. They listened to what needed to be done and did it calmly and safely. With the mainsail dropped and the boom nicely 'captured' and secured we raced on under reefed genoa (#3) for the final 2M beat to the finish line. There was no way RW was going to score a Did Not Finish (DNF) in this her final race of the Winter Series!! We hit 6.5-7.0 knots SOG under headsail keeping Exalte in check all the way to the line.
As the wind increased boats retired from the race and only four yachts finished. Young Pretender (Young 88) required medical assistance and ambulance attendance as one of their crew suffered bad lacerations to both legs during an altercation with the lifelines.
So how did we go.........despite a slow start, the top mark 'issues' and West Bank boom carnage, Rogue Wave came away with her first ever win!! Congratulations to my fantastic crew Daz and Ruth who have really put in the hard yards this season. A great display of teamwork and determination to come away with a win. There dedication all season to travel from Medowie and Newcastle every Saturday to race is much appreciated by old skip.
Time to head back down to the marina for some repairs.....it never ends!
Winter Pointscore Race 14/14 results:
1st: Rogue Wave (Sigma 36)
2nd: Exalte (X-332)
3rd: Goodlife2 (Beneteau 39)
