Osprey Nationals at Poole Yacht Club - Day 2
by Various competitors 22 Jul 2008 02:52 PDT
19-22 July 2008
Race 3 as seen by Jon Batt (5th place)
In race 3 the wind was reporting gusting 30 knots favouring the heavyweight crews. In race 2 the gate boat won the race so the pressure was on 1311 to follow suit. At the windward mark 1311 came out in 3rd place showing that the right side of the beat was the way to go. The wind dropped for the first reach and 1334 Richard and Mark Hartley, picking up a gust, sailed over 4 boats to reach second place behind 1198 Hemmings and Bowers.
On the second reach the wind increased and with the cliffs of the Isle of Wight approaching fast the front of the fleet all had to drop their kites and two sail to make the leeward mark. On the next beat 1314 Rob Shaw and Ian Little picked the shifts to overhaul 1311 to reach 3rd position. On the downwind leg 1290 gybed early and overtook 1311 for fourth position.
On the second lap positions stayed the same with awesome 3 sail reaches until the final beat when 1334 sailed over 1198 to take top honours.
Race 3 as seen by Mike Greenland (15th place)
With the wind predominantly from the NW force 5. Conditions were not ideal for Osprey 1322 crewed Mike Greenland and Lee Mariot. The light weight crew had decided to bias themselves to the right of the fleet and wait for the Gate to open. The start went well but was forced to tack shortly after the gate had passed, which caused an inadvertent capsize. Greenland Mariot worked hard to right boat quickly but found themselves at the back of the fleet.
The wind appeared to favour the right hand side of the course even though the rest of the fleet was chasing the wind on the left. On approaching the windward mark Greenland and Mariot were shocked to see themselves at the front of the fleet, passing all but a handful of competitors.
Positions did not really change much until the final downwind leg when the spinnaker dropped underneath the boat forcing 1322 to improvise and send the helm up the foredeck to untie the sheet. Almost 12 places were lost due to this slip up which forced them down the fleet. Luck for 1322 the wind was testing all the competitors and a few casualties ahead of them allowed us to gain places and finish overall in 15th.
Races 2 and 3 as seen by Nicola George (aged 14, crewing)
The day started sunny with a good breeze which helped us reach the start line out in the bay. Today’s races used gate starts which was a new experience for me. During the 1st race of the day the wind speed increased making for some very exciting reaches but the beats were very hard work. We finished the race in 37th position.
The wind strength increased in strength while waiting for the 2nd race of the day. The gusty conditions made the beats difficult. The reaches were very exhilarating, although we couldn’t see much due to the continues stream of spray;
I think the hardest part of the day was getting back into the harbour; it was a very long beat with lots of wind shifts in the harbour. It got so bad I decided to jump out, to be honest I fell out.