2015 RYC Midwinters overall

by Luis Kitchen on 5 Mar 2015 For the third year in a row Jonathan Weston aka Hot Donutz wins the RYC Midwinters in a competitive four day series.

Jonathan's race report:

Well, I guess even the losers get lucky sometimes! Certainly this year was a much harder fought competition, and doubtful if I'll even be in the top three at next weekend's Spring Dinghy (which okay, I'm also going for a three peat in). Winds are predicted to be an unSpringlike 8, my Achilles heel and Gordon's blast-off zone. Of course, anything over 12 and it's Davo and I battling it out on the horizon. Bob Hyde is coming on strong, so he could be a factor with his 'barber-hauler' technique working well. It's anybody's game, always is.

Before Sunday's final penultimate race, I told one of the competitors, Quintin, most improved sailor of the series that I really hoped that Gordon wins, because he's such a nice guy, the fastest Weta sailor on the planet in under 10 Chris included, and has still not won a regatta in the last three years at least that I've been in. So as a PMP, I'm going to outline some lessons learned here for him so he can win one of our Major's next weekend at StFYC, St. Fancy.

Get to the line earlier and establish your position. Be a tiger.

Use your speed wisely. Stay the course. No need to tack off to a different direction when you are the fastest sailor. If you have a bad start and need to clear your air, do it in a short two tacks, not a tangent. Tangents work great 1 out of 10 times. Play the odds. Blow through the lee if you have to and can.

Same thing off the wind. When you see the guy ahead of you preparing to gybe, gybe first. Pounce on him. Carrying on past the layline may pay off, but it may not, so use that speed to bury the donut.

When in the lead, Cover Cover Cover. You don't want to get into a tacking duel until the last leg if there are other competitors around at least until the last leg or last race, like barber hauling BOBBO, or carry someone off onto the horizon downwind as you are also carrying yourself. Like BOBBO, if you need to 'shave' some points, It is better to gain vmg and stay either just ahead or one boat length below the boat behind if you have the speed as it gives you the room to gybe into that final mark room overlap position.

Be prepared the day ahead with your boat, and don't party too hard the night before. It keeps you loose for the first race but then you find yourself off in left field wondering where the fleet went!

And the final lesson of the day... that's right, you guessed it. Eat more donuts!'

Luis Kitchen: Where does the name Hot Donutz come from?

Jonathan: I doubt they have Krispy Kreme in NZ, but that is the sign that gets lit when the donuts are hot off the press. So when the wind picks up as do my heels, I deem it 'Hot Donut's sign lit' conditions

Gordon Lyon's race report:

Sunday brought the final three races of the Richmond Yacht Club Mid-Winter Series, and it was a doozy. This series is what keeps the NorCal Weta Fleet in our boats (and our woolies) from December till March. This was the largest and most competitive RYC Mid-Winters yet, with nine boats sailing in the series and five different skippers taking firsts, so going into Sunday’s final three races, it could have been almost anyone’s day. Jonathan Weston (champ the previous two years) had only a five point lead over Gordon Lyon, and Bob Hyde and Dave Berntsen were nipping at the heels…

The weather gods provided a gorgeous, sunny day with flat water, a fairly steady four - six knots of breeze, and an ebb tide forecast to peak at almost two-knots. For the start of the first race, the port end of the line was strongly favoured, and most of the fleet sat head to wind just short of the line until the gun, then it was a horse race into the oncoming ebb. Jonathan tried to repeat the previous month’s success of pushing Gordon over the line early, but Gordon kept his distance, and just enough boat speed to roll over Jonathan crossing the line. Gordon then pulled away with clear air, forcing Jonathan to tack to the less favorable side of the course. By the finish, Bob Hyde had pulled into second, so the points gap between Gordon and Jonathan was down to three, with two races to go.

Gordon was starting to think he had a chance to snatch the series trophy, but it was not be. Dave Berntsen won the second race, Bob Hyde nailed the third, but in both races, Jonathan shut the door on Gordon at the starts, maintaining his points lead to the end. A great show of skill, tactics and boat speed.

Little time, though, to bask in the glory - or lick our wounds. Next weekend is the official 2015 season opener on the San Francisco City Front, scene of the last America’s Cup. As Jonathan noted at the bar last night, 'Next week, we all go back to zero!'

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