COGS - Cornwall Offshore Group Series - Race 6
by Andrew Laming 26 Jul 2016 01:07 NZST
23 July 2016
Cornwall Offshore Group Series race 6 sponsired by A2 Rigging © Chrissie Laming
The 6th race in the Coastal Offshore Group Series (COGS) took place on Saturday, a tactical tidal trip around the Lizard Peninsular, from the mouth of the Helford River, across Mounts Bay, to Penzance harbour.
The race, which is organised by Helford River Sailing Club and sponsored by A2 Rigging, set off in perfect summer sailing conditions, with a 10 knot down-wind start, and a colourful parade of spinnakers, as the seventeen strong fleet headed south, past Nare Head towards the only mark of the course, the Manacles Cardinal.
As the wind gradually backed, kites had to come down and once round the mark, it was hard on the wind for the long beat to the tip of the Lizard. With an ebb tide beginning to race west, staying in the fastest parts of the current was crucial, and boats traded places, sometimes by large margins, as helms made good and bad tactical decisions.
At the tip of the Lizard the overfalls made for an uncomfortable ride as the apparent wind dropped and boats see-sawed up and down in the short seas caused by the tide sweeping round the point and over a shallow ledge.
Once round and back on flat water, kites came back up for a broad reach in building wind to the line. With favourable conditions the bulk of the fleet reached Penzance before 3pm, well before the gates opened to allow access to the still waters of the harbour, so it was an uncomfortable couple of hours bouncing up and down on visitors buoys as the day turned to fog, before crews were able to park their boats and get to the welcome of some local ale at Penzance Sailing Club.
COGS would once again like to thank both clubs for their generous hospitality, and to thank Mel Sharpe of A2 Rigging who has now been sponsoring the race for fifteen years.
www.cogsracing.org.uk
IRC results:
1st Daring
2nd Scorpion
3rd Afrita
4th Just Plain Krazy
5th Inn Spirit
6th Orijin
7th Juno
8th Elsa
9th Chiara
E Fleet results:
1st Tai Mo Shan
2nd Noon Hi
4th Nightowler
5th Carte Blanche
6th Gorra Knack
7th Ghost II
8th Poppy (Ret)