With four Datchet boats competing at the Hayling Bulwark, our numbers were down today – four teams on the slip….. in bright sunshine and a force 3 – lovely !!!
There was a bit of a pin end bias on the line, and Howard/Richard popped out of the line of the gun down there. No matter though – the beats were so shifty that Mark and Toby made the top mark first, followed closely by Howard/Richard, then Matt and Andrew. It was all pretty close, with Matt/Andrew closing in on the other two all the time.
Matt and Andrew tended to favour the left side of the beats, and Mark/Toby the right. Come the final beat, Howard/Richard went up the middle and nabbed the top mark first. The top reach was pretty tight for spinnakering – 4011 made it a two sail reach for the most of it and pulled away slightly from the other two. At the gun, it was pretty close but Howard/Richard got it from Mark/Toby then Matt and Andrew.
Race two saw a bit more breeze and Matt/Andrew did a pin end flyer and just crossed ahead of Howard/Richard and Mark/Toby. However, by the pin it was Howard/Richard out front by quite a handsome margin and were never really challenged. On the final leg, Mark/Toby fell into the doldrums and finished a full two minutes behind Howard and Richard.
It was ALL in the beats!!
