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Sunsail event 8
Sunsail Regatta; Event 8; Weekend 24/25 October
Captain Coghill’s adventure or How to go for a sailing weekend and finish with a “hole in one”.
Friday was spent travelling and collecting the crew in Port Solent with all the victuals for the weekend. The boat, a Sunfast 37, was occupied at about 18.00 BST just in time for the final crew member to arrive ‘en famille’ for a birthday surprise for young Edward Johnston. Not sure if his eyes were wider at the sight of the ‘big boat’ and the rousing chorus of Happy Birthday or the chocolate birthday cake, the remains of which were donated to crew’s breakfast on Saturday. Sturdy stuff these Notts County sailors.
Saturday began with a briefing and blurry eyes, well the Friday hog roast had to be washed down with something didn’t it, well there wasn’t any apple sauce. Then we were off, dragging our keel down the low water muddy slip of a water slick into the Solent, so were another 21 boats. We arrived on the start line for race 1. Steady F5 and poor visibility and rain with a short line next to the bank (or should that be coast, confusing this sea stuff). We got to the right end of the line and on time but being under another 10 boats and getting closer to the committee boat at the pin end (yes exactly) didn’t help and we had to gybe away to get some air. Progress up the beat was fair but we were travelling with 2 reefs and lost ground to the other brave souls (big heads) who had only one reef or none in their main sail. We gallantly continued around the course learning our jobs as we went, (experience or learning by mistakes I think they call it) arriving at the last mark last, as you do, and in poorer visibility and stronger winds we retired from race 1. All racing abandoned and we made our way to Cowes for a night of quiet reflection on the lessons learned. 35 knots on the nose by this time. Tacking hell!!
We determined to consider our lessons but the pub was noisy and the beer was quite good so we did our reflection individually and arranged to rise early and sort it all out then, before and during the sail back to the start area at Gillkicker point. Resolve dissolved and we were in another pub by 7.45 GMT (or UTC as sailors say) but this time for breakfast with lots of bartering for unwanted eggs and tomatoes and sausages, it was almost better than watching swap shop. Almost.
But once again we were away down the tide and heading for the start area and race 2, with a clear sky, good visibility but still F5. We practiced our kite on the way. The launch was brilliant, but surprising, and suddenly a kite it was with sheets and guys whizzing through blocks and following the nylon thingy into the air in front of the mast. Engine revs increasing didn’t make any difference we couldn’t catch it. But after a fighting recovery we arrived in the start area to find race instruction prescribing no spinnakers to be used and at least one reef in main sail for all races. We knew that was on the cards, right.
That slowed the big heads up anyway, and after a revised task allocation amongst the crew we turned in a 14th position in race 2. Race 3 started in similar fashion to race 1 and we escaped the line in last place. Wind building to F6 and gusting F7 again but we climbed back 4 places at the windward mark. We beat a rather large tanker to it as well. Strong nerves and stomachs you see, like I said sturdy these sailors from Notts County. Unfortunately we had to bear away for that comforting bit of acceleration to beat the tanker and we found ourselves below the mark. Another tack was due, but the boat in front had done the same and they tacked onto port, lost control, their sails flew out the boat bore away onto a faster reach then their helmsman suddenly saw us but froze and kerash hit us about a metre from the stern and 30 cms above the water line. They were very apologetic and became very focused on telling us how sorry they were, we thought we had better warn them about the tanker they were about to attack in similar fashion. They hadn’t seen that either, apparently. However the helm was suddenly galvanized and he missed it. Boat 9, behind us missed it too, by about 20m across the bow; his mast top didn’t reach much further than halfway up the bow. The crew was a ghostly pale as they passed while we tried to stop the flow of water into our boat. We retired again.
Can’t be sure what the connection was but the Race Officer received our retirement call then a few minutes later abandoned racing for the day. Deja Saturday!
No redress for us, protest procedure for such events not yet in place in Sunsail Regattas. I guess you sort it out on the water. But results don’t mean much when you land back on a dry pontoon all safe and well and hand the boat and its watery content over to the Sunsail chaps.
Sunsail 5 were great sports though, they accepted responsibility and signed their damage waiver over. They said they had never crashed into a nicer bunch of polite sailors before (?!?) and sweetened the experience by handing over a bottle of Bollinger. I dare say they were going to drink that if they hadn’t crashed during the regatta, they did seem to be well used to it. Others were too, 4 collisions on Saturday involving 7 boats. Sunsail 5 was last in the standings too, just below us.
Oh by the way our boat was Sunsail 1 and all the stuff above explains how you go sailing for a weekend and finish with a “hole in one”. Thankyouverymuch.
Captain Coghill’s Crew, in no particular order (just like the weekend):
John, Adam, Rob, Richard, Steve, Phil and Graham.