Sunday’s Bart’s Bash race saw warm and sunny weather with a gentle breeze enabling race with long legs out and back to the shipping channel buoys and plenty of opportunity to fly those downwind sails. A superb day to be out on the water and enjoying some sailing, racing against other members.
Excellent photo’s thank you.
Great pictures. Looks like you had a super day. The beach is fab in the sunshine but not the same! x
Really good fun on Bart’s Bash. My report:
Similar to the previous day Celebration and Calypso was out on the line very early pottering about probably like my having coffee and snack.
There was some excitement on the start line. First was the Mayday DSC alarm that sounded on my VHF radio possibly 2 mins before the start, just before I was about to turn onto my final approach. It cleared my Dual Watch to Channel 37 and the alarm was making a proper racket. So in amongst the approaching yachts I had to pop down into the cabin to clear the alarm and then switched my handheld to channel 37 in the cockpit. So at least I could hear Pam announce the start. Then moments later when making my final positioning for the line I vaguely recall I was turning up wind to get on the start line track but spotted Samurai under my sail who I think was planning to cross the line on Port. Anyway, within seconds I noticed they were tacking to Starboard but by then I had briefly turned downwind to dip behind them anyway. It all happened very quickly, but I think that is what happened.
The first leg was good for me. After some tweaking I managed to get the yacht going at good speed even though it was a little over pressed (no crew on the rail). Much to my surprise I managed to stay reasonably near the others ahead of me. Then came the pot buoy incident (see post below).
When well offshore Arcadia and I alongside each other turned north (still on Port I think) and found ourselves on a risk of collision course with a large cruising yacht. I gybed behind it but it had already started to change course a little and it is possible Arcadia could not see it very well as it was in line with my yacht. Anyway, I think there was there was a little brief confusion there. I then headed off from there staying fairly close to Arcadia for a couple more of legs.
The next leg alongside Intrepid resulted in the nice photo that can be seen on Bob’s post. For the last leg Arcadia and Samurai hoisted downwind sails whereas Intrepid and Calypso stayed with white sails. I think it was Andy I could see on Samurai standing well forward and attentively spinnaker trimming for the entire long leg. Arcadia and Samurai I think were slightly downwind of the ideal course to the mark, probably because it was a Reach. But they got lucky I reckon because as we approached Chi the wind was slightly more westerly which enabled them to easily get to port of the mark with spinnakers/chutes still flying. I lost sight of Rockhopper and Celebration quite a while earlier.
After the finish line I reefed down and headed on a fine reach back to Gosport. I was glad I had reefed because the wind picked up briefly to a high end F4 or even F5 as I approached the Forts. I was flying along in very little chop along at a steady 6.5Kts. In the distance I could the QE Aircraft Carrier coming into Portsmouth and on the radio Chan 11 QHM announced the Port access was shut for a while. I had to hang around near the Forts until allowed into the harbour. By the time Small Boat Channel was open the wind had died away to less that 5 kts, so it was motoring to get back in.