Dead calm, Force 5, East wind, North wind, West wind, brilliant sunshine, dark cloud, rain, snow – we had it all in today’s race – okay I lied about the snow! Some had left the harbour with reefs in because the forecast was for force 4-6; yet arriving at the start mark – WE – we found no wind and a postponement which we all thought would not last long. Meanwhile one boat had engine problems – had they picked up a lobster pot around the prop? They headed slowly back into harbour.
An hour later there was a whisper of wind and with the threat of strong winds arriving soon a short course was set and we headed off from Sparkes. A beat to Winner and then on to Hard, then Chi, then Sparkes to finish. For some the downwind legs were slow – they had not rigged for downwind sails in light airs. But for some by the end of the race there was 15 knots of wind and soon gusts of 25 knots as the rain arrived. We scooted back into the harbour after a “changeable” day race.
