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Sailing Programme 2010
Results and Reports |
Catapult returned in June to the
hospitable Pagham Sailing Club after a three year gap in theit UL
catamaran racing programme, and had for two typical
English seaside summer days --- hot hazy sunshine, and families out on
the steep pebble beach, watching the boats and the tide gradually cover
the remains of a sunken Mulberry Harbour unit (a significant underwater
obstruction)
Four boats came down, with only three
starters on Saturday. For all the races, the club set
triangle-plus-windward-leeward laps, with a shore-based start.
On Saturday, a light ESE breezes
2-3 meant that the start was a short reaching leg to mark 1, then
beginning the triangle-plus-windward-leeward laps.
With enough breeze to keep the boats moving,
tactics were around finding the best pressure (more further out) against
stemming the slow westwards tide. The four Catapults attending through
the weekend remained very close in boat speed, so the goal was to keep
moving smoothly in the small but sometimes lumpy seas.
In Race 1, Alastair
Forrest was well away ahead of Neal Graneau. Cliff Antill (further back
after tangling the start) stood out to sea for breeze, but lost out to
the tide. Alastair stayed first around the first combined lap, with the
boats showing even speed with Neal closing up hard at times.
Cliff, still back kept the tactic of
going out to sea for the beat, now seemingly at less disadvantage. For
the last windward-leeward lap, Alastair seemed to have enough in hand,
but Neal came downwind relentlessly and seemed to have it, but the last gybe and tighter run up to the line gave Alastair a win by half a
boat-length
For Race 2, Alastair
led away from Neal, with Cliff downwind and behind. Cliff again went out
to sea beating, and now was gaining with
this tactic. On the second beat, he swept in at the windward mark,
putting Neal behind him. Alastair attempted to tack below Cliff, and
paid the predictable penalty of stalling and falling onto the mark.
Neal set off after Cliff, who was not troubled in
holding his lead, and Alastair stayed at the back out of contention.
Sunday arrived with confident
forecasts of fresh SW wind but little sign of it, the wind WNW and 2-3.
The Race Officer set the triangle-W/L course for the expected swing
south, hoping for a start on the wind with the swing, but the
shore-based line remained heavily biased.
Starting Race 3
Alastair, away first and well to windward of Neal, was able to lay the
first mark, and the short tacks put in by the others gained him a good
lead. With the course still a series of leads and reaches, John’s good
boat-speed pulled him gradually up from a start well back to threaten
but not catch Neal, while Cliff never found speed to recover from
starting behind. The order remained, with the final lap extending
Alastairs lead and Neal and John only yards apart at the finish.
For Race 4, on the same course, Alastair led off
from Neal, with Cliff electing to point lower for evident extra speed.
Alastair held his short lead through the first lap, now chased by Cliff
but overall was not finding boat-speed against the others.
The breeze began its predicted swing to the SW
and increased, with Cliff beginning to trapeze the tight leads (feeling
right although not gaining.) Neal pulled up on Alastair, to then fall
back recovering a halliard problem The next beat saw Cliff take the
lead, followed by Neal. John came up to catch Alastair on the broad
leads in the freshening breeze
(John commented later on the need to sheet in on
the reaches until the only the windward telltales are streaming---it
needs constant checking that it is not over-sheeted, but improves speed
over both sets streaming, the logical position.)
The last lap had the breeze finally in its
correct SW place with a true beat, but produced only widening gaps
holding these places. By the time all the boats were ashore, there were
sparkling whitecaps, and chip-papers and small children were being blown briskly along the shore.
Results
Cliff Antill
5
Alastair Forrest
5
Neal Graneau
6
John Peperell
12
Cliff gained the win for the event on
count-back (winning the last race). One point covers the first three.
Neal, showing consistency, beat each of the first two as often as they
beat him
Overall, the close racing showed that
basic boat speeds and sail performance seemed the same across the
boats, and that the differences were in the tactics for the start and
beating, and getting the extra small piece of boat speed
Pagham was an attractive as well as
welcoming venue, giving the TT an open sea option. The short steep
shingle beach was easy to launch from in the conditions on the day. It
appears a daunting slope returning tired to shore, but each boat comes
up quickly with the towline on an electric winch and a quick joint
effort boat by boat.
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