Midweek Mug 5
A grey day. The winds, gentle and (as ever) variable, came from over the dam or from the hill to the east of it. So the start was from this side of Line 1 towards Dam Red. Linda Spiller’s Laser Full set out from close to Home 1, the shortest route, and rounded Dame Red first without tacking. Robin followed her on his regular mount, then Sue Murray cursing her choice of a Radial sail (she should have remembered what the handicap would do for her.) Nathan Pollard came next with a Full sail, Sally Wills followed with Bob Sampson crewing the Bosun, then Adam Hilton with the yellow-hulled Solo and finally Cilla Gilbert with John Dabbs in charge of the Bosun’s jib.
Linda kept her lead via Zebra, Inlet and Middle as far as Far, after which Nathan made a neat turn, took over the lead and never looked back. But after two laps and nearly an hour’s racing he was not quite a minute ahead of Linda’s Laser, the Streaker and the Solo; not enough to give him victory. Behind him Robin, Adam and Linda took turns to hold second place as the vagaries of the wind and the quality of their tacking favoured or disfavoured them. Sue Murray lost a place or two getting out of people’s way at Far on lap 1. She was headed by Sally’s Bosun for a stretch but was away and rapidly reducing the gap to the dicing trio as the race ended. Sally and Bob were never far behind on lap 1 but dropped back too far on lap 2 for the handicap to help them much.
- Adam Hilton (Solo)
- Robin Spiller (Streaker)
- Sue Murray (Laser Radial)
- Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
- Sally Wills and Bob Sampson (Bosun)
- Linda Spiller (Laser Full)
- Cilla Gilbert and John Dabbs (Bosun)
Many thanks to Brian Pollard who ran the race and took the photos.