ACYC Club Sailing
Race Report 6 - Sunday May 23
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| On the lee with keel in sand |
A race for the hearty and daring? A fleet of four showed up to witness and participate in yet another quest for the elixir of life in paradise and a cushioning snuggle to the sandy bottom of Chalong Bay in Race 6 in the
Andaman Cabriolet Series sponsored by
ACYC.
Good winds were featured in the around-the-cans course set by Race Officer Scott Duncanson and Kathy de Cruz, stationed on Onyx, got the troops off at the scheduled 12:00 start.
With the eyes of the crew of Charro bright eyed in anticipation of the Holy Grail of beer to be won for class line honours again, the catamaran soon overtook competitor and rival Niña enroute to the first mark, the yellow buoy by the mosque, to take an early lead and go on to win the race and cross the finish line ahead of the rest of the fleet. With a great sail achieved and satisfied with tactics and trim, the Charro crew headed back to the clubhouse after a slight detour to gracefully collect, and later savour, their well-earned prize. And the crew of Niña? Was it due to part owner's Bob Mott's absence that they lost? Or is Grenville Fordham on a learning curve taking lessons from boat designer and new mentor Alan Carwadine?
With a slew of catamarans to choose from, Latitude 8 boat builder Mark Horwood is cleaning up in the wager department consuming more green sandwiches than ever before. Fair to say that the extra food group is proving to be healthy for the guys and gal on his boats? (Note: Doubtless, there was no repeat of omitting to pick up the liquid gold prize from his new found benefactor's vehicle!) And what boat to sail next? Too bad Iruvai in Cruising where she looks destined to win the series, doesn't have the same rivalry! Geeze, the boys do get thirsty in the heat and with all that hard work.
In Multihull Cruising, lone member Mathong sailed a valiant race finishing the course in good time, well, despite strong rumours that a gate may have been missed, a buoy,...
"Oh, a casual sail on a Sunday. Some laughs, good fun..." said Windstar owner and long time local Peter Wood, confident that the race was in the bag. "We won't take things too seriously. We're the only boat in Racing." Hmm, ominous statement?
Good winds and a healthy approach to racing prevailed as the monohull trekked toward the yellow buoy with crew hanging out on the windward side.
"We'll do a gybe set after the mark," said foredeck man Tim Willis. "We'll hoist the spinnaker then drop the jib, y'all."
"We're in line with the mark," came the word from the skipper. "We'll tack soon."
Yet, "12, 8, 7, 5... 4!" Thud. "We're not turning."
"The wind's shifted."
"Hey! We're not moving."
Ahh, are a couple of Chinese proverbs not appropriate?!? 'See the wind (or rather depth), turn the rudder'. 'Not only can water float a boat, it can sink it also.' How about he who is a knowledged local should use local knowledge.'
Well, with thoughts of a beautifully planned and executed spinnaker hoist now thrown out the window, or into the wind, the illustrious foredeck man sought to rectify the parked situation and changed tactics to get 'Windstopped' or, er, 'Sandstoned' off the bar. First, out came the anchor and then fortunately for the crew, the beers. No question of using the engine and throwing out the race as it wasn't working properly and the monohull had sailed off its anchorage. With hearty young men repeatedly throwing the anchor out and attempting to pull the boat around and crew weighted on the low side, Tony Onyx came around to lend assistance in his dinghy. With a spinnaker halyard tied on, outboard full in reverse and optimism high... the beers tasted great. And the tides? Talk to the iPod. A slow rise in the water level just after neaps. Yet with the will and the way, Sandstoned pivoted 180º and after an hour sailed off with foresail unfurled.
Charro having finished the race, came to lend assistance, albeit just after Windstar's beached appearance and then headed for home. Huh, foregoing the chance to get liquid libations early? Yet Windstar, victorious from her de-beachment, was ready for a sail - but forget the gybe set. Then came the call from the Race Committee: "Are you still sailing Windstar?" A hastened reply from the de-stressed boat and never panicky crew yielded no response. Well, the audacity to see Onyx motoring back to shore with her anchor swinging off the bow! Like, we did something wrong and didn't follow the racing rules? As they say, rules are meant to be broken. With Peter Wood MCing the awards presentation, Windstar got the points to earn first place.
And finally, the last word: 'A drop of water shall be returned with a burst of spring.'
Editor's note: See http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Chinese_proverbs. Some good ones!
| Boat |
Name |
Place |
| Windstar |
Peter Wood |
1 |
| Boat |
Name |
Place |
| Niña |
Bob Mott /
Grenville Fordham |
2 |
| Charro |
Mark Horwood |
1 |
| Boat |
Name |
Place |
| Mathong |
Bruno Marti |
1 |
Thanks go to Scott Duncanson for setting the course and to Race Officer Kathy de Cruz for getting the fleet around. Cheers and beers to ACYC for sponsoring the day and to the clubhouse crew for the cold beer, great buffet and their hospitality.
The full results for the day can be viewed here. Overall results for the series and the performance handicap can be viewed at http://acyc.asiaaustraliatech.com
Photos of this race can be viewed here. Click here for the ACYC Photo Gallery.
For more information on racing and the club, visit www.acyc-phuket.com.
See you out on the water!!
Text & photos by Leslie Hand
ACYC Series sponsors:
Series 1: |
Series 2: |
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