FOR the second race in the Hine Downing Series at Flushing Sailing Club on Tuesday, the start line was near the Lugo buoy in order to give a north-westerly beat to the Trefusis mark, writes Harold Martin.
The sky was overcast and the offshore force two-three breeze gave flat seas on a rising tide.
A group of 29 racers circled the committee boat waiting for the start, but some had difficulty arriving on time because of dense traffic on shore while others needed spinnaker power to overcome the incoming tidal stream as they came down the harbour.
Q Class saw ten boats set off and they beat along the St Mawes shore with Jackdaw soon in front.
Encore was the first to tack onto starboard and come over west of the Governor, but on tacking to go north he found that he was behind Elsa and Jalabeano.
In U Class, following the same course but five minutes later, some stayed well over to the east, but Wilkie, helmed by Bob Chapple, came over to the middle of the Roads and riding flooding tidal stream soon gained the lead.
Chris Jelliss onboard Trifle in third place was enjoying good boat speed as Amneris struggled to get going in the light airs and unusually so did Lennie Trenoweth in Gap Year and a little he retired from the race.
Grubby Kid, a recent addition to the fleet was also moving well going towards the front of the fleet.
A quartet of Sunbeams started but one was soon left behind and finally only two finished.
G Class had five vessels who started and Dragonfly, with repaired steering gear, soon took the lead and held it all the way round the course to cross the line two-and-a-half minutes clear of Clementine and the two followers and Scallywag retired.
After turning the windward mark at Trefusis, Jackdaw was now well clear of the rest and hoisted the spinnaker and started the long run to Carricknath with Elsa, Encore, Jalabeano and Temeraire chasing.
Suddenly this foursome gybed and instead of following the leader southwards down the Pendennis shore they reached south east towards the Lugo.
Much later and still far in front, Jackdaw reached across the Roads and turned Carricknath and started the long beat back.
An alert crewman re-read the race instructions and told the helm that he had turned the mark in the wrong direction so they immediately returned and completed the manoeuvre correctly and still in the lead beat back to the finish line.
This may explain why a six-and-a-half minute at the club only earned fifth place.
Elsa crossed the line next followed a minute later by Encore and then another minute later came Jalabeano and Temeraire.
As Macavity and Scorpion approached the line, it was difficult to tell who was in the lead but Macavity crossed just two seconds ahead, not enough to gain the position on handicap.
RESULTS
G CLASS
1st Clementine - A Perham/V Franks
2nd Miss Agnes - M Rangecroft
3rd Dragonfly - M Maguire
Q CLASS
1st Encore - D Cunliffe
2nd Atalanta - S Higgins
3rd Elsa - T Statham
U CLASS
1st Wilkie - B Chapple
2nd Grubby Kid
3rd Amneris - M Robson/D Layton
W CLASS
1st General Chaos - I Jakeways
2nd Sweet Friday - L Cheshire
V CLASS
1st Pixy - L Hesling
2nd Ivy - N Grenville
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