Perfect sailing conditions, great course, good crew, 13-17 knots of breeze, nice kite runs, still raving about it, fantastic day. Loved it. Ah almost as good as……….sour snakes !
It’s great to be back on board even if only one and a half arms. This would have to rate as one of the better days of sail that sits in my memory banks. And what more it was around Rotto with no swell and clear skies.
The day started with a light easterly that took us to shore and a big hole. We managed to float around graciously with the lead changing hand several times between us , wideside, knee deep with each little puff that came through. By 11 am the sea breeze was in and off we were all racing towards the Hugel day bouy. Knee Deep from the north us from the east and wideside in between. Knee deep got there first with wildside in hot pursuit and us not far behind. A good lift before the mark let us avoid a tack with rocks just to the north of us. I even heard a whoop whoop alarm from the RO at one stage when the sea gulls could be seen standing just in front of us, but the navigator held his nerve and we missed by many thousands of millimeters to reach the lay line to the mark.
A two sail reach then gave the bigger boats the edge to the corner of rotto, but not so simple as many hundreds of cray pots with some of the longest lines you can imagine. It became a test of skill picking a line through the minefield but we somehow managed to evade the clutch of evil floats and rope from the dreaded cray fishermen and live to tell another tale.
Kites up and with a change of gear to zip around the back of Rotto . Alas now to dodge the dive boats that were lined up in near perfect diving conditions. Diver below flags skattered around meant we had to weave our way , whilst maintaining the required distance and listening for any unusual thumps from the keel. Weaving in and out fo the reefs, (some a little closer than I let the rest of the crew now about) then a textbook peel to the red kite ready for a shy run across to fairway. 90 apparent just as we like it.
The 2 boats behind tried in vain to keep up but on our preferred angle it was always going to be a difficult fight. The Archimbald dropped their kite and were soon caught up only to put up a smaller kite that keep them in the fight.
Around fairway and the angle was perfect straight upwind to the 11 metre mark on one tack but into what was now becoming a 1 metre seabreeze wave. This slowed us a little but not for long. Around the mark and another great kite run to hall bank, zip around and hard on to north mole, and our favourite , the 90 apparent run to the finish.
Awesome day, Now for the results.......................stayed tuned.
Nav for now.
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