Friday evening the wind was light Nor’ Westerly, and 14 sailors turned up. The tide was in and so were two very large dredging barges moored off the clubhouse and slipway respectively. The dredging barge operator very kindly offered to move his barge out of the way and he placed it so it protected the fleet from the Ferry operations! Ten dinghies went out with 7 Optis, one Starling, a Sunburst and an Okura sailing Gig. Gary had done a fabulous job mending Grace’s favourite Opti, Orca, which had suffered major damage whilst doing capsize practice off Whenuapai Reserve the previous Sunday. Two Safety Boats with Sean and Nick instructing and Stuart driving, did a great job keeping the fleet sailing between the two course marks. The course was quite challenging, with a run down-tide and a long beat back against an ever increasing tide, and very fluky winds! We had been joined by a young Argentinian, called Nicol, who has recently bought a Starling and has no prior sailing experience. He went out initially with the Sunburst, and Simon, who instructed him in the basics, and after half an hour he took his Starling out and managed to sail with the rest of the fleet, quite successfully. Isaac took out his new Opti, aptly named Passing Wind, and he flew round the course with a big smile on his face. The two Munro's, Grace and Kieran, were very competitive with each other, and there was a minor fracas round the windward buoy by the slipway. This delighted the watching public! Considering the failing wind and increasing tide, only three dinghies needed to be towed in. The Sunburst pulled out his centreboard and used it as a paddle to get back to the shore, and earned the Pirate of the Day award for original thinking. The recovery of boats ran smoothly with Denise getting stuck in and making sure everyone did their bit. Once all the boats were put away we enjoyed a wonderful choice of pizzas organised by Tina and Jennifer and delivered by Gareth on his way back from work! A bit of a contrast to his normal profession. It completes the evening when everyone goes home well fed. Thank you. Sailor of the Day went to Isaac Gaites for sailing his new Opti so competently, a well earned award. Next Friday, 31st March is the last Friday of sailing on the water, as the evenings get too dark once we enter daylight saving. So look forward to seeing as many of you as possible, so that we can have a fantastic last sail, before the Winter Racing starts on Sundays. (To be arranged!!) Gill Moore |
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