After a very sociable evening, the previous night, at the HYC Prizegiving, most of the adults were quite tired and so were some of the children! We arrived at the club to thick fog and unable to see across the Harbour or even up to the bridge or Ferry Wharf. However the wind was over 5knots from the South, and the Optis were rigged with speed and enthusiasm. Eight Juniors had turned up so there was an Opti each, and they all tallyed on and signed in with their boat name for the race. The parents are brilliant at helping with any of the myriad of jobs needed to get all the gear out of the shed and onto the water. And they are great at showing new parents what to do as well, a real team effort. As the time for the briefing approached, the wind died to absolutely zilch, and I decided to postpone for 30 minutes. In the next half hour, the fog lifted, and a pleasant breeze came in still from the South! We had expected a NE out of Hellyer’s Creek. All systems go and the Patrol boats and Optis were launched in double quick time, and headed towards the start line. Then the wind died again completely. Optis got stuck in the middle of the harbour going backwards, stuck on barges, stuck on each other and scattered in all directions! The two patrol boats did a fantastic job towing all the fleet uptide and upwind, and enabled the Race Control to go into the start sequence. The wind had now veered to the north and Dennis Craig coached them all into a perfect start, hovering on the line using the wind to keep them below the line and the tide helping them over as the start hooter fired. All 8 Optis crossed the line within 6 seconds, but unfortunately no-one had a camera lined up! The first lap was a close reach on port, followed by a run against the tide back to the staring mark. Racing was close with Ollie leading closely followed by Nixon, then Harrison, Kieran, Grace, Phoebe, Mackenzie and Rohan, all within two and a half minutes of the lead boat. On the second lap the wind suddenly started to die down, and even with a shorten course there were no finishers and the race had to be abandoned. That is now three consecutive races where there hasn't been enough wind to race on a Sunday morning. Thanks to Justine for bringing two fabulous bacon and egg pies down for the after match lunch, much appreciated by everyone. Thank you to all the parents and helpers who make this dinghy racing happen. We have one Opti hull in the shed, which Gary has renovated, and all it needs is a mast and sprit, and then we will have a ninth Opti to put out onto the water. If anyone can locate either, or both items please get them. We also need someone to mend or re-configure the launching trolley for the Firebug, any offers gratefully received!!!!! Gill Moore Dinghy Sailing Coordinator |
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