It was a stunning evening to go sailing, except for very little water! With a spring tide LW 0.2m and HW 3.6m, and the moon very close to Earth, the view was lots of mud and very long slipway to reach the water. However, undeterred, the children rigged 6 Optis and one Sunburst. With Andy away, Sean Munro kindly took the role of on the water instructor, and Hunter took the Sunburst with Vienna (5), Isaac and Connor on board as crew. The 6 Optimists were helmed by Brooke, Eoghian, Darroch, Autumn, Kieran and Grace. The wind was off the slipway so getting launched was an easy task. Sailing on a reach between the two laid marks was entertaining and interesting as the wind was funnelling between the old Air Force hangers onshore. One minute the gusts came through at 15+ knots and the next there was nothing. There were a few near capsizes, but the juniors are getting much more savvy as to what they need to do to keep the dinghy upright!! Returning to the slipway at the end of the session was much harder than launching, as they all had to zig-zag (beat!) back to land with centreboard & rudder up as they reached the mud/concrete. Timing the lifting of both was crucial to success. If too early they drifted down tide and wind and needed towing in; if too late they got stuck in the mud! Kieran was the only one to make a perfect arrival, and for this he was awarded Sailor of the Day; well done. Thank you to Tina and Monique for monitoring the Tally system and womanning the BBQ; to Sean and Nick for manning the Safety Boat and Instructing and to Denise in charge on the slipway. A special thank you to Mark Jones who came and gave help, despite having no children on the water! Thanks also to all the parents who help with the getting out and putting away of all the dinghies and loads of other little jobs. And it was wonderful to have Greg Jones come sail his Paper Tiger amongst the Optis to show how fast you can go in a small sailing cat. If any of you ex-dinghy sailors want to help with the Juniors, in any way, we would be delighted to have more help, either manning Safety boats (we really needed another one out last Friday) or taking the other Sunburst, or a Paper Tiger out to introduce new members to the joy of sailing. Dinghy Race 2 was scheduled for the Sunday, 20th Nov, but very strong and blustery conditions made it prudent to postpone. The rescheduled Race 2 will now be held on: ***** Sunday 27th, start @ 1500*************** I will open up the boat shed at 1400 so you can be ready to get on the water by 1445, briefed and ready to race. We will aim to get in two short races, to make up for the abandoned Race1. See you on Friday for Junior Sailing. Gill Moore Dinghy Sailing Coordinator |
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