IOM scratch racing results from 9th August

Today we had a decent turn-out for IOM scratch racing. The bright sunshine obviously inspired a few, because we were missing Mark Easton, Sean Wallis, Lex and Donks. 9 skippers showed up but John Wade was in non-sailing status and we lost Bill Fenwick to a failed power plug before the first bell. Sorry to see this happen to you, Bill!

 

We were greeted by a fresh north-east wind so Lawrie sent out the buoy bots from the south side (jetty end), taking advantage of a strategic permanent buoy for the start line. The course was long, as is appropriate for IOMs, running from the Swan beach all the way up to near the IGA shelter. Donks showed up to see how things were going, then dashed home to supply us with a start box. Many thanks, Donks!

Phil Plowman was also struggling with equipment, having a loose keel bolt. Lawrie and Phil had flashbacks of the infamous loss of Lawrie's keel a few years ago, but Phil was determined to sail. He checked it routinely during the day and sailed through. Phil fought hard all day and I applaud him for consistently giving it his all.

 

Ray Silbereisen's beautiful wooden Vickers V8 (Vickers design, not built by Vickers but built from scratch by Ray himself!) was in attendance again and Ray showed flashes of brilliance, taking out one race. No small feat because the fleet's skill was quite high, so Ray has still got what it takes. Ray had a few arguments with the buoy bots and managed to get them to do penalty circles a few times.

We welcomed Colin Elton from Ravenswood with one of Ray's previous hulls, sporting new sails made by Lawrie. Colin had a few issues adjusting to the much bigger Austin Lake course and also orienting his boat in the afternoon glare, but Colin led almost the whole way in Race 7 after a brilliant start and nearly took out the heat. It was only the superior tactics of the seasoned ALRS crew and their local knowledge that robbed Colin of the win. You are most welcome to join us any time, Colin.

 

Graeme Elliott was sailing his Kiwi all-black (except the white bits) Britpop and had great pace, but a few mistakes robbed him of an overall podium. We all appreciate Graeme's humour and banter. He once lamented being robbed of the lead due to being called OCS at the starting bell. The fact that Graeme finished outside the podium shows how competitive the fleet was.

 

Rosco had a mixed day but chalked up a heat win, showing his potential. It was common to see Rosco flying downwind, reading the shifts and avoiding the holes. Rosco also taught us where to find wind, sometimes heading out deep onto the lake and clawing back places. The big course meant that the initial leader often didn't win, so reading the shifts was essential. Rosco achieved a creditable third place. Lawrie fought valiantly all day but just couldn't put it together for a heat win. He consistently came second in almost every heat and took second place for the day (noteworthy quote: "your majesty, there is no second").

 

Ian Sherriff was out the blocks early and had the pace to beat all day. He sailed cleanly and consistently, often running down the leaders if he didn't get the best start. Ian sails a latest edition Vickers V12 but he has it well tuned and sails with skill. It was sobering to see him read the shifts and plow through the fleet. Ian confessed afterwards that this was an unfamiliar rig so he was experimenting with its settings. We salute your skills, our ALRS sheriff!

 

At the end of the day we only had one issue: Buoy Bot #4 had a motor problem and spun in circles when called home. Rosco and Lawrie eventually ushered it home, but it wasn't drifting in with the wind because it was compensating by pulsing its remaining good motor. Something for Lawrie to troubleshoot.

 

Lawrie was sad to see the fleet all run for cover at 15:10 when it began to rain. Where is "One more race" Kev when we need him?