The 6th North West Coast Icicle Sunday

Sunday 11th March 2012 - Glasson Sailing Club

The wind was F2 WNW.  The sky was overcast, we could see blue patches but none of them favoured us.  It was fairly warm but the wind was nippy.

Six boats took to the water.  There would have been seven but as John Curlew and Owen had no crews they decided to race in John's Bosun.  Then there could have been eight but Michael had to OOD.

Austin Holden came to be assessed for placing on the Patrol Boat Drivers list and he and John Holt manned the Patrol Boat - thank you.  Actually Austin looks after the RIB at work, fireman, so he ranks as one of our better crew.

There was the usual dash to be ready on time, one crew in particular always the last.

The first race started only a few minutes after the scheduled starting time.  Course: Ss – Bs – Gs – Ap – 18s – Ss.  The race was to have been over three laps but in the end only one boat managed two laps, three one lap and two didn't get beyond the second mark.  At the start of the race the tide was at its strongest.  All the boats made the starting line despite the strong tide and relatively light wind.

Please click on photos to see a larger one

Photo by Liz Elleray

Jostling for position under Starter's orders.        They're under way on the first lap of the first race.

They all rounded the first mark but crossing the raging tide to the second mar, G, they all got into a mess as approaching G they came into a wind shadow, the headland.  As time passed the race was shortened to finish just before High Water.  The Bosun eventually got past and completed two laps.  The two GP14s and a Mirror managed one lap.

The red arrow is the way the tide took the boats when they lost wind due to the headland.

Start of the second race

John & Owen - Bosun

Tacking to the first mark, B

To get away from the wind shadow we had a different course for the second race.  Ss - As - 18s - Ss over three and two laps for the slowest boats.

Stephen - Mirror - winner of the second race

The second race was over so quickly that we had time for a third race over the same course but this time only two laps for all the boats.

The shorter course kept all the boats together and was more fun with several 'coming togethers'

John & Owen - Bosun with Chris - Mirror

John Bosun

Photos 2 & 3 by Liz Elleray
The two Martins won the third race but only by one second on corrected time but only by one second ahead of Stephen

The two relatively inexperienced racers, John Hobbit and Chris Mirror improved dramatically as the races progressed.

It's looking like Michael has won the series but he was most disappointed not to be able to race amongst all those boats.

Results - PDF file

North West Coast Icicle Standings - PDF file

Austin took a lot of photos from the Patrol Boat - below are three from the eighty he took - a different perspective than mine: