Victor Harbour SA Rum race summary

[madboutcats]

Victor Harbour Rum Race 2011 was great fun. We left home in Kingston SE for the 300km drive at 7am yesterday 1/5/2011 got there at 10.30am, setup the boat on the beach ready to go 11.30am, had lunch went to briefing, launched at 12.45pm broke a rudder arm in the surf. We pulled the boat back on the beach ready to pack it up, Marcus Towell spotted us and insisted I go to his house to grab some F18 rudders in his shed, I went to my car, a mono sailor had blocked me in, I politely asked him to move and he didn’t really react once he got a spray from me I was on my way to Marcus’s house, then the tourist steam train was coming and I had to wait for it to pass, got to Marcus’s house where his wife was waiting in the driveway. Raced back to the boat there were no fittings on the rudder stocks for the crossbar so I taped it on with heaps of duct tape, they weren’t really aligned but by flying a hull were fine. Made the start at 1pm just in time, got a reasonable start it was upwind to the gate then it was a close reach through the gate to the top mark, got to the gate between the islands about 5th behind the Wildcat, a F16 blade and two 5.8’s got to the top mark at the bluff 2nd behind Bob and Carina on the Wildcat. Downwind the rudder alignment killed us, everyone went past, Bob and Carina were well ahead but went the wrong way missing the wing mark, nobody knew where to find it, we gibed in then had to follow the others out, the boats behind the leaders cut the corner once the leaders found the mark. The Wildcat, 5.8’s went really well as did Marcus and Amos on the Taipan 5.7, the F16’s again went brilliant to take line honours and 2nd, Maeve went out on the rescue boat to take photos which she’s posted on beachcatsaustralia.ning, unfortunately she got sea sick as there was a fair size swell so she didn’t take as many pics as she would have normally. The wind was heaps better than the forecast had us believing, I think it was only about 12 knots but solid wind as the boat was certainly gusting up and down. It was two on the wire upwind and the reach, the reach was great fun two on the wire into fair size swell but not much chop so we didn’t do much jumping into waves we only stuffed the bows a couple of times to a minor amount but had to play the traveller out as we went up the swell and in as we went down the trough. Thankyou Victor Harbour yacht club for another well organised event where finding that wing mark is all part of the adventure, we enjoyed our 3rd Rum Race and will be back again next year.

Results are can be found at the Victor Harbour Yacht club page http://www.vhyc.org.au/

Thanks Marcus for insisting we use the rudders and for organising the traveller series this year, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed catching up with the other sailors on the circuit and hope that another Off The Beach Traveller Series will be organised next year

Photos are at http://beachcatsaustralia.ning.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=171xe39eh7tfl