Here we are again, one year on and in the wash up one place better... so that’s 10th, 9th and now 8th in the last three champs. Consistent if nothing else. Gotta Love It 7 and Coxo et al again had a great tussle, Seve and crew coming out on top, saving the best til last with a runaway victory in Race Seven. Their boat speed, crew work and general boat handling is so much better than the rest of the fleet that they extracted themselves from daily tangles to come through race after race. Heaven forbid if they started cleanly and consistently.
Coxo, Linksey and Trent on the other hand generally started well and sailed consistently but suffered from boat speed in a few wind ranges and this made it very difficult for them to challenge, especially on the uprange Races Six and Seven. Who else? Project Racing didn’t win and I’m not sure why... they were very fast, even though their big rig looked dreadful at times... I guess lack of consistency got them in the end. Rang & Famish were always playing catch up being raced out of time in Race One and eventually this ankle tapped them.... they too though had their moments, great speed but ultimately too many non counters. For SLAM every race had a story, and if all we do is learn from - and act on - each one then we’ll win next years regatta. That is the challenge.
Also, due to injury, we had quite a few guests on board; Adam Beashel, Hugh Styles and Nathan Wilmont. Very very interesting sailing with these professionals, and I think all three of us learnt quite a bit about the way good sailors operate.
Again we had some world class photographers there in Christophe Favreau and Christophe Launay. Check out their stuff and hand over some green... they’re both very talented. I’ve included their work here.
Race One
Light little E’ly. Great start mid/two thirds down but failed to take our chance, about 20-30 seconds in where we could have tacked and crossed. 
Up the line 7 fouled Club Marine and forced them both to tack and take the south. Meanwhile we were forced left; off the start cross the fleet when you can, if right is your strategy. That was the story of the first beat. Those two boats got to the top mark in the top six, we made it there in the bottom six. No problems though, rolled up the sleeves and did a great job of getting back to 9th, which could easily have been better. Or worse and in fact quite a few boats were raced out of time by a magnificent race from Club Marine to be counted DNF, as the breeze died to a zephyr in the last leg to the finish off Clarke Island. 9th, not a disaster. And hats off to Club Marine who didn’t bottle it, held their nerve and made the big budget teams look pretty silly. Amongst others Smeg and The Rag raced out, unfortunate way to start.
Race Two
Three string big rig NE’ly. Beautiful racing breeze. Again we nailed the start, 2/3rds down the line and right on the all important layline for Bradley’s Head.
Nearby Rob Greenhalgh was going well to leeward, as was Project Racing, well to weather. Rob and the guys got a bit unlucky, forced away early by a Manly ferry and driven deep. By the top mark they’d recovered, so obviously going fast. Meanwhile we made it to Bradley’s with Project, they tacked and we followed them out. We were a few boat lengths clear of the fleet and raced together upwind until near the first lighthouse we decided to tack away and head right – the breeze wasn’t settled so we thought there was more right. It didn’t work you need a good reason to tack away from the fleet. It put us back but still in the top few. Then at the mark tacking port to starboard I got caught in my trap wire – been experimenting with a new shocky tidy up system – since scrapped. When we came out we were back in 10th. Downwind and got further stuck in the fleet, back to 14th ish by the Shark Island turn, and even further back by the bottom rounding off Clarke. Back on a breeze, and we got the peddle down, and by the Beashel were back near the top 10. From there we raced well enough, good speed and crew work, and got back to 10th. Again a great race with a few killer mistakes.
Race Three
Really windy S’ly. Actually had been big south for some time that morning, gusting over thirty. They held us ashore awhile before sending us out. It was probably 22 – 30 knots, but there were enough sub 20 knot holes to find places to tack, bear away etc. Held out for an hour before we were sent back in... the wind hadn’t abated and boats were capsized and broken north south east and west. Tough one, but at the time they should have held us ashore for longer OR just fired the gun as soon as we were out there. Afterwards we felt fine, good on us for our self preservation. Unfortunately I had dislocated my pelvis somehow... next day couldn’t really walk, but sailed anyway.Race Four
Light little SE’ly, we got around ok, except that I let the team down a bit, could barely walk, let alone sail. I can't remember the race really, too much friggin pain. We crossed in 7th though, our best race so far, and thanks to Jack and Pistol for getting me round. Here they are, carried me all week really and before, so thanks guys.
Race Five
Another SE’ly, with outgoing tide. By now I really couldn’t lift my legs, let alone walk. Adam Beashel kindly agreed to sail, and I watched from a RIB. Adam hadn’t sailed for a while and it showed, slow off the line and nearly last at the first turn; a position he consolidated by capsizing. Great race to watch though, as they pulled up their socks and ripped their way back to 5th. Impressive to watch the team improve dramatically leg after leg, and very unlucky not to take 4th on the line. Never give up. Meanwhile out the front the Rag sailed very well to score a runaway victory. We’ll never know, but Herman and Chris Skinner were sitting pretty 2/3rds of the way up the first beat, well out to the right and round the west side of Shark, before they both capsized on a tack. I daresay but those two would probably have rounded 1 and 2. Jack’s turn. Unbeknown to him he’d incurred a grade 2 tear to his knee AC. That very sadly was the end of his regatta. Interesting to watch the rigs off the boat. Learnt a lot.
Race Three Resail
Lovely patchy ENE’ly and run out tide, with start off Clifton Gardens and the top mark up off Beashel. Course Six – up and backs - and four laps.
Hugh Styles stepped on in the middle. Again we had a ball tearer of a start, midline and clear. Two and a bit on the wire. Light. With the run out tide and a little hint of left slab out between the northern shore and the Sow and Pigs we headed straight out on starboard towards Manly. A third of the fleet came with us, and the rest peeled to the south, to Steel Point; traditionally favoured in this course. I thought it was worth a go because of the tide and the lefties. Anyway in the end it wasn’t, but not by much, we rounded in 4th or 5th, so all good. We dropped a few and lost contact with the leaders in a bad leeward mark rounding second time down, but overall another good day out and 7th on the final bell. In light winds always sail angles aggressively downwind.
Race Six
Beautiful 16-20 knots little rig NE’ly, and Nathan Wilmont stepped on. A real pleasure to sail with we couldn’t have a had a more relaxed day out. The breeze was up though and our it was a big ask to step straight in with a new crew... but we had an absolutely fantastic day out. Great start and podium speed uphill, fighting with the top few up the first beat. Little kite’s a bit shagged but ok. Solid 6th until disaster struck on the very last mark, rounding the Shark en route to the finish. Well clear of Smeg with got hit by a doozey of a heading darkie at the mark and in a moment of panic we dropped the chute over the side and trawled it under the boat. In the end we knifed the halyard and limped home in 18th. All my fault, and a great shame. Tailor your risk to match the return... we should have dropped the chute well early, the was no gain in taking the risk we took.
Race Seven
Last race and still hanging on 5th. Again a beautiful breeze and Hugh back on bought again. For I guess the first time all regatta we got a rubbish start, my fault. Nothing against Hugh, but we just couldn’t settle or gell and unltimately on the sausage downhill we infringed the Red Claw and had to do a turn. My fault again. We slipped I guess from about 10th to further back than F-back. We brought it home in 14th and sadly that pushed us back to 8th overall. If sailing with a new team, be happy to sail inside the curve, take it easy, enjoy the day and the rest will come.
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