Frostbite 22nd Jan – Racing Report

Course 4P 9S 3P 1P 6S S

There were some difficult decisions being made before the race today.  What sail, whether to reef, whether to sail at all?  A couple of the two handers swapped their female crew members for men.  As it turned out, both ladies made excellent decisions – I'm not sure how their replacements felt about their cold baths.

Only the hardy – or foolish – decided to brave the elements, and a much smaller fleet than in recent weeks took to the lake.  One or two reluctant sailors made the decision to man the safety boats, and weren't we all glad that they did!

Of the 14 boats that set out, only three managed to stay dry.  The rescue boats were busy from the start to the end of the race. 

The two toppers were the first to retire, Hugh only managed 20 seconds before equipment failure, and Tracey didn't make it around the first buoy before having to be rescued. Mark overcame his aversion to Toppers to sail back to the shore (the Jolly Sailor thinks he secretly wanted to take a Topper out in the first place).

The remainder of the race was a blur of capsize and speed.  Will, in his Solo, was in his element and took first.  Steve, in his Laser, stayed dry and came second.  The third boat over the the line was the Daves in the Wayfarer.