19th October Cobley Series – Race 6

A lovely force 4 with some strong gusts for the latest rounds of the Cobley series on Sunday.

13 boats made it out for the pursuit race, with Paul W setting off first in his Morbic, followed by the rest of the fleet. There was action at the windward mark, with Dave & Ann (Leader) & the two Solos of Darren and Newton making contact. (There was a lot of discussion about the racing rules afterwards).

This action helped Will S (ILCA6) take the lead of the race, but the rest of the fleet was close behind, with Rick, Adrian F (Both ILCA7) and Dave & Ann all having a close battle with eachother.

Mark B (AERO7) meanwhile was making his way up the fleet and was just behind the Solos.

On the final lap, Mark managed to pass the Solos who were having a close fight on the run. At the finish gun, Will finished first, with Mark 2nd & Newton 3rd.

Several boats returned to the shore & the wind eased slightly, leaving 10 boats for the Handicap.

The racing was tight as the fleet neared the leeward mark, almost completely hidden at Buoy 1. Rick got hit with a gust and managed to avoid a collision with most of the fleet, but the delay pushed him back down the order.

Newton had an early advantage over both Darren & Will, who was ahead for the first lap. Newton subsequently hit the windward buoy, and lost out on a place to Darren. Once again, both Darren and Newton became embroiled in a fight on the run, allowing Will to pass them on lap 3.

Elsewhere, Rick had caught up with Adrian and Dave & Ann, and were having a close battle in the midflet.

Will crossed the line 1st, with Darren 2nd & Newton 3rd. The positions remain unchanged after Handicap.

We’re now over halfway through the series, with Newton leading the Pursuit & Will leading the Handicap.

A big thank you to Aileen and her team for running the racing on Sunday.

After the race, there were bacon rolls made by Ann.

We’re back on Wednesday for the next rounds of the Cobley Series.