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Overall Winner on points for both races is awarded the "Van Winsen Floating Trophy"
The weather conditions at the start of the first race was moderate to fresh SE wind gusting to about 20 knots with a slight choppy sea.
"Bare Bones" goes better under one reef in the main in wind over about 15 - 20 knots so I decided especially for the first windward leg to put in a reef but keep the full roller furling genoa. We got quite a good start crossing slightly behind the RCYC "Miura" but ahead of the two Navy L.26's We could not point as high as the "Miura" and had to put in a tack to round the first mark. The "Miura" was ahead of us there. The broad reach/ run to the Milnerton mark No.2, saw the RCYC Miura leaving us and the L.26's catching up but we managed to get around the mark still in second place. The leg back to the start mark No.3, was fairly hard on the wind and we caught up a bit on the Miura and rounded well ahead of the L.26's. To No.1 again the Miura did a little better than us but we still rounded in 2nd place. The organisers decided to shorten course so the sausage was the last leg for the morning race. We crossed about 25 seconds behind the RCYC boat in 2nd place and about the same ahead of the "Unitie" L.26. "Yselstein's" L.26 came in 4th. The wind had freshened and the last leg it was up to 25 knots plus, our GBOBA crew were performing very well and getting lots of fresh air and saltwater !!
All the crews repaired to the Maritime Room at the GB Campus at Granger Bay for lunch and some well earned refreshment. This year lunch was organised by Rupert Toms from RCYC ably assisted by Rita Bellamy the wife of the "Unitie" crew skipper.
At about 1330 the organisers dragged us all protesting back to our boats. The wind, in the lee of Granger Bay, was deceptively light and it looked as though we were in for a light wind race in the afternoon. This would suit the L.26's but not the RCYC Miura or GBOBA. However once we got back to the sailing area conditions hadn't changed much, it was still in the region of 20 knots from the SE.
The afternoon race started at 1430 along the same course. We again got quite a good start and with the mornings experience didn't carry so much genoa and made better course to windward. The Miura still had the legs/experience on us and got around the first mark quite well ahead. There was much the same pattern as in the morning except that on the second leg the L.26's caught up quite well and rounded the 2nd mark with us. There was a bit of a tussle on the first part of the 3rd leg but we managed to get to windward and overtake the RCYC boat and regain our second place. We rounded the 3rd mark in a good position having kept pace with the Miura and if anything caught up a little. The wind was really piping by now, estimated close to 30 knots and we had three reefs in going to windward. I had thought that with the wind freshening that the course would be shortened and in fact asked the question on the run back down to No.3 but the Race Committee in the snugness of their Committee boat thought otherwise !! On rounding No.3 at the end of the sausage the "Yselstein" boat retired, they were fairly well astern and I assume didn't want to risk damage to their boat as it was really piping by now.
Back up to No.1 hard on the wind, water everywhere, foredeck hands soaking wet by now. We rounded No.1 a couple of hundred metres astern of the RCYC boat but in this sort of weather anything could happen. The "Unitie" boat retired at this point because of damage to her sail. We carried on maintaining our distance astern of RCYC and hoping that we might catch her. We were so busy that the question of "the Handicap" factor was forgotten, possibly a mistake, but with the weather as it was, to put up more sail might have caused damage. We completed the course about a minute or so astern of the RCYC boat which on a race of well over an hour is not too bad. Unknown to us the RCYC boat was "sweating" as on handicap we were very, very little behind them. On that last leg to the finish mark it was all hands on the weather rail and it was really gusting hard with plenty of spray overall. It was quite a relief to all to cross the finish line and the first "frosties" went down very well.
The afternoon race was much tougher than the morning and the "Bothie" crew who are by no means experienced "round the buoys racing yachties" really excelled themselves. "Boogie" on the foredeck did wonders under quite difficult conditions getting the genoa across when we tacked, assisted quite often by both Patrick and Lance when it came to getting the Genoa goosewinged. In the cockpit both Lance and Patrick slaved away at the winches, sheeting in the genoa when we tacked or gybed, which was quite often. I don't think any of them had worked quite so hard since they went to sea as cadets. I couldn't have asked for a more willing and enthusiastic crew.
We made our way back to the berth in the Elliott Basin, put the boat to "bed" and retired to SAS "Unitie" for the Prize Giving.
The Prize giving was a very pleasant conclusion to an exciting days sailing. We came second in both races but very close on handicap so a stout effort by the Old Boy's crew who are by no means experts and only had a very short practice one late afternoon a week before the race.
We went home with a fair share of the trophies, which we hope will stay in our possession for a long time. The crew have been "instructed" to make sure they are on leave from their various ships for next years races. !!
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