Due to various Spanish sailing championships being hosted by their venue, CTD Los Narejos, the latest SAMM race day was held on Wednesday June 21st. For the second race day running, SAMM Commodore Jack Moss, with his crew Dianne Hardwick, was in a winning boat.
In the first race, all 5 boats were away smartly on a starboard tack but John Down, Laser Radial, made an error and tried to make up for it by switching to a port tack. This was the wrong choice and he ended up in 4th at the 1st mark, the lead boat being Omega, Steve Hall and Andy Grant. Vision, Julian Pering and Stuart Meadows, struggled in the light wind.
John was then in catch up mode and passed Cuatro on the 2nd lap and Norman Veneer, also in a Laser Radial, in the 3rd and was then chasing the Omega. The lap times for the Omega were most consistent, averaging just over 10 minutes, and they held off the John to the finish. The wind had increased to between 5 and 6 knots by the 4th lap.
All boats completed 6 laps in the hour long race except Vision which only managed 3. After the handicaps were applied the race results were Cuatro, Jack and Dianne, followed by Omega, John’s Laser, Norman’s Laser and Vision.
For the second race, with the wind at over 6 knots from S/E all the boats made a good start on starboard . The Omega was first to the windward mark followed by John in the Laser, and then Cuatro and Norman in the Laser battling it out with Vision bringing up the rear and sailing well in the increasing wind.
This was the order for a couple of laps until John tried his port tack tactic at the beginning of the 3rd lap which worked this time and he beat Omega to the mark. With the wind gusting to 10 knots at this point this was the order for the remainder of the race.
Lap times were faster than the first race due to increased wind strength. After handicaps were applied the results were John, Laser followed very closely by the consistent Omega in 2nd, then Cuatro, Norman Veneer in his Laser and Vision.
All boats had good races, there were no incidents to mar the proceedings and yet again some of the Average Lap timings were very close.
First race. Cuatro 518 secs, Omega 522 secs, John Laser 533 secs, Norman Laser 585 secs, Vision 816 secs.
Second race. John Laser 375 secs, Omega 381 secs, Cuatro 394 secs, Norman Laser 423 secs, Vision 559 secs.
Photos.
John, left and Jack, right.
Cuatro
Laser
