OMFG
Yesterday would have to be the most amazing sail I have ever had. That’s a tough call, but yesterday was just unbelievable.
The adrenalin is still pumping the next day, and I’m still grinning like an idiot.
The official report on the 18 footer web site isn’t bad, but words just can’t describe the day… so I’ll just ramble for a bit…
The forecast was only for a 20-25 knot Southerly, and that’s all we had on the way to the start. The breeze started to shift further to the West prior to the start and a new windward-leeward course was laid starting off the Sow & Pigs reef. The breeze then started to pump, but we got around the first two laps with the odd gust over 25.
Cocko (Fiat) took the lead off us on the 2nd upwind, we got it back again, and on the next lap the breeze started to really kick. Fiat pitchpoled on the bear-away and we struggled for another hundred metres or so upwind trying to bear away. Asko and Fisher & Paykel rounded inside and both put it in the piss on their gybes. We found a lull, tacked, then bore-away downwind on port… setting the chute and having an amazingly fast ride down to the bottom, the boat charging along bouncing on just the rudder and centreboard… f*#king incredible.
We stuck it in the piss on the gybe unfortunately, but still rounded in the lead. The fleet was strewn out across the course upside-down.
Seve on 7 got infront of us at the top mark for the final time, when we couldn’t tack for the breeze, ending up above the mark and having to slide sideways in 30+ knots to get back down to round it. Seve put it in the piss soon after and we charged downwind towards the finish.
It’s really hard to describe just how awesome that ride was… and the photos don’t quite do it justice.
Fark it was amazing.
In the end we finished some 23 minutes in front of the next boat, what would have to be one of the largest winning margins I’ve ever had…
But then it could’ve all gone so terribly wrong. There’s a fine line between charging downwind and coming home in pieces.
F&P, 7 and CST lost their rigs, Fiat broke their pole, Active Air ended up in Watson’s Bay, Toshiba ended up in Rose Bay. When we returned to the shore only 6 boats or so had made it home.
Unbelievable.
