scott.projectsomewhere

So much for low-hooks Tuesday.

Races 3 and 4 of the 2009 JJ have been very tricky.

Race 3 started off very badly. A ferry was approaching from Manly, running parallel to our start line and was scheduled to hit the pin end of the line at about the start signal. For some unknown reason the start still went ahead, and we were one of only 3 boats to cross, albeit only just. Finally the race was abandoned as we were way ahead into Rose Bay, and the ferry was drifting sideways in Taylors Bay after going into full reverse and stopping. There will be a bunch of complaints there for sure.

We got off the line poorly in the restart, and bounced off boats in the pack on the first work, rounding the first mark in the teens, just behind Euan on Southern Cross.

At this point, 7, Project and Active were launched.

We rolled a couple of boats down the tight reach, then had a blinder up the next work to round in 2nd behind 7. Down the next tight reach, we two-sailed faster than the red boat and then put up the kite at the last minute to lead around the bottom mark by a couple of boatlengths.

Up the next work, we lost the lead, and lost ground on the boats around us. The fleet compressed again, and Thurlow Fisher made big gains on the right hand side of Shark Island. Staying in touch downwind, we rounded on 7’s stern, then got slammed by them on pretty much every tack up the next upwind.

AppliancesOnline and Active made gains out of the right again, but ended up getting into a race with the ferry, with the skiffs trying to cross the ferry’s bow and head up into Rose Bay, and the ferry wanting to turn left and head down to Manly. In the end the ferry won, Appliances swam and Active had to take some pretty bad air.

We made some small gains down the next tight reach, then protected our spot over Active up the next work, with 7 covering tightly as well.

So another race saved. Lucky.

Race 4 was even more stressful, with a light and puffy SSW breeze, and another poor first work. We started ok, but lost our lane and then proceeded to be bounced as both the left and right hand boats lifted around us. At the top mark and down the first run we were will in the pack, gybing off SLAM and Project Racing down the course.

The next work we struggled to gain, but a few boats waved us through on the two-sail reach when they set spinnakers and then struggled to lay the end of Shark Island. We rounded the next top mark in about 8th spot, then brought down pressure from the right on the run to close up the gap on the leaders. The next work we stayed to the right of the leading pack as they searched for the lifting breeze from the left hand side. As we headed back towards the left, 7 slammed on us again and we bounced further right, only to pick up better pressure and gain plenty of distance on the leading bunch.

We rounded that top mark in 4th, and played with Appliances and 7 down the last tight reach, before rounding to head up to the finish. 7 looked like they’d passed us at one stage up the last work, and Active hit hard right and put themselves out of contention. We headed right at Clark, and then headed back to the line in 3rd spot, 19s behind Euan in 1st, and Herman in 2nd.

So we saved another good result from what could’ve been terrible.

I think we all might’ve developed a few more grey hairs after that one.

After 4 races, we’re tied with Southern Cross for 2nd place. 1 point behind Active Air, and 2 ahead of 7. AppliancesOnline is in 5th another 9 points back.

It’s all still to play for, and 3 more races are scheduled, in what’s looks to be more light and shite breeze.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 19th, 2009 at 9:09 am and is filed under 18' Skiff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.