President's Race/Ladies Helm/Junior Helm

Today is the last day of racing, so yesterday's cancelled race was added to the President's race. This led some boats to have a choice of three races to enter! After some discussion it was decided that boats could choose which race they had entered by putting it on their declaration forms....

The wind was still rather strong in the morning, so the start time was moved from 1030 to 1200, and the shortest course, up the Stour to Stour no 1 and back selected, since the forecast was for the wind to go really light in the afternoon. We put the no1 jib up, and as Julian hoisted the main I decided to shake out yesterday's reef straight away. We were racing after all, and starting on a run!

The start line between Avola and the Suffolk Yacht Harbour Line seemed quite narrow with lots of boats running down towards it, and it was an exciting start with My Quest and Robinetta crossing the start within seconds of each other and the start time. Luckily both were the right side of the line at the start!

I was helming, and really pleased with our start and performance. We rounded Collimer still in a good position, and even made on Charm at one point as we headed for College!

By Shotley Horse we had slipped back a good bit, but we kept our position on the beat up the Stour, even re-passing Witch at one point! (Well, she had run aground....) We tussled with Katy and Reverie for a while before both passed us close to Erwarton Cardinal, and it was not until we rounded Stour no 1 and began to run back that Maryll got past us.

Crow was the first boat we noticed heading past us in the other direction, but Fanny of Cowes passed closest to us. I want one of those big down wind sails too...

I wanted all the sail we could get, so got Julian to rig the old staysail under the boom as a water sail. It was a bit of a palaver getting it set (Julian had not done it before) but once it was there I could feel the power in it and we kept it all the way to Shotley Horse where we hauled in the sails and began the beat up the Orwell.

The wind had gone very light by then, but the tide was with us, and Maryll and Rely were still in sight, so we kept racing, and got across the line at 1620, about five minutes after Maryll.

The only boat we were aware of behind us was Kajan (who retired), but when we heard the results we learnt that Snoopy was last boat to finish. Hurray! We weren't last!

Dirty Girty was the boat to beat all week, and the Presidents race was no exception. Her handicap went up with every race (from a waterline/sail size  calculated one of .82 at the start of the week, to over 1 for the last race), and she managed to bag both the President's race, and the Young Helm honours. Hurrah for the Young Old Gaffers! They're hoping to take her to Cowes next year!