U15 Return - Short and Sweet
Another good day on the water. Despite showing signs from the breakwater of being very light, the wind held throughout the race with an extra push in the narrows between Moresby and Portland Islands. Gazelle got off to a good start followed closely behind by Gadgets and the rest of the fleet. Daisy 3 was pointing like a god, albeit at a slightly slower pace, nonetheless overtaking Gazelle after the first tack and approaching Canoe Rock. Things tightened up as the fleet approached U15 with Daisy 3, Whiteshell II, Gadgets and Gazelle all rounding in quick succession. Carib and Velero followed a few minutes later. It was at the run to the finish that saw a divergence in tactics with Gazelle flying wing and wing, straight downwind towards Beaver Point while the rest of the fleet took the more direct route, offset somewhat by the current running through Swanson Channel. The flyer proved to be the better option (thanks Manfred) and Gazelle was able to overtake all but Daisy II, whose last minute tack in Shingle Bay allowed her to sneak just 5 seconds ahead of Gazelle for the bullet.
Turned out to be a great day! We had a late start as my mainsail halyard jammed again. We decided to pinch as it was a comfortable sail between the waves and were getting a bit of a push from the falling tide. Keeping a clean bottom, tuning your rigging and getting rid of weight makes a huge difference. Thanks to Mike and Charlie for their work. Cheers DAISY 3