- This topic has 7 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated September 2, 2020 at 8:55 am by
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You could not have wished for a better start to our summer sailing season than what we were blessed with today @ da Duck.
In a Puddleduck first we saw a record number of boats competing in a nice, (mostly) steady NW breeze of 5-7 knots and clear sunny skies.
The new scoring system had its trial run today. Its method is to divide the total number of a skippers finishing places by the number of times they sailed, graded to give a time penalty prior to race day. Its introduction was to simplify the recording of results and to manage windward mark congestion in our much larger fleets this year.
Consensus was that everyone was pleased with it, especially Sue our scribe for the day, who as usual did a fantastic job.
A surprise cameo appearance by “The Bank Manager” Ron B was great to see too. Apparently strong winds the previous weekend had imperilled and damaged his long suffering charge. Sans boat he came anyway to socialise for a short time.
Great to see our Dave #48 back and sailing with the Merry Men. Unfortunately Dave’s post operative lung condition meant he was forced to retire after race six as thick smoke from a burn off drifted into our sailing area.
Despite the relatively mild conditions today a number of our skippers experienced servo problems. Uncle G’s #02 was the first to fail quickly followed by Troutys #11. Much to the fleets surprise and admiration Trouty replaced the fried servo pondside and rejoined the mob for race nine.
Kermit #82 also allegedly fell victim to electrical issues, however speculation held by many is that this may be a case of wilful self sabotage to ensure his preferred finishing position. Race committee is investigating.
Ron #164 came ready to race with his new A+ rig setup however it almost wasn’t the case. Whilst assembly was underway the brand new gooseneck unexpectantly split apart. Ron’s can-do kicked in and he made a new working one out of Pen cases, zip ties and shrink wrap.
It worked and Ron competed well all day. His best finish was a sixth for race six finishing eleventh overall.
The brains behind making our new handicap system a reality is Mike #64. Mike is also our media guru, treasurer, membership co-ordinator for our little group and loves his sailing. Mike placed tenth overall today with a best result of a fourth in race three.
Our Don #99 fresh from last weeks victories saw him taking it easy today. The unflappable one scored a second in race one and a third in race nine giving him sixth overall just edged out from fifth by Phil #32 on a countback.
Like many regulars today Phil had a fairly inconsistent run of mid to lower fleet finishes broken by the odd flash of brilliance.
Our Ricky #92 was in everything today, mostly in the way according to the Admiral. Unfazed, Ricky “the annoying” kept at it, scoring a third in race two and three forths thereafter to give him eighth overall for the day.
White cane nominee Admiral Blackheart #23 has made a new spyglass appointment after missing half a dozen buoys today, two of them consecutively!
Great to see our Justin #61 back in the fleet. After a slow start Justin got his mojo working by race five and by race seven the rest of the fleet only saw his stern as he claimed outright victory.
Pete #78 was another skipper to experience a slow start to the session. Some close finishes thereafter set up his dominant victory in race eight. Pete finished third overall today despite being the most heavily penalised of the fleet with a starting time of plus 30 seconds.
At the pointy end it was getting tight and Bloody Geoff #80 made a meal of it with three magnificent victories in races two, four and five. Unfortunately for some, his hearing aid along with his seeing eye dog were not present today.
For the first time in all his many attendances we saw Graham #52 sail to his true potential. In a top notch display of sound decision making and good consistent sailing, Graham and his much loved RG65 found their groove, landing four second places alongside two outright victories making him a clear winner of the day. Congratulations on a well deserved win.
After nine races with two drops the final scores were:
Kermit on 99 points,, Dave on 74, Trouty on 61, Ron C on 57, Mike on 54, Gerald on 49, Ricky on 38, Justin on 34, Don on 33, Phil on 33 (countback), Col on 31, Pete on 28, Geoff on 20 and our winner today Graeme on just 15 points.
Congratulations everyone on a terrific day out sailing and for making our day @ da Duck such a success.
Special thanks to Sue for scribing us, to Mike for our scoring system and for Gerald for being our media man today.
Next week it’s the greyhounds 95’s turn to play @ da Duck. Hope we see you all there!
Admiral
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Gee I was well over the start line in Race 7, from where I was sitting I thought it was clear. Just as well I never got a podium spot in that race or I’d have to give it back.
Great videos Gerald.
Thanks.
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