- This topic has 12 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated December 8, 2022 at 8:43 am by
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Hero to Zero and back again ……. or, how Duck Luck got its name.
It was just that kind of day. Arthur or Martha when the gusts hit it was a case of hang on by your bloody fingertips and try not to ram anyone close to you in the process. One member failed this test spectacularly, but we are not talking about that!!!
Ten skippers, a ‘H’ course up and down the pond … sounds easy, right?
Most of the fleet started and finished with a A+ rig though thoughts of scaling back, but not doing so came back to haunt them towards the end.
Ten races where first or last was a matter of Duck Luck and survival had us all pretty focussed. Despite this everyone got a podium finish at one time or another which softened the blow, but not unfortunately the gusts.
The Unflappable One #99 brought along a hi-tech suit of new sails made by our good friend Kyle. The new sails along with Don’s persistence and skill eventually paid off with a third in race four and the top step in race seven.
Starting slow, our Gadget #61 built speed and consistency as the morning wore on. By half way he had his charge moving well and recording good results. Finishing with two thirds and two seconds our Ron slotted into a very credible fifth overall in the combined and DF65 only class.
Like his namesake, Sheep #37 wandered all over the paddock looking a bit lost until the last three race when he finally extracted the digit with a second in race eight and first place in the last race of the day.
He wasn’t the only one wandering about like browns cows in a paddock either. The last 65’s race day Bodge #6 was unstoppable, this week the star skipper couldn’t make the top step in any races, settling for second place in races three and six. He’ll be back
The Admiral #23 has let slip that buoy #1 might just disappear from the pond next time you look for it. Missing it twice was bad enough, later at the same buoy being hit by a gust at a crucial moment found him suddenly on the wrong side (again) with the entire fleet bearing down. The demolition derby that followed was biblical. The Duckers (some) took pity and allowed him to take just one penalty turn from his new last place position. Feeling the love at that point.
Jammy #39 started the day with his now customary flair and dash. By race four his penalty of 30 seconds was just too much when the wind became diabolically fickle. Thus penalised he stayed that way for the rest of the morning, not even his becoming the latest esteemed member of the exclusive fountin’ mountin’ club could cheer him up. Look out for a new hull to hit the water soon as Jammy has also joined the cracked and sinking group today too.
When one boat is never enough….. bring two! Our Boy Scout, hot chocolate sippin’ captain chaos Blood Geoff #80 brought along a brand new V7. Yet to get wet, it stayed nice and safe in the car today but look out for its first outing at the Duck coming soon.
The recent switch to a commercial set of sails of late has made a big difference to Cookie’s RG#52. Today was no different and despite the somewhat adverse conditions he did well. Opening his account in the first half of the morning with two seconds and a third earned him a time handicap that was difficult to overcome in these conditions.
The day certainly looked like it was made for the high aspect rigs of the RG’s and in Scrooge’s RG#8 case too that was proven to be true. Finishing the day with two firsts and three thirds proved how consistently well he managed the tricky conditions. As the only skipper to make a rig change all morning Stuart added to his good results once the smaller rig was tuned for the somewhat chaotic conditions.
Stuart won overall RG and mixed fleet results. Congratulations mate.
Like all of us, The Smiling Assassin #32 started a bit rough with some very mixed results though he (mostly) kept out of trouble. Biding his time, Phil made his move in races six and eight with two spectacular victories. This well crafted race strategy (and a dash of Duck Luck) gives our Phil best on the day, congratulations on a well deserved win mate.
We missed our good mate Trout at the pond today. We hope the operation went well and he makes a full recovery.
Special thanks to our special crew who make our race day run smooth and orderly Sue (score) and Gadget (gadgets). Words and final post by a battered Admiral.
Final race day for Puddleduck crew is Tuesday 20th December. Following races it is intended we have our now customary end of year BBQ and drinks. Hope you can make it.
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Excellent write up again Col. I think this one might be your best one yet!
It’s a slow process working though the wobbly hat cam video but the Race one is now uploaded.
More will follow as I managed to capture quite a few races today.
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Thanks Bodge and Admiral for your comments.
I’ve been doing a bit of learning and trying new things with the video editing program I’m using.
Would you mind having a look at Race 6, especially from timeframe 7:30 onwards and let me know what you think?
Here is a link directly to that race:
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Well done Admiral, another interesting da of Duck Luck! Thank you for your thoughts. No complications with back surgery, probably out of sailing action for a while. Looks like PRO duties maybe my calling😉😎😁
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