- This topic has 9 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated December 9, 2020 at 8:04 am by
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Today was a dark duck day of Chinese gybes and flattened folly.
Shortly after our program started, the forecast of 11 – 15 knots quickly turned into an ugly 18 to 25 knot survival course where changing rigs early proved to be the winning move.
Great to see Dirty Dave and Pinky Pete back with the merry men again after their respective medical episodes. These two near-do-wells were a part of the original rat pack first to sail the Puddleduck Pond.
Dave #48 lost no time getting back into the thick of it with good finishes including a podium in race three. He wasn’t the only one to rue not bringing extra rigs however when by race four the gusts got silly and repeatedly bricked the entire fleet.
Pete #78 overcame a slow start to claim three podiums in the last four races. Changing to an A rig helped here as all but the Admiral #23 went to smaller rigs for the remaining four races.
Being more about a ’senior moment’ rather than a deliberate choice, the Admiral hung on grimly to his A+ and prayed for lighter winds. Well, that didn’t happen did it?
Not bringing your rig bag (Admiral) proved just as disastrous as having a B rig that you own and have never used. This last scenario proved to be Touty’s #11 undoing and despite his skilled sailing he was unable to overcome the foreign rig’s originally poor assembly to perform well.
Kermit #82 sailed in the first race, thereafter dedicated his time and talent to capturing the wild contortions of the fleet as each new gust slammed in. Thanks Kermit.
Phil #32 was the most consistent today, however the Smiling Assassin had his share of buoy rounding disasters that pushed him back into third place overall for the day.
Our two RG Rogues, Graham #52 and Ricky #92 both found the conditions today ideal for their narrow, high aspect rigs and so were a constant presence at the pointy end.
Ricky’s new hull made of King Billy and Huon pine fibreglassed over looked an absolute treat.
With two first places followed by a string of excellent podiums Graeme #52 was the fastest RG afloat and rightfully claimed second overall for the day.
A change to a B rig before race three got underway transformed Don’s #99 overpowered charger into a manageable, well balanced package that easily left the fleet jibing in its wake. Today was The Unflappable Ones day to shine and this he did to become our overall winner. Congratulations Don.
After seven races the final scores were:
Dave on 42 points, Trouty on 32, Admiral on 26, Pete on 26 (countback), Kermit on 24, Ricky on 23, Phil T on 22, Graeme on 15 and our winner today Don on 15 (countback).This was truly an epic day of excitement and survival and for it’s smooth running we have a few wonderful folks to thank. For scoring and observing we are grateful to Sue and John M for their input. Thanks also to Kermit for being our #1 Media man, capturing all of today’s excitement for our later entertainment.
Survival by a few, fun by everyone and words by the Admiral.
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It was a tough day at the Duck – not often that a standard A rig has been way too big. Don sure made the correct choice with the little rig as his boat flew around the course.
Full marks to Col for completing all the races with his A+ rig. I found my boat nearly uncontrolable with the big rig. Guess we are more used to light fickle winds for our Tuesday sessions.
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