DF95 Mid Week Handicap

There was a blustery cool North-Wester of anything in the broad range of 0 to 20 knots (mostly about 12 or 15) for today’s DF95 handicap event at Risdon Brook Dam. The petulant breeze was constantly trying to swing to the South West but never succeeded in establishing itself. All of the fifteen skippers chose their B-rig to cope with the gusts and it proved best for the morning session as nose-dives were common even with the smaller sails . An A-rig might have been the best choice for the afternoon as the wind did settle a little but maintaining the B-rig throughout the day was the universal choice so at least a level playing field was preserved. All up it was the sort of day that you could easily go from rags to riches with a lucky move and, of course, the converse - riches to rags without making much of a mistake.

Andrew Wardrop did his usual great job as PRO and kept the day moving well which is always appreciated in cool conditions. Thanks to you Andrew.

Unfortunately the first race of the day could not count to official results as the PRO’s pen had run out and, of course, it was a close blanket finish too. While we did our best to sort out the results appropriately we could not be 100% sure that we had them correct and so the only thing to do was to cancel the race and rerun it. Unofficially that race was taken out by Ray Joyce with Phil Jackman and Nick Connor taking the minor placings - so apologies to those skippers, bragging rights only to you.

In fact it did not hurt Ray too much at all as he was still able to comfortably win the day. As said last week - Ray is hard to beat when the wind is heavy. All up it was a good day for the back-markers as Lisa Blackwood and Chris Wood tied on points for second place. Lisa took the award on count-back having two wins on her scorecard. She and David Woolley were the only skippers to win more than one race today. Chris’s third place was due to a dominant performance in the afternoon session. Congratulations Chris, Lisa and Ray.

Those who sail at Puddleduck would know how enjoyable it is to have our post race coffee and chat where we can dissect the racing and relive our triumphs and tragedies. One of our skippers has suggested that it would be a good idea to have post sailing drinks at the Risdon Brook Tavern after sailing on some occasions. So why not! Let’s say on IOM Handicap Shield weeks - and no obligation as it is quite understandable that some skippers will not wish to, and some will be unavailable. It so happens that next Wednesday is Handicap Shield racing so if you are free next week after sailing………

Coming up:

Sunday: More DF95 action. Scratch Racing at Risdon Brook Dam. 10:00 button-press.
Next Wednesday: IOM Handicap Racing at Risdon Brook Dam. 11:00 button-press.
 
Shorty