IOM State regatta

With the forward forecast from yesterday, it looked to be a challenging day for the regatta, and it proved to be the case. B Rig was the call for the day, but the gusts did come through very strong. Wind in excess of 18 Knots and gusts getting around the 30 Knot mark.
 
          That said, everyone had to sail in the same conditions, so it proved to be a great test for the regatta’s competitors. The day started out as any well drilled regatta should. A tinker with the marks to make sure they were in as close to ideal position as possible, as well as a thorough debrief by PRO Rod Marshall prior to the yachts hitting the water. Call for the day being a single race, yacht check, then groups of three races with a break after. Due to everyone knowing exactly how the races were going to play out, we got 19 races in for the day, which was a wonderful effort by all. Personally, I feel that it was also as much to do with the wonderful help by the many volunteers for the day. Not many local regatta’s of late have had such a great turnout of both competitors and volunteers.
 
          On that note, it important to acknowledge the volunteers for the day. Firstly, Rod Marshall, for his control of the day as PRO. Something to be modelled by for future events. Rod’s able assistants, Ken Dobbie and Les Hansen (after he retired racing for the day) as observers and finish sequence observers, Phil Turnbull for his observing as well as dedicated rescue boat handler, and even out to John Cole-Cook, who retired early due to electrical breakdown – and hung around to help out on the rescue boat too. We did have an amount of retirements today, and credit to each of those skippers, they all stayed till the conclusion of the racing, to watch and support their fellow sailors. As a general observer for the day, I felt that showed where the club should be.
 
          There must also be a big thanks to all the competitors. The conditions were challenging, and we were not without incident, and losing control of yachts, but the respect and temperament towards each other is a real model for how we aspire to sail at the club.
          A first for some time with the IOM Class, thanks to Ted Stevens, for making the trip south to compete against us. I have heard that he is already booked in for the State Championship, and is really looking forward to it, so the club is moving in the right direction with out-of-club competitors so keen to return.
 
          I know it was mentioned above, but I think it is really important for it to be acknowledged. Today is the first time that I can remember for some time, where we had volunteers for everything, which allowed the competitors to concentrate on their sailing only. PRO and observers all accounting well for themselves, and the multiple rescues were all handled by volunteers and not a competitor switching tasks. I really feel that added a layer of enjoyment for all the sailors involved.
 
          On to the results. At lunch time, Rod Jackman held a 2 point lead over Lisa Blackwood, with John Cole-Cook and Wayne Behrens in close pursuit. I tallied up the results with three races to go, and Lisa had jumped out to be two in front of Rod, and Wayne jumping to third. By the end of the day, those positions remained, with Lisa recording a comfortable regatta win on 45 Points, with Rod second, on 60 and Wayne third on 63 Points. Just to show the competitiveness on the day, 4th to 7th place were also within 9 points of each other. And we also had 9 of our 11 competitors record a win.
 
          I was ably assisted today with my apprentice, and between us, we got quite a few photos of the days sailing. Once processed, I will post them on the website.
 
          On another note, of late, we have had a few of our members going through, or been through some tough situations/times. Your fellow members are thinking of you all and if there is anything we can do, individually or collectively, please call out. We are keen to help out wherever we can.
 
          This week, John Cole-Cook departs to compete in the IOM World Championship. As a club, we wish John all the best for the Championship and look forward to seeing the results as they come through.
 
Upcoming events this week

• Wednesday 23rd October - IOM Handicap at MBYC, starting at 10am and handicap starting at 11am
• Thursday 24th October (1pm) – Invitation Sail Day, inclusive of Woodie IOM sailing, DF95 sailing, and any yacht you want to bring along. BBQ provided afterwards. The idea being a day for the Woodies, as well as a fun social day for the club.
• Sunday 27th October – RM Scratch Series Round 4 (from 1pm). Volunteers to help out more than welcome.