Mid Week IOM Handicap

I think that most of the skippers were expecting a bit more wind today especially as it was white capping on the Derwent and our commuters Ricky and Gary said that it was a windy morning down at Lewisham and Huonville. Not surprisingly those who rigged at home suited up their B-rigs for today’s handicap shield race event. There were some significant gusts on the dam especially when we first got there but by start time it seemed obvious that the A-rig would be best and it did work out that way and all skippers quickly made the A-rig choice.

The North-Wester stayed with us throughout the event though late in the day there was a sudden temperature drop which heralded a South-Westerly change.

Maintaining boat speed through the light patches was a real key today as you could easily bobble on the spot in the small but tight waves if you lost momentum.

Trout was again our PRO and did an excellent job as usual getting us through 12 races. Many of the races featured tight finishes with the whole fleet passing the finish line within less than a minute so great work getting accurate scoring Trout. The closeness of the racing was also highlighted by the scorecard with all skippers making the podium at some stage - in fact all skippers at least gaining a second place race result.

John Penman won the day by a clear points margin though . John was the only skipper not to have to count a bad race which was quite an accomplishment on a day where luck did play a part. You could throw a blanket over most of the rest of the field with only 5 points separating the next 7 skippers including a three way tie! It was Ricky Price who emerged to take second place. During the course of the day Ricky took his handicap passed the 90 second upper limit that we have for Wednesday handicap racing and was still competitive starting from there. Andrew Wardrop took third place with two nice race wins on his scoresheet today.

Coming up:
Saturday: IOM Classics Don Ash Memorial at Force Lakes 10:30 Button press

Sunday: 
IOM Travellers Trophy at Risdon Brook Dam. Enter on-line and pay before Friday 5:00 as late entries will not be accepted.
Measuring from 9:00
Briefing 10:15 
Button press 10:30​

Next Wednesday:
IOM handicap racing at Risdon Brook Dam 10:30 button press
 
Cheers Shorty