RM John Emms Memorial

​The 2019 John Emms Memorial has been run and won. Not very surprisingly, Ray Joyce came out on top for the day, but hardly had it his own way, having to work hard with most of the other sailors keeping him honest.
 
The day started out with a rather confused wind. It didn’t know what direction to blow from, and what speed, with anything from A rig to C rig being contemplated early on. This was the wind to contend with for much of the day, with the exception of the last few races when it slowed right down – but still shifted randomly. The sailors settled on the B rig, which proved the rig of choice for the day – even though an A did come out for a few races, but subsequently put back in the car. Early on, it seemed the newcomer Indies were going to be right up there, with a 2nd and 3rd in the first race, but before long, teething issues brought them further into the field.
 
Interestingly, of the eight competitors today, five had individual wins, owing to the competiveness of the field within the club.
 
In the end, as mentioned before, Ray came out a convincing winner, on 22 points, with John Cole Cook and Lisa Blackwood battling it out till the last race to determine 2nd and 3rd, with John holding out in 2nd on 36 points, with Lisa just two points further back on 38. John Hall had a very consistent day, coming in 4th on 50 points. Consistent enough to have a 5th as throw away points!
 
The twin Indie’s of Andrew Wardrop and yours truly were very fast when they had their moments, and are sure to become more consistent as the yachts get more sail days completed. Peter Sylvesters Dreadnought worked very hard, but it was its first outing since the 2018 Nationals, so now the cobwebs are out, you can expect more pressure from him in the coming race days as well.
 
Many thanks to Stuart Harris, for his excellent services as PRO again. he made sure everyone kept up to our standards while sailing, and was extremely efficient between races. Your work is very appreciated.