So.. at last a bit of good news on the website... and seeing as its my website and completely biased to my good fortunes rather than the short overview I did for Northants last week, I'm gonna do a HUGE detailed tack-by-tack race report....hang on... or click somewhere else!
So, drove up the M6.. 1/2 way there and Maroon 5 came on playing "Sunday Morning" - fantastic jazzy-chilled track..perfect (buy it tomorrow)... got to Brookvale, just of spaghetti-junction and my student retreat of around 10 bloody years ago... more top tunes... Moby this time... oh yeh baby I'm chilled... got out the car just as 'J' was arriving.. sorted the boat out and Sailing god Steve Venables arrived... oh bugger, we were gonna have to work for any semblance of glory today...so what were we faced with.. well a free cup of tea, some friendly old faces from the past and present and Brookvale at its best....
....Decent Breeze down the lake, not raining and almost sunny...swell up too wow, must have been a couple of centemeteres, shifts only through 90 degrees and hardly any fisherman or local-twats throwing stones... Perfect...
So, THE Johhny Woodward was on duty...
Race 1
We got a pretty good start, tacked quickly onto port, middle of the line (gives you more options i.e. keep heading left to the bank or tack back to the right side...) got some nice breeze and a decent track up the lake, Martin B, Youngy and Pepperdine chasing hard with Steve.V workin out why the wind wasnt staying still...
Good lap or so... then Pepperdine overhauled us... damned shifty top part of the beat by the island Gggrr... then we got back... then he got back... then we got back... then.. eeek Steve and son have found the accelerator and wopped us... still we got 2nd...
Lunch was as always, nice...cheap and filling.. more tea (drink of champions you know..)
Race 2
Johnny got us off to another good start, similar start as before... but we managed to hold onto first place a little better and won the race.. Steve 3rd, pepperdine 2nd... hmmm gettin' close...
More tea ...?
Race 3
So We could win... Steve and Son could win and pepperdine could win... youngy couldn't win but was in for the chocolates... So what happens the two/three other boats in the open packed up and went hope... so pretty bizzare kinda match racing thing with us all in for the prizes kinda... pretty tense...
Start...yawn...same as before, fairly happy, fairly quick and gettin' the shifts right, and @ Brookvale when theres so many of 'em that MATTERS! Youngy, local knowledge and good speed was goin' strong though... chased us hard and got us on the beats... we did some "covering practice" and sneaked water on the next leward mark... sweet.... and so it continued, Youngy pressing hard both of us making mistakes... but going fast enuff to keep Steve and Pepperdine out our hair... although Steve was gaining.. maybe a little too fast? Then Bang... or rather splat.. the breeze picked up, the shifts continued and Steve and sons went paddling... not good, not fast and a real shame.. but the pressure was off and we had a damned good tactical yacht with youngy... wow, that brings back memories from the good ol' days...
So.. there you go... that was it...
1st Ant & James
2nd Steve & Son
3rd Paul & Jules...
Thanks 4 Johhny giving up his valuable DIY time to OOD....
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