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Highlights:
Winning obviously. Duh.
Downers:
Lack of Hussain. It's Ramadan. He's fasting and worried about getting thirsty - though he's right. It's hot. Very hot. Just three of us aboard today.
Result:
First place. Where we always should be, and plan to remain, because we're really good, and deserve it.
Lessons Learnt:
Absolutely none this time. Nothing went wrong to test our courage. This can't last....
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Autumn Series Race 1. Friday 14th September
Wind 5 - 10 knots North East
It really has been a long time. Very long. Most of the Winter Series this year has been a 'dead flop' to say the least. The Spring Series has come and gone - though we still placed third, only having sailed half the races. It's all been a bit quiet. Pressures of work have taken their toll and Jackal has languished, uncared for, at her mooring.
The recent antifoul has been a disaster. We had her adorned in the spring with the latest high-tech, slippery 'Glide-speed' coating, only to find that coral reefs took root on our waterline after only a month. So much for environmentally friendly paint... Bring back the highly toxic, lead and copper antifouls of yesteryear, I say. Environment? What environment? It's a bit late round here - the corals are mostly dead; tankers discharge their sludge just outside the reef and pollution from endless land reclamation runs rampant. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for environmental protection - so long as there's an environment left to protect.
Anyway, we're back. TeamJackal. The chaps who howl on water and scream over the finish line, miles in front. And today we actually seem to manage to do that.
Our start is on the nail just for once. A measured run from the line; a quick gybe around and up to full speed, we head across the line only 3 seconds after the start time. Ahead of the fleet, we continue to accelerate up to East Bouy and turn to a run to Pumphouse Port bouy. As usual the wind is dead astern but we gybe our way down course, covering vast distances as usual, still (for once) drawing ahead. Following a beat to West Pole we round to Port, harden up and head for East Bouy again. On to our reach to Green and White - which is actually now an orange laid mark - we then run down to West Pole finding a more favorable angle. The bitch behaves. Nice of her. We draw ahead even further and reckon on about 8 minutes lead after not quite an hour.
After one last circuit of East Bouy, Pumphouse Port to our finish at West Pole we cross some 20 minutes ahead. Worried that it's not enough we sail slowly back to the Club... Well, lets face it, we've lucked out on First many times before, thinking we had it in the bag.
Not this time. We win on both handicaps. Resoundingly. 400 seconds on corrected time. And we haven't sailed for months. Haven't even thought about it....
We really must be just so very annoying to others. Off the water for virtually ever and then trash the fleet on the first race of the season....
Beginners' luck, without a doubt. Better watch this space for tales of woe next time
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