Wednesday’s twilight race at Greenwich Flying Squadron was a short sprint around Cockatoo and Goat Islands followed be a long wait for the approaching thunderstorm. The forecast suggested a big genoa but the wind on the water was significantly stronger so we opted for a conservative No 2 genoa and powering up the mainsail in the lulls.
From the start we managed to protect our leeward position to reach Humbug ahead of the pack. As usual as soon as we rounded Onion Point we were blanketed by the fleet behind but on this occasion we were able to gybe to starboard and keep clear air along the Woolwich shore. Luckily for us the fleet went high up into the wind shadow of Greenwich while we did a big arc to arrive at Cockatoo Island behind Izzi. Saoirse was alongside us on the run down the Cockatoo shore and Agrovation was running up to us with gusts from behind the fleet.
We kept as wide of the Cockatoo Island wind shadow as Saoirse to leeward would permit and managed to hook into the fresh wind ahead. By this time Izzi had a good lead and one which she kept extending all night.
By Goat Island Worlds Apart had an inside overlap and we had to let her through and follow her home.
Our elapsed time was not helped by an unfavorable knock at the corner of Cockatoo Island on the work to Goat and on the finish line where we needed two tacks to make the finish mark. The third place over the line and fifth on handicap was a good result for the conditions considering our handicap which is just marginally behind Worlds Apart at the front of the fleet.
Avanti made a late charge and was rewarded with a second on handicap with Izzi the clear winner on the night.
The BBQ on the deck was a pleasant affair for those who finished their meal before the thunderstorm. While the rain was brief it was heavy and that brought the evening to an early close.
For me it was a successful day as I was able to free up the bolts on the oven in preparation for replacing the gimbal pivots. Once I knew that the oven could be pulled apart I was able to schedule a visit to our favorite stainless steel fabricator to weld in new gimbal pivots. That task was completed today, Friday, in most pleasant conditions by motoring around to North Sydney, lifting the oven out, having the gimbal pivots replaced and reinstalling the oven. On the way out we had a good look at the remodeled Wild Oats XI and on the way back observed the exclusion zone being readied for the extreme sailing event. Back at Woolwich the temperature had climbed to 38 degrees C and the wind picked up from the West well in excess of the forecast. Back home it was still 36 degrees C and time for an afternoon nap before a couple of hours of sanding and painting on the new build.