The team at Greenwich Flying Squadron are counting their blessings after the storms and damaging winds abated in time for the Christmas twilight race and BBQ. After the race we dined in the area normally occupied by racks of Sabots but the club was cleared of all movable items to make room for 200 members and guests inside and another 100 on the deck.
Passion’s crew dining in the Sabot storage area at the GFS Christmas party.
Another angle on the Passion crew dining at the GFS Christmas party.
On the water not one of the red division completed the course within the time limit as there was not enough wind for the smaller yachts. In our Blue division race we tempted fate on the start line with scarcely a breath of air behind us and an outgoing tide. Two of the fleet were on course side and only one bothered to return. Agrovation figured that by the time they beat back into no breeze against the tide the whole fleet would be long gone. By going on they at least had a chance to see what result they might have achieved. In the end they did beat us across the line courtesy of a lift on their side of Humbug but we knew they were OCS and were keeping a cover on Worlds Apart. So from the start we took the outside bend with stronger tide and more pressure but even then there were holes and with the breeze from behind we were often blanketed. Such was the case when Gwhizz and Worlds Apart came through and carried on with momentum. Up to then we had been following Jedi and considering ourselves to be fortunate to be so close. From that point Jedi disappeared from our radar as we focused on catching Gwhizz and Worlds Apart. With much advice from the two Laser skippers on the cabin holding the pole and boom out we steered deep away from Greenwich and were rewarded with better wind and a quick recovery into second place. We went so wide that I feared we would not make the big red navigation mark on the corner of Goat Island but we did it well. For once the run around Goat Island went well for us and as we hardened up for the beat home we had caught up to the White division and our friends in Capriole. It was almost as important to beat Capriole home as it was to stay in front of Worlds Apart so we followed her moves pretty closely. Against a tide that was approaching the top we made good angles up to Long Nose point and then took a lift just as we needed to tack away. Once around we were still chasing Capriole and had a Young 88 for company. We went below the Young 88 and to my surprise we soon pulled ahead and lifted up to her line. In these light conditions it is unusual for Passion to pass a Young 88 so I took a photo as a reminder.
Did Passion really pass a Young 88?
Humbug was frustrating as the tracks show as we needed to tack away from lifts at the line of moored yachts. Fortunately Worlds Apart was on the same line and while they were catching us we felt we had enough up our sleeve to make the finish. The long race time wise meant that the back markers had larger handicaps so I was pleased that we pipped Farrst Company by a fraction of a minute for second on handicap. Needless to say we were miles behind Jedi and they won on handicap by a big margin. The festivities after were enjoyed by all but it was a long night and the wrist watch pipped the midnight signal as I was disembarking from Passion at Woolwich.
The GFS choir helping us get into the Christmas spirit