It was not quite a rerun of last week as the breeze was a couple of knots stronger and the chill factor a few degrees worse. As the breeze gusted up the lane Cover River straight into the doors of the club I was anxious about taking the tender out to Passion on the mooring. The crew from Aggrovation arrived having decided that Aggrovation was too exposed to the wind to board. They kept a watch on me as I rowed out to Passion and all was well close into the Greenwich hill.
On the water we did tack the No 3 genoa down to the deck and we did start with a reef in the main. On the run down the genoa was often blanketed by the main and often it was too tight to have the genoa poled out. Eventually we worked to windward enough to set the pole and from then kept in contact with the fleet. We did hit 8.9 knots in one spell which is a recent record and probably more reliable than just the speed through the water reading.
Immediately we turned the mark for the beat home we put in the second reef. I could see from the speed over the ground that we were going faster than last week with the two reefs in so I will concede that we would have been faster last week with one reef in. All around us our competitors with single reefs were having trouble while Izzi with a double reef was doing similarly well to ourselves.
Upwind the boat speed was at least a knot faster than last week. With the smaller main I could maintain shape in the genoa. L’Eau Co was alongside us again and this time we pulled away on the work for all of the race and not just the last dash to the finish. Izzi had run to the top mark faster but we were pulling her back ever so slowly on the beat home.
Around Shark Island we hit 8.3 knots with the double reefed main and I did promise the crew we would go at least three knots faster in the new Passion X in those conditions. I know the prototype did hit 17 knots with poled out genoa down a wave so I think I am on safe grounds with the speed promise.
Passion did hit 7 knots to windward at height similar to the other cruiser racers in the fleet and I confess I am less confident about the upwind speed of Passion X. We will have 13% more righting moment on a boat that is 25% lighter and 10% longer so I will be disappointed if we cannot be half a knot faster to windward.
On the work to the finish we passed Larrikin and drew further away from L’Eau Co but did not quite catch Izzi. Amante and The Biz took the major places while we scored a very safe third. If we can sail as well every windy day I will be very pleased.
We increased our lead in the series by a couple of points but a few behind us have 25 point races to drop which will bring them closer.
A bonus photo of progress on Passion X is included. It was so windy I had to take down the tarpaulin covering the stern and so could get a better picture of the coaming around the cockpit.
Worried about rowing out to Passion with all the white caps on the water
Progress on the coamings on our Didi 40 Cr Wide Stern version