Well, I have been asked to write a brief account of our amazing annual (FUN) regatta.

It really is an amazing event. It mixes total sailing novices with sailors who are only novices on TOMs, novices with spinnakers, experienced racers who actually know the rules, together with people whose reaction to, “one of your tasks is gybe, gybe, tack, gybe, tack” is ”WHAT?!!” (one skipper, who obviously had done this before, raced to the stern and swung the boom backwards and forwards to great effect).

But that is the joy of this event. It really is hilarious, but competitive, with great sailing content and hopefully, learning opportunities for all, whatever your experience level.

No names, no pack drill.

We saw someone in the water before we even got off the dock.

HITTING A MARK AND HOPING TO GET OFF WITH IT, NO CHANCE!!!

MAN OVERBOARD. Diana promised she would be volunteering for that, but unless she crawled into a bottle, sailors without their reading glasses, peered short-sightedly at small writing on a bottle which they had chased, until a person would undoubtedly have drowned. Perhaps a wise decision on her part.

SPINNAKERS. What can I say about spinnakers. Instruments of torture. Even the experts can get it wrong sometimes. A demo before racing starts and inadvertently the pole is put out on the wrong side for the sail. Or crossed jib sheets, which means you can only raise the sail by pulling it under the boat.

Pull in the “barberhaul”!! Eh?  The little red and white sheet. Eh? The rope on the port side.  Eh? On the left. Why didn´t you say that?

That is a conversation that all novices on any boat will recognise in essence. We have all been there, and for my part, am returning, having forgotten it all. Let me praise the patience of the skippers, the multi-tasking of the experts and the courage of the novices.

This was a well-planned, highly organised, and well supported event. Thanks to the three skippers who brought “the Judges” boats and risked them. E.g., “Do a 720 abeam both to port and to starboard” Please keep 3 boat lengths away!!!

Thanks to Jenny, Hugh, and especially Rachel, for her sadistic tasks which were as much fun to read as to perform. Loved the grub. Roll on next year!

Izzy Armstrong

“The Judges” & their boats:

“Tricky D” – Richard Jones

“A La Fresca” – Roger Buckle

“Seaesta” – Rod Goodman

Assistant judges & crew: Diana Jarvis/Ann Masson/Renette Maudsley/Lesley & John Williams/Bob Gordon/ Bodil /Jim Cooper/ Keith

Results – sailing manoeuvres:

1^st – TOM 6 (11 points)

2^nd – TOM 3 (14 points)

3^rd – TOM 5 (17 points)

4^th – TOM 4 (19 points)

Results – racing:

Race 1

1^st – TOM 6

2^nd – TOM 3

3^rd – TOM 4

4^th – TOM 5

Race 2

1^st – TOM 5

2^nd – TOM 6

3^rd – TOM 3

4^th – TOM 4

Overall Result:

1^st – TOM 6 (Edo Volker, Richard Evett, Karlheinz Witte, Keith Carmichael)

2^nd – TOM 3 (Rachel Garnham, Chris de Boer, Tammy de Boer, Keith Leary, Mandy Langley)

3^rd – TOM 5 (Hugh Epsom, Piers Armstrong, Roger Roberts, Tim McCarthy)

4^th – TOM 4 (Jenny Rawle, Jim Mack, Izzy Armstrong, Teresa Thaele, Paul Maudsley)