Tuesday 2 April 2019 was yet another successful and enjoyable dinghy day. Despite heavy rain over the weekend, which lasted into Monday, the forecast for Tuesday was good, – sunny with a gentle breeze. When we arrived at Paradise Bay there was a heavy sea running onto the beach.
Not put off, we rigged both Lasers and Wally, the 420, and I sent Dave Holloway, a very experienced dinghy sailor, out on one of the Lasers to check the conditions. He came back and reported all was good, with an excellent breeze, despite a ‘lumpy’ sea. So we soon had all 3 boats out, and zipping back and forth across the bay. Here I must mention Andy Symons, who has taken over from Richard Evett as my assistant. He is very popular, and is doing an excellent job.
I then took aside Keith Bailey, who had come for the first time, and who had told me he had no knowledge of sailing, but wanted to learn. We had a basic sailing lesson, using the sand as the drawing board, and several others joined in. Then Monique Neyzen, who was out on a Laser, ran into problems and was washed up onto the beach, where some of us had retired for a coffee. We ran down to the rescue, sorted out the problem, and got her sailing again, with just a lump on her head where she had been hit by the boom! We treated the bump later with ice from the cafe, and all was well.
So we had all who wanted to sail out several times, the experienced helping the inexperienced, in what were testing conditions, with a lumpy sea, but an excellent wind which was good enough for some planing!
We also had quite a few CBYA members who dropped by for a coffee, to chat, and to just enjoy looking at what goes on, …Tricky D, Keith Leary and Hugh Epsom, to name just a few!
Finally, Hugh had suggested to me that we should set up a ‘Dinghy Section Whatsapp Group‘, so a little later, whilst were were all having our final debriefing and celebratory drink, as we always do at the end of Dinghy Days, Amanda Topson quickly created the ‘Dinghy Group’, which will be great for keeping in touch with those interested in sailing, or watching sailing, at one of the most beautiful bays in Spain.
Bob Gordon
Dinghy Co ordinator.
When easing the main after a gybe the figure eight knot at the end of the sheet got loose (the rope is a bit thick), the sheet went out of the block, out of the reach. Hard to sail a laser without a sheet… So tried to get hold of the sheet again, but hit my head in an attempt to do so. Then decided to let the dinghy go downwind to El Portet beach to attach the mainsheet over there again. Got help of other CBYA members who were having a coffee. Later joined them for a coffee and some ice..