Two days of exhilarating racing on the Platú 25s in the Trofeo Navidad de Altea

The year on the Platús ended with two days of exhilarating racing at the Trofeo de Navidad organised by the Club Náutico de Altea. On day 1, on Saturday, 16^th December, we had John Mackney on the helm, Allen Bradley on mainsail, Connie Forster on the jib, Mary McGrath on spinnaker trimming, and Richard Pipkin on the foredeck. The race was a pursuit race, so the Platús had to wait for 19:41 minutes to cross the start line after the first boat had gone. The wind increased steadily from 10 knots at the start line, and with a good northerly breeze, the boat sailed rapidly across the Altea bay to the fish farm in Calpe, which was the windward mark. On the return trip, a thrilling spinnaker run allowed the crew to gain a good position finish in second place among the Platús, and third place among all 14 boats in the class.

Sunday promised to be even more exciting, as there was already a breeze of 10 knots blowing as the crew arrived, promising to increase over the day. The skipper was Allen Bradley, with Monique Neyzen on mainsail, Connie Forster on the jib, Mary McGrath on spinnaker trimming, and Richard Pipkin on the foredeck. The Club Náutico de Altea organised two races, and isolated the Platús in their own class. The first race started at 16 knots. There were rolling gusts throughout the day, and the wind increased to 20 knots with gusts of up to 25 knots. After a steady run to the north, the spinnaker made a short appearance, but the crew quickly understood it was not a good idea, as there was too much wind. So, it was a downwind sail with “donkey’s ears”, as the Spaniards call it, or “goose wings” as the English call it. The second race was cut short due to the ever increasing wind force. The CBYA team secured first place in both races in the Platú class.

Samuel, from the Club Náutico de Altea, who came on board for both races, deserves a special thank you for repairing a ripped jib halyard during the race, and for being with the crew at every moment. The sail training provided by the Sailing Point in Altea has definitely paid off, as nearly all crew were course graduates! Their training and support has given the crew the confidence to sail in these challenging wind conditions. The course is recommended for all CBYA sailors, from beginners to advanced.

If you want to learn how to sail one of these exciting keel boats, and compete in future 5-clubs events, contact our boating office Peter English