2015 ABC Teams Racing

A light wind to start the day meant a few worried faces as we set up the tents and start line with timing trailer. A few tried out a 5.5 in some practice rounds but most opted for a 4 metre sail as the wind came in for the first start at 10 am. 35 sailors had decided to sail and were put in to fairly even teams. Good to see Chris make the start line after a bit of persuasion the day before. We haven’t seen Grant Findlay from Hamilton for a while, welcome back Grant as the 5^th member of the Mooloos team. Of course the rising winds meant changes in fortunes as some teams adapted better to the conditions during the day. It got up to close to 20 knts at one stage, some changing to a 3 metre but then the wind dropped off again so we had 12 – 15 knts for the last hour or so. Going into the lunchtime break, 4 teams were starting to show the way. Cruizen, Stitches, Fruits and Pussies all had some good wins and Mooloos weren’t far behind. A change in course to a downwind start and a grass rounding mark meant a slight change in tactics for everyone. Getting to the grass mark first off the start line was a huge advantage as it was very congested. No real incidents despite 15 karts all trying to go around at once on the grass. David and Natalya had a little touch and David only just managed to save the tip over at one stage, and they were in the same team. There were various calls for karts to go up on to the grass, this being perfectly legal for teams racing. There were plenty of exciting battles on the course as teams always raced a different opposition each round. This is a big advantage of teams racing, there is never the same group of sailors each race. At the end of the day Cruizen had a couple more wins but 2^nd place was up for grabs. As it happened both Stitches and Pussies had the same number of wins, same number of 2^ndand 2^nd=, same number of 3rds and when the result was to be decided on the last race against each other, they ended up a draw. Therefore 2^nd= place was awarded. The day ended with the Drop Off race where the last 2 sailor each lap, drop out and the front sailors always sail a longer course so places change regularly. It’s as much about tactics as about sailing fast. Congratulations to Jon who took out this race. Thanks to Rosie, Rosie and Tony for “manning” the kitchen and providing food and hot drinks all day. Also thanks to John for setting up the timing system, not an easy matter for teams racing, and Trish and Julie who ran the races all day and kept the results up to date. Everyone went away with a smile and a full stomach at the end of 6+ hours of racing and the prize giving. Photos of the day are on the website 8 August is the next teams racing event at Papamoa, let Russell know if you can make it and watch out for further details. Results 1^st Cruizen 2^nd= Stitches and Pussies Drop off race 1^st Jon 2^nd Graeme 3^rd Alan