Second place in first race of the season
Our first race of the season was to Cherbourg the second was back to Cowes. These Easter races have a bit of a reputation for bad weather so it came as little surprise when the JOG postponed them by 24 hrs due to forecasts of Gales. I was still part incapacitated following the dislocated shoulder and had asked John Priddle to Skipper, with me as Navigator. Pam added her round the world racing experience. Eddie, Tim and Andy were about to experience their first offshore race.
On Saturday we finally got underway as part of a class of 19 and with a weather forecast which was tactically challenging—mainly Southerly but going SW then NW later. We were not the first across the line but after a brief spinnaker run managed to overtake a couple on the reach down to Bembridge. Now tactics became important and with a big sea running we kept in fairly close and headed west against the tide towards St Catts. Then we were off across the channel in a 20Kt breeze which was as forecast. Instead of going to the SW however it went due East for several hours and we choose to split the difference between our original planned route and the best we could sail towards the rhumb line. This paid off, as with about 15 miles to run the wind shifted dramatically to SW and rose. We ran in under the flying pig (our asymmetric spinnaker) with a rising wind dropping it around 20 kts. We arrived in Cherbourg with over 25 kts of wind and rising to claim 2nd place in class and 3rd overall out of 45 entrants.
The start of the return leg was also delayed and because of non starters (several yachts had damage on the first race) the start for the first 2 classes was combined. We got off to a cracking start but as we came out of Cherbourg harbour a small problem arose—there was no one to follow. The fleet then split with a few following us whilst the rest laid a course about 5 degrees further east. It was a fast crossing in variable winds between 15 and 25 kts and some quite big waves at times. About 15 miles south of the island two Sigmas who had been following us hoisted spinnakers and slowly fought there way past with some impressive broaches in big seas. About an hour later as the seas subsided a bit we flew the heavy weather kite in up to 27 kts and clawed our way back past reaching 13.7kts through the water. As we rounded the mark at Bembridge we were together and at the forts it was still neck and neck but the Sigmas tacked in close to the Island. I decided to go for wind and speed so we crossed to the north of the Solent. For the next hour we thought my gamble had paid off but then the wind dropped and we had to fight stronger tides than them, which cost us dear. We finished 8th in class and 15th overall.

We had an extra training weekend on 23rd April and sailed round the South of the Island in glorious sunshine and rather more wind than was forecast.
After overnighting in Haslar with an excellent meal out we beat back down the Solent and had a quick MOB practice. In order to make it as realistic as posible I prepared the victim below came up top and immediately threw him over. One of the crew was drinking a cup of tea so I said ‘get rid of that we have a man overboard’. She immediately reacted by throwing the tea overboard, or rather towards the side of the yacht. It was of course the windward side and I was well and truly covered as it blew back.