Weston Open - from an alternative view point!!!!

RS800 one-day open meeting at Weston Sailing Club � an alternative report from someone who is never at the front of the fleet.

A few weeks ago we sailed our RS800 at Weston, our home club, and enjoyed a beautiful breeze straight up Southampton Water, with waves and everything, and even clocked up a storming 22.4kn downwind on our GPS. However, we have a golden rule in our household, which is �never sail at Weston in an offshore breeze�. The reason for this is simple � much as we love our sailing club, the gusts and shifts (it can vary from a f2 � f6, with a 90 degree shift in a nanosecond) make it HORRIBLE in an offshore breeze. This rule has, I am sure, saved us from many an unpleasant experience. Pity we decided to ignore it last weekend�

We launched plenty early, practiced a beat - well, we thought it was a beat, but as the wind shifted through 360 a couple of times we weren�t sure � and waited for the wind to settle to allow the committee boat to set a start line. And we waited. And waited. And eventually the poor committee whacked the line down and sent us off before the wind did another 360 hula dance.

The wind handily shifted just before the start to create a massive starboard end bias. Being a timid soul, and not great at mixing it up in pre-start testosterone-fuelled antics, I decided that we would go for clear air halfway down the line. Quite handy that, as not long after the start, we hit a massive 90 degree lift which failed to reach the starboard starters � or, indeed, anyone else � and we popped out fifth or so at the windward mark, just behind Spod & Jane Olive, which was very exciting for us.

We were quite pleased with this, and, having deluded ourselves that we were up there because we were good, and not by a massive fluke, decided to think tactical and be all clever. We carried on out as the wind was less flukey the further offshore you went. However, we failed to take into account the perverse nature of the devil-breeze that is the offshore at Weston, and as we gybed onto a perfect port lay-line for the mark, encountered the mother of all wind shifts. So, instead of cruising smugly into the mark in nice wind, we cruised out towards the channel, and had to drop early, and then close reach for rather a long way to make the mark. I think I prefer it when we do �zero to hero� rather than the other way round.

Strangely enough, we didn�t really pick up any places after this, although there were moments when we thought we were near someone good. We trundled round for the full five laps getting more and more confused by the wind shifts, but enjoying the occasional moment when the wind played nice and got us both twin-wiring. I pointed out to my rather disgruntled crew/husband, he should thank his lucky stars I make him go sailing, not shopping, even if the sailing is rubbish!

After race one (and don�t ask me who won, as I haven�t a clue) we drifted around for a while in a flat calm until the crew/husband threw his toys out of the pram and insisted that we go in, and salvage the day by going to Hamble and taking out our cruising dinghy, which comes complete with inbuilt coolbox, anchor and outboard, perfect for sunbathing and picnics, for a potter. So, we deserted the rest of the fleet, bought some cake, and had afternoon tea afloat on the Solent. Crew/husband did the easy bit (cruised out on a broad reach) and then put his feet up and had a snooze while I coaxed our rather tank-like craft back upwind. Luckily the cake and the sleep meant the toys were no longer being thrown out of the pram, and the crew/husband cheered up even more when I stripped off to my bikini. Hmm, maybe I should consider this tactic for the 800�

Sounds like we missed nothing at Weston � the Olives filled us in on the rest of the action, namely, that they were capsized by a gust from above. So, we weren�t lying when we said the wind was coming from all directions, although maybe this means it was the Almighty toying with us, rather than a devil-breeze which would surely come from below.

I hope all of you who came to Weston at the weekend for the racing, and for the training the previous day, had a good time, and please remember that normally the wind there is from a nice direction and you can get really lovely sailing. Finally, thanks to Spod Olive for running the training on the Saturday, and to the club for running a good event despite the �orrible wind.

Babs Emmans
RS800 916
Weston Sailing Club