Article/Video shoot: Rick Perkins
Video Edit: Nick Hollis
Photos: Tania Samus http://www.photoskiff.com/
RIB Driver: Paul Manning
Video Music: Barry Shotton
Game of two halves fog v
wind :: Report from 28/06/2012
The 3rd day of the ACO Musto Skiff World
Championship started with great promise with sun and
wind in the dinghy park and four races ahead. As the
fleet launched the wind dropped and became unstable
in direction and the race officer rolled into a postponement
as the fleet that were expecting full speed action bobbed
up and down then to make matters worse the fog started
to roll in. Today was not a day to be the race officer
who has been dealt some tough cards.
After a short delay the breeze stabalised
and the race got underway, unfortunately even though
the breeze played ball the fog had other ideas and after
the first lap the race officer abandoned as the visibility
had dropped to very low levels. This was a particular
blow for the boats who were BFD in that race as they
are not permitted to participate in the restart.
Eventually the fog cleared enough for
the race to be restarted and the fleet got away in a
building breeze. The fog was still lurking around but
the visibility was just sufficient to complete a two
lap race. The placings at the finish were Newman (AUS)
then Oswald (SUI) then Stenhouse (GBR).
At the finish the fog rolled in again
and the race officer postponed ashore so the fleet returned
to WPNSA, and of course at that very moment the fog
lifted, the breeze stabilised and the sun came out.
The brief visit ashore allowed competitors
to grab some food and drinks and were quickly turned
around to start a second race for the day (the fourth
of the championship)
The breeze kicked in to 20 22 knots;
the fleet were called back under general recall on the
first start, then they got away at the second time of
asking under a black flag.
The breeze was whipping up quite a nasty
short chop that gave competitors a real challenging
race track.
The sailors were charging around the course
and whoops and cheers could be heard as they bounced
down the run.
At the finish Stenhouse (GBR) just took
the win chased hard home by Oliver (GBR) and Schwerdt
(GER).
We have had the most challenging conditions
here is Weymouth with strengths and directions of all
levels; that mixed in with the heavy fog, large shipping
movements and helicopter exercises the race officer
David Campbell-James has had some really tough calls
to make; he and his team have done a great job getting
four races on the board in these difficult circumstances.
Currently Stenhouse (GBR) leads from Schwerdt
(GER) and Keen (GBR), Oswald (SUI) is 4th, 5th is Palfreman
(GBR) and 6th Newman (AUS).
The forecast looks grim for the next two
days with very strong winds forecast. Given the highly
variable nature of the wind at present lets hope the
forecast is wrong
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