ASCC Regatta

I sailed again with Gavin and Dee in the ASCC regatta. It was another terrific day. The regatta always (touch wood) seems to have good weather. This year was with spinnakers. I was a bit anxious because I had only ever flown a spinnaker once and that was years ago on Sisterhood, my previous boat. But Gavin and Dee came up Friday so we could have a practise in the afternoon and Jenni Bonnitcha, star that she is, lent us one of the Elliotts for a couple of hours while her girl trainees also had a session training for the Marineassess regatta.

So I was feeling much more confident by Saturday mroning. A little bruised but not completely scared. Dee was still recovering from a broken wrist so while she did the jib and flew retrieved the spinnaker I did traveller and put the pole out. Mostly it went really well. There were only four boats which was very disappointing, but one of them was skippered by Dale our rival from last year with Paul White, a UK sailor and president or whatever of Glory - the International Gay Sailing Organisation, and Neil Cosser, Vice Commodore and all round good sailor of big boats and Topknot. The other two teams were Jenny Handley - skipper with Kelly and Pat and Chris - skipper with Robert and our Mally, thrown in at the last minute after Scott had a migrane and couldn't sail.

We had a continual battle with Dale's team and Jenny and Chris were also very closely matched. And we all had a fab time. Mally couldn't take the smile off his face!

Our team won four races and came third in fourth race. That was a shock. It was one of those times when every shift went against us and in Dale's favour. To have Jenny's team also beat us across the line given they were not using a spinnaker shows just how badly the shifts hurt us. But it certainly inspried us for the last race.

In the last leg of the last race Gavin said jibe the spinnaker but not the main. I just looked at him! We hadn't practised that and I had no idea how to approach it. What side of the mast should I go, how do I make it work without falling overboard. Anyway then he said don't worry, it's fine, and we crosed the line first again. So my gobsmackedness didn't matter. That's the good thing about Gavin, he doesn' shout and he can compensate for my incompetence. I suspect if we do this again that will be the first thing we practise!