Cheshire Cat: Women Rule!

On March 24th the Cheshire Cat crew, resplendent in our laser eyed cat t-shirts with matching red pants and caps, set off for the Helly Hensen Manly Women's Yacht Challenge. We were still in high spirits from our win at the Friday twilight. It was cloudy but fine, just like Coopers Ale, and although there was no wind the Nor'Easterly was predicted for around midday.

Manly Yacht Club it is just to the east of the Manly ferry wharf and has a small jetty and some hold off buoys for visitors. But we decided to pick up a spare mooring and the club tender brought out the Helly Hensen burgee and some advice, wrong as it turned out, as to the likely course.

The regatta was divided into 2 divisions which were further divided into all female crew (us) and female helm. The committee boat was anchored off Reef Beach and the course chosen for us had a short leg into Manly and then three big loops, from the West and East Manly marks to Obelisk, Balmoral and Grotto Point. The promised breeze had arrived and was around 10 knots, perfect for Cheshire Cat. There were 20 boats in our division which made for a hectic start but we timed it well and crossed in clear air right near the committee boat as we planned.

After the Manly ferries caused some interest we crept round the Obelisk YA mark and with skillful sailing and a very clean, slippery hull thanks to Dave Stenhouse, we managed to escape the parking lot and leave many of our competitors in our wake. Nearing the Balmoral mark on our next loop we were shocked to hear a man screaming at the crew as they struggled to drop the spinnaker. We later discovered he was their sailing coach. They may be scarred for life! While we have the occasional raised voice in a crisis we try to keep it clean and civil.

On our last rounding of the Manly marks as we were nicely fetching the second buoy, unlike the previous time when we squeaked round luffing by the skin of our teeth, one of the big division 1 boats called starboard on their way to the finish line and we had to tack away so we did a fast 360 to get back on track. Lucky we have had some practice doing a penalty turn on the Balmain course! It did prove costly though.

We had out paced a Northshore 34 by this time and later had an unsolicited compliment from the owner about our sailing skill which was nice. After the finish we joined the other crews at the very jolly MYC club house where canapés were being served. And we hit the bar for a well deserved beverage. All together there were 32 boats entered, 12 in division 1 and 20 in division 2. One of the teams had come all the way from Cronulla. It was a very well organised regatta by the friendly people at the MYC including a shopping opportunity provided by Helly Hensen with a very discounted range of clothes while we waited for the prize giving.

Cheshire Cat won the All Female Crew division 2 and came third by only 30 seconds in the combined division 2 score. Without that 360 we may have come 2nd! And then we also won the best dressed crew. Go the laser cats! And finally Terina won one of the raffle prizes, a very nice sailing bag like the Gemmel ones only bigger.

It was a very happy team that made the long but lovely sunset cruise back to Balmain.