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Magic Marine Easter Regatta 2008

It's a long way to...
...Braassemermeer.

 
 
Although three Scots were selected (Callum, Ross and Tom), only two were to make the journey. Ross became 'mostly armless too' after an accident with some monkey bars in Palamos! Rats! Frustration or what?

Logistics meant that the trip started with the squad session at Weymouth: 15kts of wind on Saturday, with 25kts on Sunday kicked up a nice chop in Portland Harbour for them to get their teeth into. An overnight stop in Corsham, followed by a leisurely trip to Bexhill before getting on the Tuesday lunchtime ferry turned into something more akin to Wacky Races. A temperamental (seized!) alternator bearing saw the journey come to an enforced leisure break at Pease Pottage services, and a flat-bed taxi from there to Haywards Heath. Full marks to the RAC patrol (thanks, Andy) who diagnosed the fault, cleared it so that we could clear the diesel pump, and then organised not just the recovery, but the repair and a courtesy car. Credit is also due to Westbourne Motors, who provided the recovery, loan car and repair. They sourced and fitted a new alternator in time for us to catch a Wednesday ferry that still got us to Braassemermeer in time to join the team for the start of the training session. Our leisure day ended up in E. Sussex instead of Holland, so a we saw a bit of 1066 and all that. Pevensey Bay, pebble beaches and Martello Towers (OK, they're Napoleonic, not Norman) instead of tulips and windmills.

... and then there were three

Late on Tuesday evening we got a frantic phone call from Carla Stanley: could we get Drew and boat to Braas. Since we had left Ross's boat on the triple stacker as a spare (OK, we were too lazy to take it off...) we had a boat with us. A quick search on on the internet showed that Easyjet had a suitable flight to Schipol. The Scottish contingent was back to three!

Thursday ... Training

Most of the team assembled for training in what looked like being light airs. Windguru was promising 12kts increasing to 19kts by 16:00, with temperatures rising to a heady 7 degrees - a prediction that was spot on. Think Cumbrae winter training without the waves! Around 30 GBR boats launched, for a good session of practice races. Drew managed a first, Callum and Tom both managed top tens. After joining up with the Americans and Irish, Ollie had amassed a fleet of around 50 boats for practise. Top 20 places for the Scots.

The omens are good for the main feature!

Friday - Day 1

A relatively leisurely start to the day, since racing didn't start until the afternoon. A 10 am briefing for the sailors, then time to check and tune rigs, have lunch, pester the parents for goodies from the Magic Marine shop...

And then the snow arrived! Shades of Largs/Cumbrae, and deja vu! Snow blowing horizontally, limiting visibility. The launch was delayed briefly until the snow and squalls had passed. Shifty winds meant a long delay before the PRO could lay a course and start the sequence.
Once the racing started the wind died: from 20kts to 10 kts or less. Callum ended up 38th, Tom 42nd and Drew 49th in their fleets.

Satruday - Day 2

Another day of contrast. 08:00 saw 5 kts of breeze,which rapidly filled to around 15kts by launch. Racing got under way in a northerly 15 kts with a nasty chop on the water. A number of black flags from people pushing the line - and the day ended after a late lunch, and two races sequences completed. 25 kts gusting to 32kts saw racing abandoned.
A surprising number of retirees (too cold mainly). Gear failures seen so far: a shattered sprit block, torn sail, and a broken burgee mast pin
Magic Marine kit of the day: dry gloves! Sailor summary: tiring, cold, fun, exhiliarating!

Sunday

With only three races completed, we still need another race to get a series. A light breeze, with windguru predicting a high of 12 kts, it was light conditions. A cold night left ice in the bottom of the boats, and frozen mainsheets. SIs only allow 3 races per day, so the full schedule cannot be completed. Boats will be reflighted after today's races, so results today will be significant.

What a day of mixed weather. Light sunny start, with 7 kts, then 12-15kts, and finally snow and 5-7kts again. Some challenging racing in the morning, a break for lunch, and a third race after in dying breezes and snow. Good Scottish results, with Tom and Drew avoiding the black flags to return mid-fleet placings, with Callum pulling a couple of stonkers.

6 races completed. 1 discard
Place SailorR1R2R3R4R5R6 Points
57 Callum3911DNF34513 102
134 Tom424920664037 188
139 Drew496634473923 192
Drew and Tom now race in Silver fleet. Callum will race in Gold.
All results still count for the final result.
Todays breakage: a winner mast step. Kit of the day: thermal socks!

Monday - Final day

A winter wonderland - snow on the ground (proper snow, not the English icing sugar) but no wind. A couple of hours hanging around on the quayside prompted an impromptu snowball fight between the Race Committee and Britain - largely due to placement! This quickly converted into a Belgium v Britain affair, since they were on opposite pontoons. Forces were joined to pelt the departing RIBs form both sides. The sponsor's boat made a (foolhardy?) foray into the channel for pictures,and promptly became the target!

Boats were finally given the launch signal at 10:30 (local)into a light 7 kts West by South. The start sequence for the day was Gold - Silver - Bronze. Gold race 1 got off to a clean start, all the GBR boats staying out of the pin end melee.

Close racing followed - and as has become apparent at this event, a good start is not optional! Wind shifts mean that there is always a bias on what is a short line. Front row is the only place to be if you want a good place. Callum pulled in a creditable 28 and a disappointing 71, leaving him 67/90 overall in Gold. Drew managed 38 and 44 to gain 44/90, with Tom finding a 67 and 79 to leave him 68/90. Excellent results all round. Racing even finished in time for a leisurely trip to Ijmuiden to catch the overnight ferry back to Newcastle.

8 races completed. 1 discard
Fleet Place SailorR1R2R3R4R5R6 R7R8 Points
Gold 67 Callum3911DNF34513 2871 201
Silver 44 Drew496634473923 3844 274
Silver 68 Tom424920664037 6679 321
Won't selections be interesting?
Last updated: Thursday, March 27, 2008, 22:01 GMT
Photos are from the official site.