Above: Weather systems gone awry. That's the smoke from the Cape Doctors pipe billowing over Table Mountain. Nothing unusual about that except that it's mid-winter!
Photo: Trevor Wilkins

Race in a nutshell: 11th June, 2011
Position PHRF : 26th
Total entries : 62
Distance: 16 nm.
Max Speed: 15.8 knots
Ave speed: 6.5 knots
Weather Forecast: Clear. Wind SE 5 to 10 knots. Temp 20C
Weather Actual: Clear. Wind SE 22 knots
Course: 10 (P) – Paarden island (P) - Milnerton (P) - Celi 1 (S) - Milnerton (S) Red mark finish (S)
Seas: Choppy 1.0m
Sails: Full Main (Quantum), No. 1 Genoa (Quantum), No. 2 Genoa (Quantum), R1 Assymetric (Quantum)
Crew: Trygve Roberts (Helm), Phillip Rentschler (Main), Charles Crosby (Genoa/Spinnaker), Simon Penso (Pit), Shereen Smith (Mast), Joshua Banks (Bow), : Total: 485 kg

This annual race attracts a large entry. Like the Mykonos Offshore, it has it's own special allure which is hard to peg down. Is it the fun element; the free food; the folk dancing; the rock band; the Portuguese vibe? Who knows, but the winter hibernators turned up in their droves to participate with a very solid entry of 62 boats. The race is held in the pursuit format (slowest boats start first) and for race organisers this style of racing presents several challenges. So just how do they determine start staggered times based on the length of course and the wind strength, when it keeps changing? In broad terms, pursuit racing has a few advantages.

1. It gives the smaller, slower boats a chance to be in the front of the fleet
2. It presents a challenge for the bigger, faster boats to play catch up and have to endure dirties for a change.

Most people like pursuit racing as it radically changes likely outcomes and often throws in some wildcard results. At coastal venues, the seabreeze generally builds as the day wears on, giving the bigger, faster boats an advantage in that they spend more time sailing in good pressure, but every now and then we get a curved ball thrown into the mix. Saturday was one of those.

Above: Regent Express on the final fetch home - and overpowered.
Photo: Trevor Wilkins

The forecast of a light south easterly was a 50/50 one. The weathermen got the direction right but not the speed. As we cast off from our mooring, we noticed the tell-tale table cloth settling in and dropping over the lip of Table Mountain. That is almost a guaranteed sign of having to change down to a smaller headsail or reef the main. But it's mid-winter! Surely the south easter can't have any real punch? We have a standing joke on our boat that there is no such thing as a light south easterly. The more we sail on Table bay, the more that theory holds true.

We sailed out of the harbour with our big sail plan up in a moderate north westerly. Yes, NW! How that happens is that the wind squeezes around the sides of the bulk of the mountain giving a south easter on the east side and a north wester on the west side. Somewhere in between that lot is the convergence zone, which is of course, calm. And it just so happens that the RCYC fixed starting line oftens lies in that zone. The wind is fickle and sometimes the SE wind is there, sometimes calm and sometimes the NW wind is felt. Starting a race under those conditions is a bit like going to the casino. It is purely luck if there is or isn't breeze in your allotted starting time.


Above: Regent Express in her element going downwind fast.
Photo: Trevor Wilkins

And so it was with our start. We watched in dismay as the fleet ahead of us sailed into the distance as we lay becalmed on the start line. Those few minutes feel like hours. The Melges 24 which was right next to us, picked up a whiff of breeze and got away. Their lead stretched to some 400 meters before we got to the first mark. So basically, our race was blown, before we even got out the starting blocks. But its a fun race, so we dont complain (much!). Yeah right! Our start time was 53 minutes after the first boat over a 16 mile course, so we had a LOT of catching up to do. The good news was that once we were into the south easter proper, we would be able to sustain good downwind speeds and get through the fleet.

After 10 minutes of flopping about in the calm zone, we finally got into the south easterly and settled down into full race format. Immediately after rounding the Paarden Island mark, we got the big asso up and went straight onto the plane and started ticking boats off as we sailed down the coast towards Blouberg. This was just not destined to be our race as the course was a dead run. That meant having to do many gybes down the coast and with each crossing of the fleet, it was a bit like playing Dodgem cars as we weaved our way behind and in front of bigger boats, but we were making steady progress. One of the things one doesn't pay much attention to in a pursuit race is navigation. Why bother, when we have the entire fleet in front of us to show us precisely where all the marks are? It would turn out that the entire fleet (bar one) would end up sailing the wrong course. It is quite a common scenario around the world. Bah, bah, white sheep.


Above: Some of the fleet dealing with blustery conditions on the final leg
Photo: Trevor Wlkins

We had closed the gap on the Melges and managed to overtake it as well. Abeam Milnerton we started talking about possibly doing a headsail change. On a boat without a twin foil system, this is a lot more difficult than it appears - not to mention time consuming. It takes almost 10 minutes, if you are working fast. Add to that little lot the fact that we are planing along at 15 knots and have to send a bowman to the foredeck, which is (a) very wet and (b) changes the way the boat handles. In short, we think long and hard before making the final decision on a headsail change.

That day, we decided the very long beat back would see us overpowered with a No1 Genoa up, so we sent Josh up front to his thing. He took the first wave full in the face which would have him chattering with a quivering jaw and a bit blue around the mouth an hour later. It's a tough job being bowman! With the headsail change done just in time, we planed past several big boats with very little space to spare, to do the mark rounding of the Celi 1 - a bit of an odd place to have a mark, as it is quite shallow and congested. This would later turn out to be the subject of much embarrassment and even anger for several competitors and some dubious communication in the sailing instructions. But hey - it's just a fun race? Right?

We did a seamanlike rounding and strike and settled down for the long beat back to Milnerton in a stiff 22 knots of south easterly and plenty of chop. Not really ideal conditions for a Pacer 27. The zone around the mark and directly behind the stern of the wreck was messy and tricky with the big fleet coming and going in both directions. Being hemmed in by the bulk of the wreck added to the congestion. It was not a good place to put a mark. Later we were to discover that the mark which everyone thought was the "mark just north of Celi 1" was in fact just a danger mark, to warn mariners of the new sand bank that had developed there. The 52 ft Thunderchild promptly ran aground when she tried rounding the mark. It was a miracle that none of the other deep draft racing boats didn't hit the putty.

Only the L26 "Hors d Ouvers" had correctly interpreted the SI's and sailed another 2 miles further north and located and rounded the correct mark. Imagine the awkward situation for the organisers? Sixty one boats disqualified and one winner of all the prizes? Skipper of the L26, Peter bam, is not only a good sailor, but a good sport as well. He agreed to take average points and for the race results to stand. Well done Peter. That was gentlemanly of you.

Above: Josh, Shereen, Simon and Charles doing the hard yards upwind.
Photo: Trevor Wilkins

The beat back was cold (on a small boat) and more so if you were wet. We looked for all the shifts, but there wasn't much to be had. We were well pleased to be holding our own upwind against the L34's. Before we reached the Milnerton mark, one of our halyard deck blocks burst, sending our jib down to the deck. It took about 5 minutes to jury rig another halyard and get going again. [The block that disintegrated was one of the new generation, expensive, light weight, cheekless carbon blocks. We will replace it with a more robust stainless steel framed unit]

The leg from Milnerton to the finish was a tight fetch and the breeze was building the closer we got to shore. Our finishing place of 26th was about right considering our time spent in the calm zone at the start and the halyard problem. The race was won by the main organiser, Vitor Medina in his Miura "Far Med". For once the smaller boats did well. The big cat "Isla" was smoking on that last fetch. She must have passed more than 20 boats on one leg to sail into 3rd place. Nice to see the multihulls participating!

The festivities were once again held in the shed (with its poor acoustics). Numbers of attendees were well down on previous years. This can no doubt be attributed to (a) the very high volume of noise in the shed. Add a rock band + poor acoustics + 500 happy sailors and that will account for many having fled for the sanctity of their homes and (b) a Super Rugby game featuring the home team.

So how does one tweak an event that is well attended and a lot of fun? I'm not really sure on this one, but I get the feeling that perhaps it is time to introduce a few changes. The event has followed the same format (of soup and rolls; folk dancing; inaudible speeches; main course; deafeningly loud band; end of all conversation) - for the last 6 years with no change. I think it is time to innovate a little. This year, I was one of those that just couldn't face the noise in the shed, so I left early for home. Perhaps I'm just getting old? Those that did go home early probably improved available space for those that stayed.
Obrigado.

It would be remiss of me not to publish the team results (especially seeing that our team managed to come last) - Like I said "not our finest hour" . The illustrious Vasco da Gama team who were placed 1st last year have had our butts kicked! In the 2010 event, Regent Express scored a 4th from 51. Shweee! How the mighty have fallen. Team results are listed below the overall results.

Results:

1	SA1335	Far Med	Muira	Vitor Medina
2	SA2360	Saoirse	Atlantis 36	Tony blackwell
3	SA 4123	Isla	Wilderness 1480	Ian henderson
4	GBR 3733R	Jacana	J 133	Patrick Holloway
5	SA797	Iechyd Da	Miura*	S Hundt
6	SA3444	Maestro	Fast 42	Paul van Ass
7	SA3737	Windpower	Landmark 43	R Nankin
8	SA 4114	Necessity	Ben 34.7	David Booth
9	SA 893	Chen	Muira	M.Saunders
10	US43434	Spilhaus	Swede 55	Ted Kuttel
11	SA66	Indaba	Stadt 34	John Levin
12	SA2700	Lobelia	IMX 40	Rob Meek
13	SA3800	Puma Unleashed	Pacer 42	Hylton Hale
14	SA630	A-L	Farr 38	Robbi van Rooyen
15	SA858	Rockstar	Farr 38 mod	Brian Gardener
16	SA198	Hillbilly	J27	Peter Hill
17	9	Ray of Light	Ben First 44.7	Michael Kavanagh
18	SA1967	Storm	Ocean 31	M Peper
19	010	Lapwing	L34	A Keen/J Burger
20	SA74	Ambre	Trimtwas 36	Larry Davis
21	SA3141	Always Well	First 7.5	Burger/Thomas
22	SA 3786	Pants on Fire	J 105	Jorge Dwayne Assis
23	SA969	Corum	Briand43	Jan Reuvers
24	13	Ariel	RCOD	Toni de Villiers
25	SA2447	Paragon	Ocean 31	Ann Fletcher
26	17	Regent Express	Pacer 27 Sport	Trygve Roberts
27	SA250	Freedom	Farr 38	C.P Van Der Merwe
28	SA2018	Cabaray	Van der Stadt	Ray Matthews
29	SA3740	Celine IV	Comfortina 39	V Vierhaus
30	SA2954	Sheshisa	Bav Match 38	Arnold Sheman
31	047	Vortex	L34	Mike Atkins
32	014	Nuthr Witch	L 34	Dave Garrard
33	011	Tally Ho	L 34	John Waller
34	SA818	Ava	Miura	K Botwood
35	SA 223	Impact	Impact	Tommy Walker
36	SA1146	Cathy R	Compass 47	J Rabie
37	SA978	Aurora	Atlantic	Mel Hawtrey
38	SA1027	Auto Atlantic Thunderchild	L52	R Goldswain
39	SA1178	Touch 'n Go	Lightwave 395	Dave Smith
40	SA898	Me2Me	Farr 38	D Shuttleworth
41	SA917	Vodoo	Lavarnos 52 mod	Wayne Hemmings
42	SA765	Majimoto II	Farr 40	Paul Mare/Lindsay Birch
43	SA190	Pure Magic	J27	A Taylor
44	SA410	Mini Mace	Melges 24	Nicholas Mace
45	SA399	Paprika	Peterson 33	Howard Minne
46	SA1235	Sizwe	Muira	Hennie McLaghlan
47	SA1326	Picasso	Sovereign 54	Ray Alexander
48	SA 1011	Carousel	Benet Oceanis 390	Luke Scott
49	011	Southern Cross	Holiday 34	John Flemming
50	SA2996	Reaction	RCOD	Charl Cilliers
51	SA 3615	Zeal o Cat	Robertson Caine 46	Ernie Aylard
52	SA1839	Siesta	Flamenca	D.J Griffin
53	SA654	Spindrift	Muira	Rob Brennan
54	SA702	FTI Flyer	Charger 33	Keith Mattison
55	SA264	Spirit	Miura	Mike Phillips
56	SA569	Gremlin	Spirit 28 Mod	Eva / Alan Versfeld
57	SA 2676	Lets Go	Buccaneer	Duncan Johnson
58	44	Hors D'Oeuvre	L26	P Bam
59	SA 141	Chantecler	Roberts 45	Ralph Mothes
dns	005	Sensation	L34	Michael Moore
dnf	SA2462	Charisma	Sadler 32	F Booyse
dns	SA2773	Naledi	J120	Felix Scheder-Bieschin

1st Team

TEAM
Gil Eanes
Yacht	Points
Celine IV	29
Always Well	21
Iechyd Da	5
Impact	35
Isla	3
Necessity	8
Ray of Light	17
Jacana	4
Discards	-64
1	58

2nd Team

TEAM
Infante Don Henrique
Yacht	Points
Chen	9
Lets Go	57
Saoirse	2
Indaba	11
Nuthr Witch	32
Touch 'n Go	39
Majimoto II	42
Far Med	1
Discards	-99
2	94

3rd Team

TEAM
Fernao Magalhaes
Yacht	Points
FTI Flyer	54
Pants on Fire	22
Ambre	20
Cabaray	28
Vortex	31
Me2Me	40
Maestro	6
Puma Unleashed	13
Discards	-85
3	129

4th Team

TEAM
Antonio De Saldanha
Yacht	Points
Sizwe	46
Zeal o Cat	51
Southern Cross	49
Storm	18
Tally Ho	33
Mini Mace	44
Lobelia	12
Windpower	7
Discards	-100
4	160

5th Team

TEAM
Diogo Cao
Yacht	Points
Charisma	62
Spindrift	53
Chantecler	59
Paragon	25
Hillbilly	16
Rockstar	15
Sheshisa	30
Vodoo	41
Discards	-121
5	180

6th Team

TEAM
Bartholomew Dias
Yacht	Points
Spirit	55
Siesta	52
Ariel	24
Carousel	48
Lapwing	19
A-L	14
Spilhaus	10
	63
Discards	-118
6	222

7th Team

TEAM
Pedro Alvares Cabral
Yacht	Points
Pure Magic	43
Aurora	37
Ava	34
Reaction	50
Cathy R	36
Freedom	27
Naledi	63
Picasso	47
Discards	-110
7	227

8th Team

TEAM
Vasco Da Gama
Yacht	Points
Paprika	45
Corum	23
Gremlin	56
Hors D'Oeuvre	58
Sensation	60
Regent Express	26
Auto Atlantic Thunderchild	38
Vodoo	41
Discards	-114
8	233

(Phew! At least we weren't part of the discard group on our team)
Oh well. You cant win 'em all, can you.