Bloody Mary 2008

Four Cherubs enjoyed a momentary blue sky break in the gales to join 260 other competitors in a glorious force 2-3 with sunshine at Queen Mary on Saturday 12th January 2008. They were Ronin with Peter Barton and Bonnie Moody, Suicide Blonde with Neal Gibson and crew, Atum Bom with new owner Stu Hopson and guest crew Will Lee, and Born Slippy with Roland and Hayley Trim.

Many photos at www.fotoboat.com.

We steadily pulled through the fleet, slowly getting to grips with the T-foil, until at 20 minutes to go we overtook Geoff Carveth's Solo to take they lead…..but unfortunately not for long as with 14 minutes remaining Rob Greenhalgh & Dan Johnson blasted by in their I14 soon followed by Graham Vials flying high in his Moth who went on to take the lead. We held off Jason Belben's fast approaching Moth to hang on to the 3rd overall by a whisker.

As Moths and Cherubs do not currently have published PYs they were ineligible to win and the Cup went to the I14. Please can everyone do some more handicap racing and ensure your clubs submit returns so that we have an official number and are eligible next year!!!

In a true day of champaign sailing, everyone who pitched up to witness the spectacle was a winner.

Highlight of the day; Expression on the Fireball's faces as we munched them up on the first downwind! That doesn't happen to them often. Low point of the day; Sun setting, reminding us that it was still the depths of winter!

Race is newly retitled the Bloody Early, with even those from London having to be out of bed by 7am. Spare a thought for Hoppy and Neal for being at the reservoir by 9.30 from as far away as Sunderland.

Poor start followed by Atum and Ronin leaving us for dead upwind. Compounded by sailing into a hole – sat with flogging sails as the late starting Blondie twinned past us, waited until the gust moved 50m and we could start sailing again. Rest of race was spent catching Suicide up and matching a foiling moth. He was with us for a whole lap. However the battle was lost when kite tack failed! Limped to the finish to a surprising 44th place (we expected somewhere nearer 210-220 region).

Prestart was a fine twinning breeze in the sunshine in the middle of winter: Heaven!

At the gun it was marginal playpen weather and Pete and Bonnie edged slowly away. The next leg was a tight kite leg followed by a run, and we were with the firballs by the bottom. The beat was more marginal stuff, but at the top it was a little bit variable. In fact it was variable enough for us to swim in a lull! Not much glory after that, but an excellent enjoyable day of seeing the sunshine and no rain.

Special note: Respect to the 505 who embraced the leach of the mainsail with his pole and then did turns. We did the same after twanging a tiller extn of a passing B14.