Cherubs at Weston

The weekend of the 17th and 18th of February was the first TASA event and the cherub class was well represented. Saturday was spent under the watchful eye of Julian Pearson, who had the hard task of coaching everyone, in boats ranging from Topper Buzzes to i14s. There was even a 505 with an bowsprit and asymmetric. The first exercise was the tried and tested 'tacking on the whistle' which was an excellent opportunity for Lucy Lee to show off her fancy footwork infront of Atum Boms mast, and a great, if not a little hard introduction to trapeze helming for Tom Kiddle in Dangerous Beans. The marginal wiring conditions were frustrating for all and painful for some when Matthew Kiddle perfected the art of twanging his trapeze hooks into his helm's face. In case proof was needed that high wiring was the order of the day, Dave Ching's adjuster decided to let go dropping him into a perfect flat wired position. It wasn't long before Tim Unerman was striking that same pose on the opposite wing to save his helm from an early swim. Below is footage of Atum Bom catching a very rare sustained gust on Saturday.

Potential racers on Sunday morning were greeted by a complete millpond. Not a breath of wind to be seen. Some time between 10 & 11am someone (who clearly hadn't read the rule that no racing EVER takes place in under 5 knots) decided we should set a course, launch and run a couple of races. Unfortunately, the Cherub fleet didn't really believe that anyone would seriously consider setting sail so there was a bit of a scramble to get to the start line. Shiny Beast (Dave Ching & Tim Unerman) behaved impeccably, made the start and completed the two lap course in fine style. In the second race Atum Bom (Will & Lucy Lee)somehow managed to find enough clear air among the Bosses to make it upwind, and down again (via a sizable hole) completing the single lap race in 4th. Shiny Beast gave up in disgust before suffering from complete sense of humour failure, while Tom & Matthew Kiddle in Dangerous Beans showed that they will soon be a force to be reckoned with. The start of the final race was delayed due to a shift in the prevailing lulls. Things filled in while the rescue boat moved the marks but the curse of the 5 minute gun struck and by the time the start came most us us were having difficulty moving at all. Beans beat Bom to the first mark, but Bom managed to stay under way while hoisting the kite and crept to the leeward mark against the ebbing tide. By the time the 49er was level with the committee boat common sense kicked in and the rescue launch was dispatched to re-direct them through the start line in time to shorten the course. Not a moment too soon as the crew on Atum Bom was in danger of losing her feet from frostbite!