Day 5

Finally the famed St. Margaret's Bay sea breeze came in solidly today, with steady winds around 15 knots and gusts as high as 20. It was quite choppy and the waves definitely built as the day went on. The decision to start at noon was a good one since we were able to finish two races and be back at the club by 4 p.m. The weather mark was toward the mouth of the bay, and the sea breeze tends to be a little right around the mouth. I felt the left side would be good for the bottom part of the upwind with the right side paying off up top.

Since I wanted to go left, I should have set up closer to the pin, but in both starts I was too close to the middle of the line. After a few tacks to find a clean lane, I ended up further right, but came back with a nice lift on starboard tack to work into the middle of the fleet. My upwind speed felt bad in the heavier breeze and chop, particularly the chop, but when I looked around, most everyone else was slow too. You could get patches of really good performance upwind in a little flatter water, but pounding into those waves was slow going for everyone. Rounded the weather mark around mid fleet, and launched on a fun plane to the next mark, then a tricky downwind, with surfs and a few capsizes, I was able to pass a few boats on this downwind. I rounded the right gate to go left early on the upwind, but when I tacked back, I had lost all the boats I had passed that went to the other gate. Arrrrr, more work to do. Worked a few boats back on the upwind, passed one more boat on the down wind, but as I got toward the leeward mark, I picked up some weed on my rudder, and that allowed a big gain on the boats behind. I had to park after the leeward rounding and clear the rudder, and lost another two boats. Nice plane again to the last mark, and actually passed two boats on the last upwind, just nipping a Swedish boat at the finish.

We were lucky to have about 10 minutes between races because the fleet ahead had a general recall. The RC was popping the races off as quickly as they could. Again with the poor start in the middle of the line, and again hunting for lanes upwind, and said what the heck and went hard right. Not a huge mistake as I came back about mid fleet at the weather mark. Reach was a lot of fun and passed two capsized boats, then downwind was lots of planing and surfing, again lots of fun. Went around the right gate, started left then went right again, not bad, solid downwind, held my position, and then planed by a Japanese boat on the reach leg, held the upwind to the finish, and ended the day with a 24 and a 26. Not bad, as it leaves me in 23 in my fleet with opportunity to improve my position into the teens.

We got in early, and it looks like tomorrow my bring similar conditions, sounds good to me. The plane into the club was awesome, never got off a plane from the finish mark all the way to the flag pier at the club. FUN!!!!!