Barts Bash 2017

Sunday the 24th of September is one of the last racing dates in the club calendar and it is of course the third year of Barts Bash. This year the Andrew Simpson Foundation would be donating to victims of Hurricane Irma. Entrants world wide appeared to be down this year just as the second year was on the first.

Sailors met at 10am with a briefing shortly after before getting their boats ready. The front beach was lined with club boats with all the Dart 16s and club lasers going afloat. Two fully crewed ribs were out and had laid marks at the Bawdsey Jetty and half way up the moorings. The crows nest was full and flags were raised. One start for all.

Tom Rouse and Dan Smith left the beach only minutes before the start and along with a few others were down tide and down wind of the start when the go gun was sounded. The lasers hugged the shore on the felixstowe side whilst the faster cats took the tide head on.

The ebbing tide was stronger than initially expected and saw all boats darting through the moorings trying to find slack spots to make it to the first port mark. Sam Rowell and Sara stones in the Dart 18 were first round the mark with Tom O’Leary close behind in his laser. A herd of Dart 16s mixed it up with the lasers making for some exciting boat on boat action.

The leg up to Green Point seemed to take forever with the wind bending and eventually giving the fleet a lift up to the mark. Both Dart 18s went aground having gone closer to the shore than they should have. Sam even had to get out to turn the boat and found it was only ankle deep! This allowed the lasers to catch up which would give them the edge come results.

Green point itself was difficult. The cats ended up putting in multiple tacks at the mark trying to make it but the monos coped easily putting in a few roll tacks. The wind continued to bend helping out those at the back of the fleet.

Downwind was a dead run for the lasers but all the cats were sailing well on the limit of their asymmetric laylines. The tide helped everyone get down to the moorings where the course was shortened making it a run straight to the line.

Having finished the race competitors found themselves stuck in a strong outgoing tide with very little wind which was blocked by buildings on the Felixstowe shore. Safety boats were on hand to tow a few to the shore whilst a few made it up the Bawdsey shore and eventually back across.

A great day on the water and great to see so many boats afloat especially the rented club ones. There was a great attendance by our youth members who have been more active than ever this season. Sam gave a informal prize giving and thanks to all who attended and made it possible.

Prizes