Building my Wine glass collection

My life must be fairly uneventful over the last month as I have not had anything to blog since the holidays. I have started sailing with Cliff and Steve regularly on Good Golly Miss Jolly, and am steadily rebuilding my confidence. We had a sail on a  heavy day last week and I survived (we came 4th) and if I keep visualizing that, I know we are in control.

Ours is the boat at the far right.

Warning: A boring-to-some account of the races to follow!!

Yesterday was very light wind as we rigged the boat, but predicted to rise by end of the day. By the time we left shore it was about 10kn.and had risen to 15+ as we finished. We were really pleased with our performance in the first race staying up within the first 3 boats but after the 2nd beat to windward Steve called the lay line (best angle to approach the mark) really well and we were first at the last mark. Running down wind with the spinnaker is not our forte, but we stayed in front and won by 3 boat lengths!! Great cheering on our boat and the others as they congratulated us.

The start of the 2nd race was a hoot. All the boats were tightly clumped and all yelling "up! up!" as you head up into the wind to start. 2 boats were over the line and had to restart but we were slow getting away and over the race stayed in 4th place. There was an extra triangle to this race and we felt well we have time to catch up. 

Side note. The course is made up of triangles, windward and return the latter being called the sausage, as on the diagram it is a straight line going up and back. Steve told us that Marcel calls the triangle the chop! So we had 2 chops and a sausage!

Andrew and Di and Sonia in Osprey were well ahead, uncatchable we felt, but as we got to the top mark when they crossed in front of us they were only about 10m away. We went round the mark in 4th place and hauled up the spinnaker; beside us was Bernard who just started to slip back, so we were 3rd as we jibed round the last mark with a reach and spinnaker to the finish. Because of the angle to the mark, we decided to go low and get set up then come up on the wind (faster position) As we came up on what was a strong reach Steve out on trapeze and me working the main as we roared along. We heard Sid's spinnaker flapping beside us and yelling, then we were gone and we just roared past Andrew and won by about 5 boat lengths!!!!! The reach is the most exciting leg of sailing and we were fast and in control. a real buzz!!

So I am re-establishing my trophy wine glasses that were broken when Spencer pulled on the tea towel where they were drying.

This was on Eccles with Bernard and Jason

Sailing dinghies is not the most glamorous of sports as testified by my all over sun protection gear!!

My Boat Three's Company that I sold this year. Me in the red

Three's Company was out sailing yesterday which was great. Lots of people came up to me and said "I saw your boat out"when corrected that it was no longer mine They said "yeah but..."