The weekend of 18/19th July welcomed 23 Flying Fifteens to Bass at its glorious best. The sun was shining, the water was sparkling, the hills provided a stunning backdrop to the scenery, and the wind was blowing 5-10 mph from the Northeast.
Sailing heaven. Well not quite. The heat of the day and the 'stunning' hills do strange things to North Easterlies on Bass. It was going to be a tricky one! It was no use asking the locals what was going to happen as the consensus was that "It's not normally like this"
The end of Saturday saw the Goacher/Huett team (Steve had 'borrowed' Martin from Jeremy Davey for the weekend) with 3 firsts giving the impression it was all straightforward. Not a bit of it. They didn't dominate any of the races but found a way to eventually get to the front before the end. The places had been changing in all the races.
The wind had been flicking from left to right and back again throughout with no discernible pattern. Everyone was in a giant game of Snakes and Ladders. Whether to go left, or right? There were snakes everywhere. If you didn't like Snakes and Ladders, you could go up the middle which was like being in a pinball machine... when you were the ball. It was definitely a day where pressure was the key. The challenge was to see where the next pressure gust was coming off the shore, which way it was going to lift or head and crucially how you could keep in it for as long as possible. The other side of the coin was dealing with the pressure of getting it wrong, and everyone did at some point!
Behind Goacher and Huett, some of the usual suspects were having problems. Andy McKee and Rich Jones had a 7th and event sponsor Andy Tunnicliffe and Riggy had 2 x 9ths. However, the Mikes (Preston and Harris) had 2.2.4, and the Tullets had 3,4,5. It was tight at the top. As it was Bass, Goacher's 3 firsts would probably guarantee him a top 10 finish as Sunday's forecast was more variable than Saturday's!
Saturday evening saw most of the competitors in the clubhouse for the pie and peas supper and then drinks with friends around the flagpole or outside the tents; caravans and motorhomes spread around the site. Sometimes life really doesn't get much better.
We even had a football match where England remembered how to score goals but didn't remember how to defend.
Sunday's 'dawn chorus' of geese being chased by the local buzzard brought the camp site to life, and crucially the wind was blowing. Well, it was until we all got to the start line. Then it stopped and kept appearing in different directions from the far shore. Not a day to be the race officer. Courses were laid; lines were set. Courses were re-laid; lines were re-set. The fleet was baked in the sunshine. Eventually the wind settled down and the fleet got away... to the first general recall of the weekend. The re-start was clear. Race 4 was similar to Saturday, but generally the wind was consistent in strength. Unfortunately Race 5 had a 20 degree shift not long after the start, which made it a bit of a procession. The race team moved the windward can for the 2nd lap which gave us a good beat to the finish, albeit in a dying breeze.
It was soon apparent from the start of the fourth race that the two Andys weren't messing about today. Andy McKee had a 2nd and a 1st which propelled him up to 2nd overall. Andy Tunnicliffe had a 1st and a 3rd,but had to count one of Saturday's 9ths so 4th overall was their finishing position. The 2 Mikes didn't sparkle on Sunday, but their Saturday performance kept them in 3rd. The top 5 was completed by Nigel and Jean Tullet who had sailed a very consistent series.
Steve Goacher and Martin Huett had a 3rd and 2nd which was easily good enough for them to win overall, but at least it showed everyone else that they were mortal.
The prize-giving was held in the sunshine outside the clubhouse and Steve thanked the club and everyone concerned with the organisation of the event. Fortunately, he didn't tell either of the 2 jokes he knows (which we've all heard before) so everyone applauded.
Next for the 15 fleet is Bass Week which starts on the 1st of August, where we already have 18 entries. Next year we are hosting the Northern Championships, so start making plans now. It probably won't blow from the Northeast!
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