Hi all,

Third installment of my very bias (only from my perspective) Nats report below.

Tuesday, it was back to sunshine and hot and humid conditions. With a very “gentlemanly” 12.30 pm start time for the days racing, giving plenty of time for fixing up what needed it from the first days sailing and also plenty of time for the wind to get blowing and settle in direction. It was from the East, which meant it was blowing off the headlands on the southern end of Warners Bay, making for very flat water, but even shiftier wind than the first day with again mostly trapezing conditions, with some big holes near the headland. 3 races where held in rapid succession, less than 45 minutes per race for the Spinnaker fleet, with the wind not shifting consistently enough to require buoys to be moved or anything serious like that.
The leading boats from each division usually finished at similar times, as did the back markers and I for one appreciated the time to recover between races as the spinnaker keeps you very busy when racing, but it was probably tougher for the back markers with only a short break between races. The Jellyfish particularly near the western shore caused some problems for a few sailors during the week, knocking up rudders and in a couple of cases when rudders didn't “pop” some lock down damage, but apart from that all seemed to go well. Many positive comments where heard about the “Hollywood Finish” (short beam reach from the bottom gate to a finish line off the stern of the start-finish boat), after all who doesn't enjoy a screaming reach, though it did require the cat rigged spinnaker boats to drop spinnaker most of the time making for a busy finish, but the sloops loved it. Things where going very smoothly timing wise, with the sailors off the water after 3 races having time to walk up the road for dinner at “Pipis” before heading back to the club for the AGM. Where much discussion was had but no real changes where made, so all should be much the same for the next year, another attribute of the Mosquito class, stability in the organisation.

Then the sailors retired to their various camps, for more fluid replacement (as required by all elite athletes), this was a late night for most with a lay-day next day taking the pressure off, continuing the laid back feeling of the Mossie Nats and giving plenty of time for socialising. smile