Hi all,

have just returned from Cowes Y.C. Marathon. The short story 15 cats raced together course aprox. 60km. The spinnaker boats consisted of Hobie Tiger, F16 Cat Rigged (Altered), F16 Cat Rigged Mosquito. Non Spinnaker boats Nacra 5.8 with wings, Taipan cat rig, Hobie 18's,17's,16's, Nacra 14sq, Hydra.

Across the line placings 1st. F16 Altered, 2nd. Hobie Tiger, 3rd. Hobie 18.

VYC yardstick Placings, 1st. & 2nd. Hobie 18's, 3rd. Nacra 14sq. 6th. F16 Altered (using A class yardstick), 7th. Hobie Tiger. Full results will follow when club emails me.

Long story. Breeze was aprox. 15kts. with gusts to 20kts. possibly more, quite shifty and patchy. A strong (usual for Westernport Bay) incoming tide. Seastate varied fom flat water with tidal eddies to ocean swell of 1m. and lots of wind chop.

Race started of the beach at Cowes Philip Island,heading upwind against tide to the Fairway buoy the start of open water (Bass Strait). Altered followed Hobie Tiger out into channel trying to gauge speed. It started to get very rough and boats in along the shore of Philip Island were getting advantage of being out of the tide. Altered decided to cut losses and leave the Tiger and Nacra 5.8 and a few others to it, tacking back to the shallow water. Sure enough by the time Altered tacked back to the shoreline many of the boats inshore were ahead. What followed was alot of guess work as the boats inshore guessed at water depth and rock outcrop sizes. After a while Altered was left with two Hobie 18's to battle for the inshore lead with the offshore boats out of site. Whoever stayed inshore longest before tacking came out in front with the positions leap frogging continuously although Altered had the edge in flat water and the 18's the edge in the rough stuff.

Finaly at the end of the beat, the Fairway buoy, some hour or so in duration the 18's had a small lead with Altered 3rd. and Hobie Tiger appearing out of the tide in 4th. Then a short reach to tight for kites and very rough, big swell and lots of chop. The 18's held the lead with the Tiger passing Altered, then at last around the Flinders buoy it was spinnaker time. The Tiger took off with crew on trap, with Altered following but not trapezing, way to rough and gusty for one up, soon were passed 18's and getting into more sheltered water. Tiger and Altered started gybing down channel with the Tiger sailing higher, crew trapezing and Altered sailing deeper not trapezing, as they got near Cowes Altered had caught up somewhat then disaster for the Tiger a capsize. Altered hit the lead but not for long, as the Tiger passed again as they dropped spinnakers rounding the Sandy Point buoy, now it was a tight reach and Altered paced the Tiger then around Tortise Head bouy, for a beat back to Cowes flat water very gusty and shifty, Altered made the most of this to round the Cowes bouy aprox. 500m. ahead.
Kites back up and heading down to Sandy Point, the Tiger again capsized, Altered then dropped it's kite having trouble staying in control, staying upright became the priority. The Tiger was soon back up and under kite again by this time conditions had settled and Altered raised the kite again. Altered had a good lead from here to the finish back at Cowes although the Tiger did close the gap some. The next boats over the line were Hobie 18's.

Altered did not have a totaly trouble free race with the spinnaker sock becoming unattached under the tramp while the kite was up. Causing it to drag in the water when going back upwind, requiring stopping and tying up and difficult hoists from then on. But other than this all went well, so things are looking good for the future.

Regards Gary.