Gary,

I like the thread name <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Last Saturday had a club race at Somers in windy and wild conditions. Gusts to 30 knots whilst rigging on the beach (Jeremy Pearse had to sit on the front beam to stop his Mozzie from bouncing around <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />). Lots of yachts didn't even leave the beach. Wind moderated slightly to around 22 knots with gusts to probably 27 knots.

Had difficulty getting off the beach and missed the start by 4 minutes (bugger <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />). Had the outhaul and downhaul on pretty hard for the rest of the race; no time to alter settings or raise the centreboards.

Seas were pretty big (2 m) with a strong outgoing tide and waves in the opposite direction. Plenty of breaking waves to surf down and nearly airborn a few times when closehauled into the waves. A real test for the old wooden hulls. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Had to keep dodging occasional clumps of seaweed and on a mad reach with spray everywhere saw a brown gey flash that I thought couldn't be seaweed. The flash returned in the form of a dolphin. Luckily it didn't surface between the hulls. I held grave fears for my centreboards but couldn't do anything about it.

The mozzie stood up to the challenge and so did I (even though I think my arms are now a bit longer than the were).
The Hobie 16s were really going for it but kept nosediving and cartwheeling <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. I managed to not capsize or break anything and in so doing won the race. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Regards,

Peter <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />