Blog from Nick McLoughlin, Navigator VMP
Another week, another skipper for the VMP crew. With Philippe's grand tour of Europe continuing with a well-deserved (and messy? we've already see one photo on Facebook...) celebration in the Emerald Isle at the Round Ireland prize-giving and accompanied amongst others by regular VMP bowman Phil, we were joined for the fourth weekend of the Winter Series by top Solent racing skipper and regular Sailing Logic face Tim Thubron and the ever enthusiastic Ian "Finbar" Findlay on bow. Tim himself has only just returned to the UK from a delivery trip to the sunny Canaries for a brief taste of winter before heading off to the Caribbean on this year's ARC - what is it with these skippers?!
In contrast to the previous three weekends of champagne sailing conditions, Sunday morning saw grey leaden skies with the promise of a damp day of racing ahead. But rain wouldn't matter if we had "Reflex wind". The forecast 12-14 knots of breeze scheduled with the possibility of it tailing off during the day was not quite what we had in mind but Tim's light wind sailing skills are legendary so there were high hopes amongst the crew. Two discards would be applied to the series' results if we had both scheduled races, so there was a great opportunity for VMP to close the gap on series leaders Vortex if we managed to get a couple of decent results.
With a SE wind forecast to move more easterly as the day wore on and the tide flowing east, both races started in the vicinity of Air Canada and Flying Fish with a windward leeward course up the bank to East Bramble for the first race and to Fastnet Insurance for the second race.
We had a cracking start to the first race heading up the left hand side of the race track but this was marred somewhat by a distorted message over the radio that some boats were OCS. We saw arch rivals Vortex turn back and dip the line but flag x-ray was still flying on the committee boat after they had done so which meant that at least one other boat was going to be disqualified if they did not go back and undo the penalty. Was it us? Had we been OCS? We had not heard our sail number being called out but because of the interference on the radio could not be sure. A quick discussion on the boat between navigator, bow and skipper did not lead to a definitive answer although we were more confident than not of being OK. In the end, we decided to race on regardless given that we were leading at the time although there was still plenty of discussion on the rail up the first beat. A race free of any major errors and great tactical sailing meant that we were first in class over the line and after watching Vortex come in a superb third on the water having gone back at the start but over 3 mins behind us, we knew that we would either have a bullet against our name or a DSQ if indeed we had been OCS at the start. Getting a toot from the committee boat as we finished as we crossed the line was not confirmation that all was OK and we would only know later in the day when the results were published.
After a quick debrief (no time for lunch) and a discussion about putting the possibility of being DSQ to the backs of our minds and to re-focus on the job in hand, the second race was underway. Another terrific start saw us again go up the left hand side and leading all the way round the course making best use of the still pretty steady wind strength at 12-14 knots. Again great team work and the right wind and tide strategy on each leg was paying off.
But leading also has its disadvantages if you are the navigator! In both races, we had started with the class zero boats who were sailing the same course as us and on the last downwind leg heading down to RORC (yellow) to the SW of Bramble post, there were three zero boats ahead of us. They were all on a different line to leeward of us into the mark. As the leading zero boat approached Air Canada (also yellow and significantly east of RORC) they hoisted their jib, dropped their kite and rounded Air Canada. This caused some quite considerable consternation at the back of our boat - if Air Canada was the correct mark we were in completely the wrong position and our race lead could be jeopardised. The navigator (ie me) was asked to confirm PDQ which mark we should be heading for given what we had just seen the lead zero boat do. This querying of the course when other boats are doing something different or unexpected seems to be a game that skippers play with navigators to see if they can hold their nerve whilst the whole boat listens and the race result possibly rests on the answer. RORC was confidently confirmed this time as the leeward mark and, if further evidence was required, the two other zero boats were on their way to RORC having by now passed both the previously leading boat that was heading in the wrong direction and then Air Canada. Terrific boat speed on the beat to finish saw VMP power over the line in first place again and a quick check on the times of the nearest boats confirmed a definite bullet this time.
The rain failed to materialise in any meaningful way and after another great sail all the way home, we found out the results over the phone as we docked at Shamrock Quay. And what a result! We were not OCS in the first race and the two bullets were confirmed. It was a class zero boat that was disqualified. Testament to the day's performance and VMP's speed round the course could be seen by looking at the class zero boat results - if we had been racing in that class we would have been in 3rd in the first race (missing first by fifteen seconds) and in the second race we would have been 2nd, missing first by sixteen seconds.
All credit to all of the VMP team for a superb set of results. Exceptional light wind sailing by Tim and more great major error-free team work has now established VMP firmly in 2nd place overall. Before the day's racing, eight points separated VMP and series leaders Vortex. Now with eight races gone and two discards in play, there are only four points at the mid series break between the two boats. So all to play for now when we welcome back usual skipper Philippe for the final four races of the series to continue the defence of our title. Bring on those "Reflex winds!!
PS I have no idea what happened to the lead zero boat that wrongly went around Air Canada or whether it was that boat which was OCS but as a member of the much maligned navigators' union, I can sympathise wholeheartedly. It is not the first time and won't be the last time that a navigator makes such a mistake but I do pray that it never happens to me! The drinks bill to pacify the rest of the team would be all too much to bear!
