ISO Gala - Queen Mary SC (28th & 29th August 2004)
ISOs at QMSC - the view from 814
06:54 Saturday morning and the phone rings. Crew ill. Make rapid calls to see if a stand in is available at zero notice. Nothing. Decide to go to the ISO QMSC event anyway and take pot luck on a crew and the light wind forecast.
9 of the 10 ISOs and 4 Buzz's edged out down the steep slope and slowly out to the start line on the far end of the spit, leaving 814 ashore. Crew found - and on the way from Bournemouth! Would we make the start of race 2 giving us just enough races to qualify?
Russ arrived. No time for introductions; change, on the water and - never stepped in an asymmetric before. Now you tell me!
Ok, so we're 100m from shore and the start of race 2 can't be far away. Nothing for it - this is what you do ......
We rounded the end of the spit - kite flying of course! Time? Oh joy - 1 minute to the start. Training course over. This is for real. Get the kite down! This string Russ ! No time to jockey for position, flag down, hoot and we're off! Lousy start - but we pulled off 8th. The day was improving.
Bit more inter race training and a better start to race 3 and 814 was in there! 3 laps later and we were vying for 5th with Team Veitch, who only just took it by a bow!
Sunday and we had a good F4! Swimming was going to be on the agenda. 814 was in amongst it on the start line, did well up the beats and some grin factor 8 off wind speed. Sadly the lack of teamwork took it's toll on the gybes and in we went, to finish 9th overall - not last !
And the rest of the fleet ? They were out there too with the the now familiar Ian and Katie in SmartNav taking line honours.
It was a great weekend - and with another grinning convert to ISO sailing!
Unfortunately we don't have any overall results for this event.
