Essex ISO Open
Calling all ISO crews, if your helm should read this and start moaning please defend my efforts and perhaps sympathise. I was talking to Juliette Daniels the other weekend and she was agreeing with me that if we should ever be asked to do the race report we would have no idea what to put because we have little idea of what other boats are doing. Unfortunately Sticky, who was supposed to write the report, has gone to Bangalore for two weeks and apparently is snowed under with work, he gave me such a sob story that I've been made to feel guilty and offer to write something. I have said I will as long as he doesn't alter or amend it although he is allowed to add something at the end.
There were only two visiting boats to the Essex event, ourselves; Sticky and Miss Revitt with Serenity, and Juliette and John Gill with Tinky Winky. There were six ISOs from EYC. HMS Wilton, the most unusual and fabulous clubhouse gradually floated off the Estuary mud, the committee motored over to their starting position and we began 2 races of 4 laps over a pretty long windward leeward course at about 1pm I think.
Three boats split away from the other five, George Chambers and Tom Hanman, Jonny and Bugsy and the Tinky Winky. The weather was perfect, a bit of sun, a bit of breeze and a few gentle waves. The second half of the fleet fought for places over the weekend with Bruce and Steve just getting the better of Ali and Sticky in the end. After an altercation with Jonny in the first race George decided to retire leaving Serenity in fourth position and therefore with Race Report honours if nothing else.
I know there was plenty of close racing both at the front and further down the fleet, I know we capsized and I think we might have claimed one victory over Bruce at some point too [No, we got in front a couple of times but then we got back behind, S] but as other crews may testify, I'm so busy yanking myself across the boat and out over the side at a split seconds notice on the upwind legs or staring at the big red sail on the downwind legs to observe what other boats might be up to. (If I as much as glance away from the kite Sticky starts sulking). [Moi!]
After the Saturday sailing the visitors left their boats on the ramp and joined club members for a lovely curry followed by profiteroles and a superb cheeseboard. We all had a few drinks after which time John and Juliette headed home (only about 30 minutes drive) and Nick, sailing an ISO with his wife, Nicky, this weekend, and also a committee member at EYC, dived behind the bar and kept us well supplied. I have to say I was reduced to drinking sherry because their port was ancient in a nasty way and basically undrinkable.
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Sticky and I walked to a B and B in nearby Southend on Sea and enjoyed a few more 'shorts' in the bar there followed by a cup of tea.
Sunday arrived, gorgeous blue skies and sunshine and still a good breeze. Racing began a little later and we did only 3 laps each race. Same pattern as Saturday but with no George Chambers who had injured his back.
After the races the visitors had to sail up the chanel of the river and land on the packed beach. Those lovely holiday makers from the London and Essex area did absolutely nothing to help us pull our boats across the soft sand and infact were reluctant to move as we weaved in and out of the sandcastles and deck chairs towards the slipway.
The picture above is a little later on in the afternoon once we had started to ready the boat for travel but it still shows a fair few people enjoying the seaside at Leigh on Sea.
Sticky will add the results table and hopefully get everyone's name right.
I had a great weekend of sailing and socialising, thank you all concerned.
Ali the Crew (AKA Miss Revitt)
Thanks for the report Miss Revitt,
The racing was indeed close. In race 2 Jonny won from John by 5 secs, in race 3 by 1 second and in race 4 by 6 secs. In race 2 George finished 3rd but retired after failing to do turns asap after brushing Jonny's hair with his sails-he did do the turns but not asap. A pre-existing back injury caused his withdrawal on day 2. The two Andy's were sailing a borrowed boat and it was Andy Baucutt's first attempt ever at trapezing.
Sticky.
Here are the results from the Essex Jury:
