On the 3rd, 4th & 5th of March Pegasus RSC hosted the IOM SI Champs at their excellent venue.
With a number of course areas available I selected the most versatile and accessible area on the
western side, close to the road, the coffee and the beer (not necessarily in that order of priority).
It is always a pleasure to be invited as RO at this venue with the knowledge that the organisation
will be thorough and the volunteers assisting with the event will be so willing and reliable. A big
thanks to all the team.
On Friday a complete measuring of most boats was done by Chris, Keith and Robert. It’s good to
get that big job out of the way with only a couple left for Saturday morning.
Practice races followed for those wishing to check out the conditions, sailing in a moderate SW
breeze and sunshine (note that last word, we didn’t see any more!) This was followed 4pm –
5.30pm by a rules session with John Rountree at the Flat White Cafe. Very clear rule explanations
using a magnetic white board and TV screen, lots of questions answered with most skippers
leaving less bewildered. Some no doubt thinking they should buy a rule book (hint – get one with
pictures).
Saturday, after the usual pleasantries and a brief briefing, racing got underway slightly after the
scheduled time when the wind had moved far enough from the West around to the SW to allow me
to set a course. I’m not going to try and cover the event race by race as at this stage they have all
become a bit of a blur. We sailed under the HMS system in two fleets with 4up/4down. Fair to say
that over the weekend I believe all skippers spent at least one race in the B fleet and had to work
their way up to A fleet. Note that you cannot tell this from the results as if you get into the top
four in B fleet you then are immediately promoted to A fleet and that is the score that counts
(confused? Ask a kid….)
With John as sole umpire prowling the whole course with the help of observers, transgressions
were called, along with a brief explanation at the time – very often windward not keeping clear or
giving room (– an important word in the sailing rules) I’ve no idea how far John walked. It’s a big
ask having only one umpire, but the benefit of having an umpire is enormous – thank you John.
Racing ended a bit earlier than planned, mid-race (that’s after the B fleet heat) as I determined
the wind shifting to the east would make it a raffle for the A fleet if they were asked to start.
So 9.5 races (19 heats) on Saturday followed by drinks and presentations at our sponsor’s pub,
the Good Home, including a draw for some Vickers jibs and discount on products from Rob Nelson
– thank you sponsors.
I knew we were in for a tough time on Sunday when Paul asked if I had heard the ‘Auckland’ rain
at 6am. I hadn’t, I can sleep through most things. Apparently, it chucked it down. Same out at
Pegasus with steady rain most of the day requiring a long delay waiting for the westerly (not
forecast) to go SW so we could start. A couple of ‘fun races’ filled in the time and we got underway
just before midday. Only in writing this do I realise we didn’t stop for lunch (sorry helpers).
With a great attitude from the sailors we sped through to 16 races (for three discards). It was
tough going for all with cold hands and wet bodies, but no complaints and lots of cooperation –
thanks guys and ladies.
An interesting fact I learnt from listening to John during a race. If there is contact between two
boats and neither skipper protests, the umpire does not make a call. You must hail a protest and
you must use the correct hail (see rule book). Be aware you may not have got away with it, you
could both be protested by a third skipper.
In summary a very enjoyable weekend due to much hard work by Team Pegasus and I believe
their efforts were complimented by the positive attitude shown by the sailors.
Thanks to all.
Terry Valder. RO
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