Looking back

August 18, 2021

The entire crew is home, that is to say except for me and Boj (in France). Winsome is nicely moored at Port Chantereyne in Cherbourg. Batteries being charged whilst typing this blog at the marina restaurant L’EQUIPAGE.

The winter home for Winsome this time Will be in Caen. In October we will still have to sail and motor her from Cherbourg to Caen, via Ouistreham.

The prize giving was nice, but we got a little bit more honour than we deserved by getting the S&S Cup (5 competitors only) like it was the Golden mug

After all our score in IRC-4 Class was 6th with 70 competitors. RORC makes always a split in each Class i.e. 4A (faster boats) and 4B. In 4A with 40 competitors. we became 2nd. 

In IRC Overall with about 350 participants we became 21st. Not bad at all.

We have no excuses why we did not win Class 4, but a small explanation may help. By the time we reached the Race of Alderney we had the full tide against us. At that moment we had a very good position meaning that our competitors with a better handicap were about 2-3 hours behind us, however by the time we passed the Race of Alderney, these boats entered the race of Alderney with the tide in their favour. We were locked in between the TSS (Traffic Separation Scheme) and the Race of Alderney. Going North of that TSS was never an option, giving too much deviation (about 15 Nm).

The above is not meant as an attack on the rating system, which works well and is fair.

Another disadvantage was that shortly after the Needles, we were unable to see other boats on AIS, whereas they could see us. Boj worked hours and hours to find the problem, without succes. Now we know it was caused by a failure in the AIS antenna.

TSS are really obstructions, meant to improve safety, but are not nice for sail races. Wind mills will be probably even be a bigger problem in the future.

I intended to look back, but realize I started looking forward.

Back to the race: Georgia Morton took a very special Photo 20 minutes after our start:

Boat handling was perfect, repair of the engine was incredible.

Being now also a Member of UNCL, we are now in full control of the two Commodores

For me perhaps the most important was that Dr Watson (Joost Nijhoff) took care of me, after my fall, like a professional nurse. Taking off my shoes, taking off my sail cloths, providing me with water, searching for my shoes and cloths and putting them back again. I calculated roughly that he did this 15 times during this race. Unfortunately RORC had no silverware for this outstanding effort, so I will now organise it myself.

Thanks Leen, Boj, Floris, Reima, Richard, Joost Dantuma and Dr Watson for crewing on my 10th and my last Fastnet Race.

The race was really over at the dinner at La Peintrerie, with the entire crew, including Sarai, where Sophie’s daughter Eléonore and her friends attended as well. Anne Sabatier did become already earlier part of the family and of Winsome. We were with 18 at one table, including Evelyn and Bérangère from Carteret.