It was the first of the two Passage race days, the westerly F3-4 wind meant a long reach to Hopton and back. HW was scheduled for 11.40.
Twelve boats launched, seven of which were RS classes with four RS400’s. The race team set a beat to an inshore mark in order to separate the fleet before they headed off to Hopton.
Countdown to racing
Richard & Kyle (RS400) and Jamie (Laser) got off to the best starts and initially held a small lead. By the time the leaders rounded the windward mark it was a pack of RS boats ahead.
As the fleet sailed off to Hopton it was clear the reach was tight as all the asymmetrics struggled to fly their kites and hold course to the Hopton mark. With the tide still flooding it was a relatively quick trip. The return reach proved a little tighter…..and longer with no one attempting to fly spinnakers.
Race time
After two laps Phil (RS700) was first to cross the line, with three RS400’s finishing next with Richard & Kyle second, Adam & Jordon (RS400) third and Richard & Robyn fourth.
The reaching legs clearly suited Simon (Laser) who finished not far behind.
On corrected time it proved to be a good choice by Steve to get his trusty ‘Pocket Rocket’ out of storage by taking the win by just over a minute with Simon second, Richard & Kyle third and Jamie fourth.
Phil’s Garmin recorded the race distance at just over eleven miles.
Heading for Hopton
The trip to Hopton clearly took its toll on many resulting in a much reduced fleet for the windward leeward race. Surprisingly, there was still a slight flood tide but by the end of the race it was slack water. Simon nailed the start with Adam & Jordan eventually taking the lead and crossing the line first with Simon second and Richard (Vareo) third. Simon winning on corrected time.
Thanks to the race team of Dave, John and Paul who stood in at short notice.
Full results are on the club web site http://www.gygsc.org.uk/Results/2024/2024Hopton.htm
The race team took a few pictures which are on the club Flickr site