Winds were around 15knots, gusting to around 24 knots. It wasn't a race day, so a good opportunity to try out the gennaker in higher winds than I've been out in for a while. Also a good chance to get the trapeze 'nappy' on and see how it goes...and at least if we go in, we won't lose a position!

Gennaker running

53rd Isle Of Sheppey Round the Island Race in a Topper Xenon
helm/crew:  Colin Gibson / Mark Thomas

Notes on the Event.
* The race is an annual event run by the Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club.
* The Isle of Sheppey Sailing Clubs website has loads of information about the event.
* Billed as the longest dinghy race in Europe it is about a 40 mile course around the Isle of Sheppey, which includes the Thames estuary, river Swale and river Medway.
* There are 4 No. Starts briefly described as slow dinghies/sailboards, medium dinghies, fast dinghies and catamaran. Xenons (PY1070) are in the 2nd (Medium dinghies) start. See a video clip of the start in which the distinctive black gennakers of the two Xenon dinghies can be seen.
* One of the key parts of the course is the low bridge across the Swale approximately 2/3rds round the course. All boats have to be heeled onto the side and walked under the bridge.

Notes For the Day.

As this rather disappointing summer draws to its close we decided that our promise to the grandchildren of a ride in 'our boat' would have to be very soon or left to next year. We were looking for a sunny day with winds below 10 knots. The forecast for today seemed ideal, winds of 8 knots and temperature of 23°C. Plenty of safety boats on the Reservoir was also a comforting factor.

We launched the Xenon with a full rig, including the Gennaker. The grandchildren were aged 6 &  7 yrs (boys) and 3 & 4 yrs (girls).  Originally we had no intention of taking out the girls - far too young. However it became clear that "anything the boys can do, we can do" was the argument being deployed, so being weak and having no control we agreed to take out the girls also.

We set out for a pleasant Wednesday evening sail - attracted by the forecast of stronger winds. The racing format for Weds evenings is very informal. Each race consists of a single lap and there are usually 3 races. The Race officer very kindly and cheerfully volunteers his services for the enjoyment of us all, even though he also is a keen sailor.  Those racing on Weds evenings are often the very knowledgeable ones, so we are used to trailing in at the end of the field.

Today promised to be very lively. When we arrived the wind was a steady F4 gusting to over F5 and the forecast was for a slight increase during the evening. We seriously considered reefing the Xenon,  however the flotation system is not so good with lowered sails and we fancied our chances of staying afloat so we set sail with the full rig. In practice we feel very comfortable with the Xenon in strong winds although after three capsizes in the evening you would be forgiven for wondering about our judgement!

It was Weds evening and strong winds were forecast. In the event the winds averaged around 12 knots with some strong blasts and very sudden lulls. Not ideal for a first attempt at Trapezing in the Xenon dinghy.

Wind was good today, it was fairly consistent- a bit changable in direction, but around 10-12knots. The race didn't start until the afternoon and consisted of two races. The first race was helmed by dad. We got off to a cracking start neck and neck in first position alongside a Laser 2000. We just pipped it at the post to the first buoy, but as we approached the buoy the wind changed and we had to tack around in order to clear the buoy. However as we tacked back toward the buoy the rest of the pack were catching up fast and because of the tack we were on port and had to tack again to give way- nightmare!! We went from first to pretty much last in a matter of a minute! Still, we didn't give up and the spinnaker made up some very valuable time on the downwind stretch.

I don't know about you, but I tend to gauge how good a days racing it has been by how wet I get and how much I ache the following morning. Judging by the pain experienced on raising my head from the pillow it must have been a pretty good day! The race consisted of 3 races, 2 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon.

We got an early start on the water in order to ensure we were at the start line on time, it also gave us a bit of time to discuss the indecipherable flags, beeps and various racing rules before the serious stuff got underway. The wind was around 12knots but was pretty changeable in direction and speed. We spent some valuable time doing some practice starts and getting a feel for the wind. The start line was packed, not sure of the numbers, but about 20 boats, will need to check the results for that.

Set off on a sunny day looking forward to a big Competition Racing day at Bewl Water. Discovered that my usual partner was crocked. Apparently a degenerative disease called Twomushracing. Instead of competing I thought a might give my newly acquired basic qualification of Club Race Officer an airing, so off I trotted off to the Race Officer for the day.  He took one look at me and said I don't need anybody but you can come along anyway! By the time I returned ready to take off on the Committee boat he had the solution to getting rid of me, "We are short of a safety crew, would you do that?". So I made myself known to the Officer of the Day and he duly assigned me to a Safety Boat into which I was made very welcome.

The racing fleet (too many dinghies to count!) were already heading across to the start line. Conditions for racing were almost ideal, wind 10-11knots and a clear warm day. However the wind was changeable. The course was basically around 4 markers, marked 1 -4 on the briefing board with the buoys marked with letters. Nothing like confusing the fleet before the race starts!

Pleasantly warm day starting at 14C and rising to 17C. Showers at first but then sunny spells. The broadly westerly wind averaged 11 knots for most of the day but the wind was fitful and changeable requiring a lot of concentration by the Helm.
The race course was a complicated 'around the houses' path. We made a reasonable start on a starboard tack and made good progress upwind. The other Xenon also made a good start along with a Vareo and K1, boats with a similar performance to that of the Xenon. During the race it was difficult to track the progress of these boats as much concentration was needed to keep the Xenon flat and on course. Wind shifts were quick, significant but very short lived and required a lot of work by both Helm and crew. The Xenon was throwing up plenty of spray.
 

Well I was a little disappointed with the wind this weekend- I haven't been out on the boat since somwhere around October time and am feeling the need to be belting across Bewl water at break neck speeds...instead Dad and I experienced somwhere between 5-8knots. Oh well!
We started to rig the boat, but after popping the mast up had to drop it because of the arm at the end of the shroud lines wasn't sitting straight where it goes into the mast. Eventually got the boat rigged, decided there was no wind and went for a coffee!
Eventually got on to the water at about 10:30am. Wrapped up warm- but with the nice warm spell we've had this week I felt maybe slightly overdressed in my wetsuit, thick rash vest, thin rash vest, spray top and buoyancy aid.
It was good just to get back into the swing of sailing, the biggest benefit was that there was enough wind to fly the spinnaker and as there was no one else on the water (it reallly was light wind!) we could do a long down wind stretch practising jibing all over the place without the risk of being spotted making a cockup of it!