We kindly waited until the New year's Day Race was over until the racing marks were lifted.  Fortunately the weather was very kind to us and once the heavy work started no one was concerned about the cold.

All the marks were roughly where we left them at the end of March, except for 'R' which went walkies to Ringstead beach.  Not surprising considering the amount of wind we have had this autumn.

I’m not sure how I ended up with an RS700 really, it seems like there were a series of events ending in a sort of car-crash choice to buy one.   Just to explain to non-dinghy folk, there is more to the “RS Boats” brand than the RS Feva’s you may have seen the YOB’s sailing.  RS also produce the RS200 and RS400, very light, very powerful and fast; then they had a mental aberration and produced the RS600, 700 and 800 with bigger rigs, fitted with racks to the side of the boat and trapezes for everyone to use off them.  Inexplicably in the RS700’s case they felt it necessary to give a singlehanded helm an asymmetric spinnaker to play with too – so how did I end up with one?  It’s a short story.

Photo courtesy of ldc racing

Well once again we are sat at home with a cup of tea and the nights drawing in, the boats de-rigged and wrapped up for winter contemplating the long winter ahead.  It’s at this time of year I look back on the season and wonder how it went?  And as sailing seasons go it was pretty good.  We never saw the barbeque weather that was promised back in May but we had some sailing days and awesome sailing in the bay.  With everything from a shifty force 0-1 to an exciting force 5-6 and with the latter winning the day on more than one occasion this season crews had to learn how to sail their boats in tougher conditions if they wanted to get out on the water.

The first race of the winter series on Sunday November 15 was in brisk westerly winds.  A short video of the sailing (link below) was filmed from the committee boat.  It certainly shows the ideal sailing conditions which club members will be hoping to experience again on the few remaining Sundays before the Icebreaker/Frostbite Trophies on Boxing Day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWnGkaaDOoE