As you know, the wharf at Manly Yacht Club is being rebuilt, and all sailing has been cancelled until the beginning of October. As luck would have it, however, the work has been delayed, giving a small group of volunteers the opportunity to gather at the sailing club for two Saturdays in a row and enjoy an unplanned, deconstructed regatta.
On the first Saturday, beautiful winter sunshine was accompanied by very little wind. We sailed — or perhaps drifted — around a simple course between the Manly East YA mark and the Manly West YA mark.
Six boats took to the water: three with blue or green sails and three with red or orange sails. This naturally led to the formation of the “Cool” and “Hot” teams, who raced against each other for team honours.
We managed just one drifting race, with the combined points of the “Hotties” making them clear winners on the day, with Raghnild taking first place. The sailors were Jim, Warwick, Ragnhild, Rob, Michael with Gary, and John with crew Bec.
The following Saturday, five boats started. With some boats carrying two people and others only one, we decided that a handicap start was the fairest approach.
The two-person boats — Peter with John and Ragnhild with Bec — started first, followed 30 seconds later by Warwick and Michael, and then, another 30 seconds later, Denis.
Denis won the first race and was rewarded with a one-minute handicap for the second. This did nothing to stop him, and he won again. An even heavier handicap was imposed for the third race, but once again Denis sailed through the fleet to take the win.
Meanwhile, Ragnhild and Bec managed not one but two 360-degree penalty turns in a single race — a new record!
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the time on the water and the opportunity to practise and hone their sailing skills. With the wharf reconstruction still to commence, we may even get the chance for another impromptu regatta before the sailing season officially resumes.
