Another great race , showing how with regular participation the clubs Squib
racing has progressed , Class Captain Jeremys experience and his now
organised new boat ( built 1995!) Cabaret 7 came from behind to prevail for a
first victory but up and down the 5 boat fleet places were constantly changing
Helped by a nice ebbing tide and variable but good wind up to 15 knots but
mostly around 12 with an unusually flat sea out in the open water
Before the five minute warning signal we held a one minute silence in memory
of our dear departed sailing friend Lee Mun Wai who passed away last week ,
may his Soul Rest In Peace , Mun Wai after many years absence returned to
RSYC to stand as a Committee member of the new sailing group including PSC s
Vice Commodore Rama who were elected to reform the club with a focus on
sailing . We will miss him , Rama did not sail to attend the funeral , we missed
you Brother , me my traditional first beer !
An even start on a close fetch saw Ratatosk ( Gavin /Yasid ) sail through
Cabaret 7 ( Jeremy /Heppi )with Mandarin( Jason /John ) more to windward .,
Kittiwich (Rainer/Martin ) and Quick silver ( Peter with his son sailing for the
first time and Michelle ) slightly behind , boats were weaving all over the river ,
we now have to contend with 2 moored ships and a crane barge /dredger , not
just added hazards but cause of major wind shadows , Mandarin Kittiwitch and
Cab 7 kept high to pass to windward o the largest ship moored at the mouth
of the river , Ratatosk stayed low and gained greatly as the others dropped
down to the rumb line to Selat mark , Mandarin was catching Ratastosk who
had done so well keeping low, approaching the buoy side by side , Cab 7 was
also catching up , Ratatosk rounded first , Mandarin second and Cab 7 third
Kittiwitch fouth and Quicksilver fifth , with the wind swinging and some big
gusts , all headed back into the river. After a titanic struggle with a defending
Mandarin much of the time side by side Cab 7 pulled away and Mandarin
bravely set a spinnaker , this enabled Kittiwitch to catch up , on the reach back
in a lightening wind Cab 7 eased past Ratatosk and covered her to the finish
Behind there was an array of spinnakers as the others fought it out , Quick
silver not for the first time found a private wind and caught up ( whispers of
magic ?? ) spinnaker less Cab 7 and Ratastosk finished first and second ,
Mandarin narrowly third just a head of Kittiwitch with Quicksilver 5 th
Class Captain /Commodore Jeremy opened a bottle of Bollinger which had
been in the fridge for months waiting to celebrate Cabaret 7 s first victory!