We got the night ferry and drove for about 5 hours through the most unbelievable rain and head winds. When we got to Carnac there was a scene of almost complete devastation: about 40+ knots, with boats being hastily strapped down all over the boat park. There were a couple of postponment flags flying, and the boat stayed on the raod trailer, with the mast down. Time for a stamp on a windy beach and some seafood!
On Saturday lots of pepople arrived, but it was still 25-30 knots, with nasty cross shore waves. A couple of wind surfers went out with crash helmets and very small sails. A bit later on a 29er went out. It was basically too windy to tack so he got towed back in!
As usual there was a great meal in the club in the evening.
On Sunday it was 15 gusting 20 knots, and more off shore so the sea was much less mad, but with plenty of short waves to play in. They aimed to start the racing at 0930 (yikes) and race until 1500, which would have made leaving at 1700 a bit of a challenge for us! Luckily the 1st race wasn't till 1000 by the time they had laid the course. We had 4 fairly short (about 35 mins) races, with the wind building slightly and clocking round to the south. It was the usual Carnac course (just like our Nationals this year, but the finish was the other side of the committee boat) and only 2 laps. There was more breeze on the left, but more tide so inshore paid despite the wind continuing to clock round. However, there was a HUGE oyster bed in the middle of the course, slightly off to the left which meant that you had to slow right down on the approach to the mark and pick your way through unless you went very hard right where there was the added hazard of the rocky shore. The Oysters made for very exciting hoists and 1st part of the run. On the third race, before they re-adjusted the top mark we elected to 2-sail reach way past the spreader mark, almost to the point we wanted to gybe in order to avoid having to negotiate the half sunk little buoys at full chat.
The races were close, we were 2nd in the first one just behind an RS800. On the second race we had a bit of an issue with a drop/head up for the gate proceedure which saw us on our side with the kite halyard wrapped round the mark, oops. About 10 boats passed while we did our turns and made our way back throguh the gate. We managed to get most back on the last lap and finished 4th.
We won the last two races on the water, in part due to a gybe related incident from the RS800 in front in the third race.
NBS were giving it plenty of beans, finishing 3rd. Halo Jones were also out there belting about, but poor Aqua's mast step /stump disintergrated which left some pretty spectacular damage. Even Gav & Simon might have struggled to get her going again over night.
