HMYC "heads - up" - UPDATE and Partington Plate #4 Report

HMYC "heads - up" - UPDATE and Partington Plate #4 Report
* Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 January
HMYC Summer Series Regatta
* Sunday 6 February - Class Champs and Monthly Mug #6
Briefing 10h30
* Saturday 19 February - Partington Plate #5
Briefing 13h30

* SATURDAY 26 FEBRUARY - HMYC/QUANTUM SAILS NINE HOUR
THE BIG ONE - HMYC's SAILING EVENT OF THE YEAR

* Sunday 6 March - Class Champs and Monthly Mug #7
Briefing 10h30
( Hunter Mpumalanga Provs - Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 March-Witbank)

* Sunday 13 March - Sailing training and Dam Bottle Sprints

* Saturday 19 to Monday 21 March - HUNTER CLASS NATIONALS - DAC - VAAL DAM
WHERE ARE THE HMYC HUNTER RAIDERS ??????????????

* Sunday 3 April - Class Champs and Monthly Mug #8
Final event of the series - Briefing 10h30
* Sunday 10 April - Autumn Handicap
* Sunday 17 April - 2010/2011 Closing Cruise

PARTINGTON PLATE #4 - Saturday 15 February 2011
The first of the Partington Plate series events sailed in the new year drew a small fleet of seven participants, including the usual Hunter contingent accompanied by a few of the larger keelers ( the L26 of George Muller, the Theta of the Patrick family, Pete Goble on the L20 and Rob Attwell and Co on the graceful 'Cheers'). The weather played the game and all at the dam enjoyed a very pleasant Midlands summer's day with a six to eight knot wind coming over the dam wall.It was most encouraging to see the number of people making use of the HMYC facilities over the weekend.
Race Officer Rob McIntosh indicated an interesting variation of course during the briefing. A Jetty start followed by a beat up to No 1 (Quantum Sails), a tight reach to No 2, then a beam reach around the Thurlow point followed by a tight reach all the way to No 8 at the 'faaaaaar' end of Thurlow Bay, a long reach across to No 6 (Build It), a beat up to No 1 and a run to the finish at the Jetty. The action out on the water took up to around two hours for the boats of the fleet, with the front runners having to work hard on the reaches to keep reluctant spinnakers working hard.
It was the three Hunters of Tony Cockerill, Pete Metcalfe and Nigel Milne jockeying for position from the start with the L26 of Georg Muller in the mix around No 1. By No 2 it was 'Odin' and 'Flirt' with the L26 having had a spot of bother with spinnaker and/or direction. On the reach to Thurlow point, it was 'Flirt' which appeared to have better boat speed under spinnaker and this put her ahead of 'Odin' all the way to No 6. 'Baby Blue' made up a vast amount of water to put pressure on the two leading Hunters at No 6. 'Flirt' rounded No 6 and beat to the centre of the dam while 'Odin' favoured the shore, despite having to sail through the moorings. The latter option appeared to bear the greater reward with 'Odin' rounding No 1 ahead of a chasing 'Flirt' and 'Baby Blue'. Positions remained as such to the finish just behind an RO scrambling to take up position on the jetty!
Thanks to all who turned out to participate and to RO Rob.