Cruiser News......

Races two and three of the Cruiser Summer Evening Series took place on Wednesday and Thursday night's. The low forecast wind and slightly iffy tides probably kept attendance down but around eight boats took part on both nights and eleven overall.

On Wednesday it was always going to be a struggle getting a race completed as the wind was forecast to drop and it did! Owen Kerr set a start line at the finish mark and set a course with optimistically one turning mark and then finish. It was generally a driftathon but patches of wind were around, most of which centered on Imagication an Evolution who did a horizon job finishing before some had reached the windward mark. She was followed by Extrovert, another Evo, and then Phoebe, a Sonata, who despite giving everyone else a head start having started the race sailed through much of the fleet to finish third. Not surprisingly some competitors retired so as to have more fun at home watching paint dry and Dan Worsley in Enigma was unable to finish in time.

Thursday was looking much better and there was a good breeze in the harbour as the boats got ready. Unfortunately by the start it was mimicking the night before and unknowingly Race Officer David Yeabsley set the same course as the night before. Like the previous night some boats went left, some right and some up the middle and all routes at times looked good. Eventually Team go right won out on the beat to the ODM, led by Nick Wooley on his Evolution Wooley Knickers followed by those who went up the middle led by Team "Ex Highcliffe" on Gannet the Beneteau 25.7 who held on to the tails of both the Evolutions and hard charging Richard Stewart on Kissy Wissy the Beneteau 27 down the still flukey downwind run to take the win on handicap. Phoebe having been caught port/starboard with no wind to tack on with seconds to go almost started at the same time as the rest of the fleet and was second and family Team Hickman were third on their Hawk Hobbyhawk.

All to play for in this series as over half way through it is tight at the top.

Sunday saw the second of the Summer Series with 6 boats competing, a stronger northerly wind meant the boars starting with a beat to the FM mark and a run out to ledge buoy vie Mid Bay and a long beat back to finish, Woolley Knickers held the competition off to cross the line first on the water and handicap. There was a close finish between the two hawks Riva and Tomahawk with Riva triumphing by 22 seconds. Good also to see Resolution back out racing, we missed you.

Full results here>

https://www.club2class.com/gbr/christchurch-sailing-club/classes/cruiser-class/

Photos from this year's cruising racing are now online.....

https://www.christchurchsailingclub.co.uk/galleries