Squib Racing 2023

Squib Racing in 2023

During 2023, the Squibs have been back racing at sea after a gap of a few years. The racing takes place on a Saturday afternoon, from mid May until mid October, starting with craning in from about 11:30, lunch at the club and two races from 14:00 onwards. Craning out after the races is followed by a leisurely beer in the bar! Please make your plans so you can come and join us for 2024!

RESULTS: Squib Results 2023

Typical race reports of these events are:

• The tide was flooding in, flowing from pin (starboard end of line) to the committee boat. Brimstone and Paramour were approaching the line fast on starboard with the tide, while Croc was bobbing up and down on the line slowly on port. Brimstone and Paramour were 10 seconds early, allowing Croc to duck behind them and start cleanly at the pin. A steady 8-10 knots for 2/3rds of the beat, turned into 30 degree windshifts for the final 1/3rd. Croc was the first to tack, and seemed to get into the shifts first, but Brimstone always seemed to gain more on each one! At the 1st mark, Brimstone was ahead, until 2 lengths before the mark and a BIG header meant they couldn’t make the buoy, allowing Croc around first. Down the run, Brimstone read the tide better and was just ahead around the leeward mark, with Paramour 200 yds behind. The next beat seemed to have more shifts, which Croc read very well to take the lead, and Paramour closed up to Brimstone at the buoy. Down the run, and everyone closed right up – but Croc took the shifts again up the next beat to gain a lead big enough to stay ahead down the final run. Paramour squeezed ahead of Brimstone around the last windward mark – although Brimstone took the final gybe better to get 2nd.

• There was less tide on the start line, so the wind direction was more important than tide. Paramour read this totally correct, and started at the port end on starboard, being chased by Croc. While Brimstone was at the starboard end on port. And, effectively, that was the race over! Paramour tacked in the first big shift and made the buoy in one tack, chased by Croc. While Brimstone got the favourable shift a minute later and just watched!
• We set off from the harbour in a light 8 knots of breeze – which was just enough on a close reach to get over the 4 knot tide at the harbour entrance. Until, 3/4 way to the race course, when the wind dropped and switched and left us still sailing forwards but going backwards! After 30 minutes, and discussions over the radios about giving up, the wind returned at 10-12 knots, still from the original southerly direction – and the races were on.
  With 20 seconds to go, all the boats were still over the line – but with the tide we were soon on the right side. Croc (Chris and Gill Jordan) were the first to tack onto port to head into the beach, followed by Brimstone (Bryan and Jenny Riley) and Clever Dick (Richard Sullivan and Sue Harper). Chris and Sue Williams in Spring Maid headed faster to the beach, but missed out on the shifts. Croc surprised her sailors by tacking and clearing the other boats, and was first around the mark. On the second beat, Brimstone had to tack off for clear wind, allowing Croc to sail further ahead – until a bad mistake with a tangled spinnaker halyard on the drop, and a 2 feet mis-timed tack at the final windward mark meaning they had to double tack around the mark, allowing Brimstone to slip through to take the win.