Day 39 – Cowes Week Day 4

The morning did not bode well for an enjoyable day on the water. Overcast and with little sign of any wind, we thought we might be in for another day of misery, like yesterday. Happily it quickly developed into glorious sailing conditions: plenty of sunshine, not too much chop, and steady force three to four breeze. We were all in great form as a crew, despite being a little worse for wear after last night’s Flying Fish barbeque and the assault on Cowes night spots that followed.

Today’s race ran smoothly with excellent downwind legs and faultless spinnaker work. The 50 strong class five fleet was a lot more spread out initially, covering the whole Solent with long tacks to windward. Compared to yesterday’s trial by rain and tedium, today’s race seemed to fly by. Before we knew it we were charging back down the Solent under spinnaker to the finishing line off the Royal Yacht Squadron. We’re coming to terms with the fact that you don’t pitch up at Cowes with a novice crew and expect to be on the podium. We finished 22nd on corrected time, but what lessened the dissapointment was that fact that we were six places ahead of our chief rivals, Flying Fish Foreign Affarir.

We’re really beginning to feel competent in our individual roles aboard, and the level of ‘conversation’ (ie shouting) at marks has notably diminished. “It’s taken a while, but I think we’re finally working together as a team” said Faye, summing it up perfectly. It’s a great feeling to be sailing competently and we’re all loving it! Roll on day five!