Well, another Sunday another Westbere but this time dull, overcast and a light nor-westerly that made setting a course with decent beats somewhat difficult.
A tight start was inevitable since it looked like no 6 could be laid in one hit, the question was where to start? As it happened your author started down by the pin, and Dave Sinnock up under the trees. a very light drift saw Dave round first with your author close behind. By the next mark your author was ahead which stayed until decision time. What decision? Which side of the island. Your author set off to leeward, and everyone else (apart from Colin Smith - thanks mate!) went to windward. There WAS a reason! A rather nasty header saw your author in the reeds, ran aground and stuck. Meanwhile everyone else went by…
Dave and Lee Goodey had a tussle for the lead as they drifted toward no 6 for the 2nd lap. Kym Leatt and your author followed but nobody counted on Roger the Hodge taking an extreme leeward course and moving past everyone into the lead.
Lee made it past Roger and Kym and your author tussled for 3rd. Until the run from 9 to 1… Lee, Roger and then Kym made it round. Then a major group including Dave, Richard, Tom Goodey, Sophie Mackay came round the outside to shuffle the pack.
Coming to the finish Lee managed to get caught the wrong side of a shift allowing cunning Roger to take the gun with Kym cose behind. The posse followed to take the supporting positions.
Moral of the story - never go to leeward of the big island!
