The boss wins

Martin Wadhams takes honours at K6 racing in Aldeburgh

“Why on earth do we want to drive all the way up to Aldeburgh to race ?” some were heard to question as the K6 circuit was announced for 2004. The question, after the event, is “when are we going back….?”.

Great race management, a welcoming club, phenominal race variety, a good 15+ knot breeze and cloudless skies (not to mention some good shopping) left the fleet (and families) asking for more.

The efficient but relaxed tone was set from the very outset by Matt Fairless who announced “the race briefing will be held once you guys have finished lunch” - they’ve got their priorities right in Suffolk. On the water, Race Officer Ian Robson was efficiency and flexibility personified: five minute turn arounds between races; relaying both the windward AND leeward marks during one race to cope with a shift; and managing back-to-back starts from both up and down river to mix it up.

Racing on the river made life infinitely more interesting than our ‘normal’ open sea windward/leewards. Space dictated that the fleet stayed closely bunched leading to uncharacteristic shouting (or screaming in a couple of cases….Georgie…) and even the odd insurance claim. No one escaped hitting the mud on the first day and “eyes out of the boat” were swapped for “eyes on the depth”. The fleet voluntarily restarted the third race after Terry and Owain (The Red Macgregor) found the mud and missed the gun. Martin Wadhams had led off the start-line, and was heard to say (or question…) “I hope you’d do the same for us…?!”. Ten minutes later the fleet turned back a second time to wait while Martin, Amanda and Claire now freed themselves from a similar fate. Who said the age of chivalry is dead ?!

On Sunday, Aldeburgh Commodore Paul Botterill watched the racing from the committee boat expecting just to take notes in readiness for his new K6. However, he hadn’t counted on Mike Dawson’s crew Andrew Smith having dodgy hotel fish for breakfast and finding this didn’t mix well with hoisting and dropping the kite every five minutes. They swapped boats, and Paul’s smile as he planned downwind suggested that he thought he’d made the right decision getting a K6. The hotel later denied that the fish was the one foot eel that K6 ‘pippi’ had caught downwind in it’s rudder stock the previous day.

Martin Wadhams, Amanda and Claire (Fat Face) won the meeting with four bullets. They didn’t have it all their own way though: Peter Kirkby and local ‘trench’ sailor Will Elson (pippi) won race four making use of the infamous East Coast back eddies; and Jonathan Calascione and Piers Tucker (Take Two) won race six by finding their after-burners for the long upwind finish at the club.

Net, a great weekend that will be difficult to beat this year.

Results
1st 102 (Fat Face) - Martin Wadhams, Amanda, Clare – Lymington Town
2nd 126 (pippi) – Peter Kirkby, Will Elson – Queen Mary
3rd 127 (Take Two) – Jonathan Calascione, Piers Tucker – Queen Mary
4th 124 (Djinn) – Frazer Elms, Georgie – Hayling Island
5th 119 (The Red Macgregor) – Terry Wilkinson, Owain Franks – Queen Mary
6th 140 – Mike Dawson, Andrew Smith – Queen Mary