Today’s sail started with a quick practice in light winds. We got off to a late start, about a couple of minutes behind the line, with Ushaka giving us a bit of hassle start line. The wind picked up more than we expected on the upwind leg, catching us a bit off guard. It was a tight leg, trading places with Scary Bird, Veritas, and Ushaka The tide was strong against us, so we stuck close to the mainland coast heading to the first mark. We went a bit early, but managed a couple of quick tacks to round it.
Our first spinnaker run went great—the spinnaker went up without a hitch, and we nailed a perfect gybe for a long leg.
Rounding the second mark, we dropped the spinnaker and hugged the island coast to the third mark, enjoying some lighter winds and a break from the tide.
The final leg, however, proved challenging. After some last-minute changes, the spinnaker went up on the wrong side, the shackles broke free twice, and the spinnaker twisted around the jib furl. After struggling to untangle it, we decided to take it down and limp to the finish line, ending up in 12th place.
We had a slow start today with just a whisper of a land breeze. After a long wait, the sea breeze finally kicked in, and the Knowall crew made their way to the start.
The course was short with light winds, and we found ourselves racing in the Eastern Solent with wind over tide. The competition was fierce right from the start line, with all boats pushing hard.
Our upwind leg to the first mark was decent but nothing spectacular. We got caught up among another class, which slowed us down just enough for a tanker to pass and cement our position.
Despite that, we saw many improvements from yesterday’s sailing. Our sail trimming was spot on, helping us secure a respectable 7th place finish.
Day 3 was bright and breezy. The wind started light but gave us some nice gusts, helping us take second across the start line.
It was a good tactical day, and our sail trimming was on point. By minimizing tacks to the first mark, we kept up with the leading pack.
On the downwind leg, we gained on some of the leaders. No major issues sailing today in the lighter winds.
We were surprised when the course was shortened halfway through, ending at East Bramble instead of the RYS line. Despite crossing the line fourth some questionable handicaps dropped us to 8th place, just 4 minutes shy of a podium finish.
Today we decided to upgrade the boat:
Apparently however, aircraft carriers aren’t allowed to race. Also there was no wind and racing was abandoned.
It was another hot and sunny day on the Solent with a moderate easterly flow. We had a slow start waiting for the southeast breeze to develop and the racing to begin.
We were one of the first boats across the start line, choosing a longer tack to escape the dirty air and use the marginal current out of Southampton. At the first mark, we got caught in a tussle between two boats in our class, which delayed us a bit.
The downwind leg was dodgy, but our tidal strategy to stay in the lee of Bramble Bank kept us in the leading pack. At the second mark, we headed straight for the center of the channel to catch the strong tide to the next mark.
Another tricky downwind leg followed, with several classes bunched up, fighting a strong tide and weak wind. After what seemed like hours in the beating sun, we finally edged over the mark and jibed towards the next.
We were still near the front, but losing ground. We raced a tanker out of Southampton and managed to get ahead while the others stalled. Unfortunately, Poseidon wasn’t on our side, and we were gradually overtaken. After hours of racing, we finished in ninth place.
Team Knowall were worried racing might be abandoned again. The heat was stifling, and the sun was unforgiving. Another day holding our nerve waiting for the sea breeze which eventually filled in just after midday.
With many classes off our start line, we didn’t start until 15:25. We had a poor start, dead last across the line. Facing a 4-mile upwind slog against an increasing tide, we knew it was going to be a long day. Navigation favoured a tighter line closer to the island, while the helmsman preferred going out into the stronger tide to catch more wind and avoid frequent tacking.
Midrace, the course was shortened, and the time limit was rapidly approaching before we had even rounded the first mark. After nearly two hours, we finally got around it.
With the next mark now the finish line and the tide with us, we steamed ahead, finishing in a consistent eighth place.
The navy also wanted to play helicopters.
It was the final day of a hot and sunny week in Cowes, and the forecast looked promising with winds picking up to 20-22 knots. We were set for a great day of racing.
We got off to a good start, benefiting from a strong tide. The whole class crossed the start line together, with some boats hugging the island coast and losing tide and wind. Most of us went wide into the channel to capitalize on the strong tide and winds.
We rounded the first mark quickly, thanks to the strong tide, sitting in 3rd place. Pulling away from the pack, we gained on the leaders. Some boats opted to goosewing their mainsail and jib due to the strong wind, but it only slowed them down.
We overtook second place nearing the second mark, but a minor technical issue prevented us from taking the lead. Our upwind leg was slightly weak, and we overshot the mark, allowing second place to edge in. As we approached the penultimate mark, we were neck and neck with second place.
The downwind leg was exhilarating. Second place went wide and got caught in dirty air from the fleet, allowing us to overtake by a large margin. Near the finish line, things got tense as we tried to squeeze through a small gap between an almost-beached boat and a testy first place.
We crossed the finish line in second, but our handicap placed us fifth, just 2 seconds away from third. Post-race discussions concluded that our boat excels in stronger winds, but we were unlucky with the light winds all week. Overall, we finished 7th for the week.
