The 2018 Harbourmaster’s Race was run on 18 August, with 19 adult NSC sailors competing in children’s Open Bics and every move critiqued by the landlubbers on the deck. Winds were (as always in the harbour) light and variable, with wind shifts at the stern of every moored keelboat. Congrats to the winner Kieran Whalen-Hughes.
Thank-you to our RC of Barbara James, Fiona M-G and Duncan G; to our race bosuns John, Sam & David for equipment-wrangling; to Ross for live commentary.
NSC staff demonstrated enthusiasm & leadership, with 3 race bosuns trying an Open Bic & indoor bosun Alex having his first (?) sail. David Mincoff achieved the best result for our staff.
Sailing styles included basking seal (lying athwart), crouching tiger (hunched under the boom, ducking on every tack), and kangaroo (hopping madly from side to side to pump along the channel). Massive controversy this year, with DSQ’s for excessive pumping – but special pleading allowed the sailors to re-sail.
We ran the races in 4 heats of 4 to 6 boats, 2 semis, and a 5-boat final. First heat had easy reaches up & down the channel between A and W docks allowing your fleet captain to lay down the fastest time of the day. However, the winds swung and the remaining races had to claw their way upwind, tacking every 4 boat lengths. The windicators on moored boats had little relationship to wind direction at lake-level. With light air & high skill, there were sadly few capsizes. Both turning marks were set in weeds & dead air behind the lighthouse berm, because adults in children’s boats isn’t difficult enough already.
It’s NSC’s most ludicrous & spectator friendly event – watch the calendar for the 2019 event.