VR Team News

Great photos from this year's Youths in Pwllheli c/o Bob Aldous-Horne.

Photos

VR Gul Race Team Update....just one more Class to be announced tonight. The VR Gul Race Team are now sailing in all these classes:

* Topper

* 420

* Laser Radial

* Cadet

* 29er

* Phantom

* Musto Skiff

Who will it be......

UK 29ER HARKEN GRAND PRIX 2012 SERIES - VR GUL RACE TEAM REPORT PART II Report by Rob and Emma Loveridge

Bearing in mind that one of our targets for 2012 is to qualify for the 29er Eurosaf event this summer, the fact that this Rutland GP was a secondary selector for that event made it a good target regatta for early on in the season, but also a good warm-up for the Youth Nationals in two weeks’ time.

Sixty boats showed up for the event – a large number for a GP, and this resulted in the races being flighted.

The first days racing saw about 10 knots of wind from the South West, a relatively consistent wind at Rutland, however shifts still played a key role up wind, and gust-spotting was crucial downwind. We began with a solid 2nd, after an average start, and then gybing in the lanes of wind on the downwind legs. This was a very long race, with 3 laps, and not very much wind around the long course, but despite this, the top 3 boats were all within a boat length of one another at the bottom mark, and after having lead into the last top mark, it was annoying that we lost a place on the final downwind. The second race was far more forgettable for us, and after some fairly mediocre sailing, we settled for a 10th… which of course is more like a 20th when you factor in the flighting aspect. Regardless, where we ended up was of little consequence in the end, as it turned out we were OCS… oops. Nevertheless, we came into the 3rd and 4th races with flying starts and lovely fleet management, resulting in 4th and 3rd respectively. After the 4th race, we went in, still nice and warm in the great new Gul kit. We ended up 7th overnight, with 9 points, still very close to the top bunch, but with a large discard making us vulnerable on the next day.

Sunday saw a rather strange Easterly wind, accompanied by some rain. We started the first race with high hopes having prepared well for the conditions, and after a nice starboard start and early tack on to port, we looked to be in a good position. However, after tacking on a 10 degree header, and getting continually lifted, we quickly found ourselves stuck on the left of the course, which sadly, was not paying for us at all - to such an extent, that we were in fact last at one stage. Fortunately, a gust came through at the last minute, saving us some embarrassment, making us about 5th last at the top windward mark – now in sub 2-knot conditions. With the whole fleet having gybe set, and this new breeze filling in left, we straight set and made our way up to 10th place, just as they abandoned the race. In a somewhat better mood, we sat around waiting for a more consistent wind to fill in from the North. Being a very consistent direction at Rutland, we saw shifts of only about 5 degrees in the one race we sailed, and very few gusts, with a wind speed of about 12 knots. After utilising the starboard bias, we rapidly identified our priorities as fleet management and boat speed and in doing so we gained top 3 to the windward mark. After a great race, and having just nipped ahead of fellow team mates Phil and John on the finish line, we gained a 2nd – a great way to make up a few more places in the final results.

After the racing, we got changed and waited another hour or so, thankful that we weren’t in race 2, as the wind had completely died. Later, we were very happy to have gained 5th prize in the overall standings – wearing our VR jackets with pride.

As we are no longer eligible for the junior prize, as of last week, we must constantly look for the top places, and this event alongside the Winter Championships and Spanish Eurocup, have been a very promising start to the year, and a great way to come into the Youth Nationals.