Isle of Sheppy Race 2002

- 40 miles in total and this year
entered by 2 Blazes from Burghfield SC

Its a different sort of race and claims to be the longest dinghy race run in the country, and it feels it. This is my recollection of this years race written a couple of days later.

The 'slows' started 30 minutes before us in almost zero wind. Fortunately just 5 minutes before us 'mediums' got away the wind came along F 2-3 giving us a tight fetch for the first 10 miles - it then tightened up a bit on the 'fasts' and the Cat's that came 30 and 60 minutes later. Within just over an hour we were up near the front of the 'slows'. The tide was also running with us and we had made very fast progress on the sea side of the island in these first miles. I've done it before (4th in 93 in an Iso) and knew you had to cut the corner at the east end of the island as close as you dare to do well. Luckily got talking to a couple of local 'old seadogs' discussing how close to go in before leaving the shore - the consensus was about 1 mile out and I eyeballed a lateral mark at the end of the Swale on their chart to give me some reference point. Still its always a little nail-bitting when you do it - thank goodness we have 'knock back' foils.

When we got to this first 'corner' about 10 miles into the race we bore away onto a broad reach. It was important to make sure the rudder was not 'tied down' here to ensure the race did not end on the sand banks - medium fast planing in the waves now. Nearly cut it too fine when the seabirds ahead seemed to be floating but 100m off them I realised they were walking on an offlying bank ! Rudder just in contact a couple of times at speed by now but had succeeded in cutting the corner on all the remaining 'slows'. The dagger board boats really have to be careful here or be completely nuts. Got near the hoped for lateral mark and bore away into the marked channel up the Swale estuary now leading on the water at least (but still about 25 miles to go) and onto a dead run in moderate waves. This is now about 100 minutes by now into the race and much use of Steve Cockerill's downwind technique in waves got exploited (thanks Steve). Ran like this for about 45 minutes before finally gybing onto Starboard. Paul Taylor (640) on his first rounding attempt was following my track but a few hundred metres behind. We seemed clear of all followers but was always aware of just how quickly the Cats' and fast asymmetrics could appear behind.

The next hour or so was a reach in variable wind trying to go the shortest route up the narrowing channel and avoiding the worst of the still ebbing tide. At some points I thought I was heading up the wrong channel which at low water can lead to a dead end but got lucky and kept on track. In the distance behind there was by now a sea of colour from the many spinnakers in the distance. Got to keep pushing but it's nackering after several hours.

Eventually one very tall rig overhauled Paul and headed for me. This was about 2 miles before the bridge which connects the mainland to the Island. It was a Tornado Sport and there was obviously no stopping them - they had already made up 1 hour on me and just swooped by ! Got to the bridge as leading monohull and there the shore team helps put your boat its side and wade it between a couple of the spans. Getting fairly tired by this point and was out of drinking water after 3.5 hours but still had to work hard and concentrate. Paul just visible in the distance behind and the rest of the fleet out of sight around a couple of the bends beyond him. Had an interesting time negotiating the next couple of reaches around various water skiers, power boats etc. The tide was by now flooding as the river progressed towards the Medway and had to put in a series of rapid tacks in some moorings to clear one corner. After all this time I had still only swopped sides around the boat twice before. This part had occasional planing but mostly in and out on the wings in semi-displacement mode. Eventually out into the Medway and spent much of the next 45 minutes pushing the tide past the docks and out into the open sea again. A lot more sails were now in sight behind and the fast ones were catching up swiftly. Getting round the corner was relatively difficult as its too easy to get out of the Medway but well on your way to London on the tide.

The watch said it was now just over 5 hours elapsed and the line was in sight a couple of miles upwind. This is again a fetch into the NE F2-3 and I've suddenly got two more chasers. Its another fast Cat and an RS600 who must have made half an hour on me given his later start time. The Cat gets me on the line but this one is no problem on handicap and the 600 is a couple of hundred metres behind. Elapsed time overall is a smidgen over 5 hours and 20 minutes. I know its all down to the handicappers and later finishers at this point but the conditions have really suited the Blaze and there is more than a glimmer of hope. However the Tornado Sport finished nearly 30 minutes in front having started an hour behind - he's got around in 3 hours and 50 minutes. Seem to have attracted a couple of young female fans by now - lots of photo's and "Can we talk to you?" Sure you can .... and the short lived fantasy comes to a rapid end when they turn out to be from the local papers. I'm even asked how old can I possibly be. Well, the answer I should have given is "Old enough to know better!" but dehydrated and only just standing after pulling the boat ashore I responded rather more accurately but less eloquently. Still I'll probably be back next year.

A couple of hours later they were still coming in but at the end of a long race Paul and I, pints of shandy in hand by now, were able to reflect on a very enjoyable but hard days sailing on one of the better late Summer days.

The last boats took nearly 9 hours to get around to much applause when they finally made it. All get certificates just for completing the course. For the record there were 70 entries and yes - I did win on handicap overall by a few minutes from the '600' with Paul Taylor close behind in third. The Tornado finished about 15 places down once the handicappers applied a number somewhere in the mid six hundreds. Its has been a good year for singlehanders and the front is dominated by non-spinnaker boats. Several competitors are now off to look at the Blaze with a view to purchase for next season so we feel very satisfied.

Its a great event and we hope that in 2003 we can get a few more Blazes along. However our view is that we should only 'go' if conditions are relatively benign as its pretty demanding in good conditions let alone difficult ones. So how was it for you last Sunday ?

Cheers - Mike Lyons '654'