Solo Nations Cup at the Yacht Club de Carnac – Day 2
by Will Loy Jun 20 17:28 UTC
June 18-21, 2022
Tom Gillard leads the fleet after day 2 of the Solo Nation’s Cup in Carnac © Will Loy
Competitors arrived in a soggy YC Carnac, the morning continental style storm leaving a British style summer vibe, 16 degrees and gray in its wake. So I expected the Brits to be rubbing their hands in anticipation, but a few days of sunny holidays and restaurant food had clearly weakened their resolve and softened their spirits.
The Dutch on the other hand were doing star jumps to the boom box which was producing some dubstep, these boys also enjoy the breeze and it was blowing at 25-30 knots around 9am but it should soften throughout the day. Marc Dieben did a few push-ups, not because he has the physique of a triathlete and didn’t smoke anything aromatic, he was filmed to be sent to UK class president Patrick Burns, their personal battle for supremacy began before they hit the water.
There was some frustration over time, the 11am start time was delayed but we raced in a breeze stronger than the course’s 25 knots. I believe the postponement was due to sea conditions rather than pressure, so we waited patiently, warming our hands and sipping the perfectly brewed YC Carnac coffee.
Patrick, our PRO finally lowered the AP around 12:45 and a wave of excitement and anticipation swept through the fleet. but with a few who felt intimidated by the still angry sea.
I jumped on board my semi-rigid, skilfully positioned at high tide by my pilot, Miss Claude who clearly has the necessary PB2 and we propelled towards the starting area.
Race 1
The windward mark was positioned somewhere around 065, I hadn’t noted the actual real time compass bearing, but later in the day it would be moved counterclockwise to 050, then to 035, so 065 is my rough estimate.
I positioned my rib in the safety triangle just forward of the committee boat, so turf law dictated that the end of the hairpin would be preferred. The force of the wind, 18-22 knots according to my estimate and the waves were irregular in direction and in height.
A good start and the fleet is fully fueled, the taller and leaner sailors enjoy the test but you also need to be fit and at the top it’s Tom Gillard, all 5ft 6 of him rounding with a thin ahead of Menno Huisman and Ian Hopwood with Tim Law, Iain McGregor and Chris Brown rounding out the top five. I was slightly disappointed with the choice of the windward/downwind course as I could have had some epic shots of what would have been an exciting reach and gybe but “Ce la vie”.
At the leeward gate, Gillard was still in the lead, with Law going further and claiming second place ahead of Huisman, Hopwood and Brown. The Flying Dutchman improved to take the lead at some point on the second lap, but Gillard was able to come back on the last downwind to claim his first championship shot from Huisman, Law, Hopwood and Brown.
Race 2
The breeze had eased a notch and was now hovering around 18 knots as the fleet set off for Race 2.
I positioned myself at the end of the pin and was rewarded with a great view of the fleet as they lined up for the start and with 10 seconds to go I would have called a General but the PRO called “everything clear”, which was a relief for the 30 or more who weren’t, IMO!
Impossible to have a cigarette paper between Law and Gillard and with the fleet tacking in unison, it was over for those of the boat Committee. Inland Champion Chris Brown led in Mark 1 with Law and Gillard hot on his heels, Huisman, Hopwood and Van Horey rounded out the top five. Brown had returned to the settings that saw him win the Inlands in 2021 and that was clearly helping.
Law won the inside line near the gate and the leading peloton headed left as the wind was also blowing in that direction.
The breeze was smoother now and it was essential to keep the hull under tension through the steep waves while maintaining a lane. Law took some small headers and extended over the top of the second lap, which provided him with some much-needed respite on the final stage. Huisman, Horey, Gillard and Brown complete the top five.
Race 3
The spit end was occupied again and it was no surprise when the general recall rib whistled, but the main body if the miscreants were actually mid-line, so even if not not a consolation, a pat on the back for all those unlucky sailors at the end of the spit.
The black flag restart was deemed all clear, Ted Bakker nailed it on the pin end as the breeze continued to die. Clearly the left was good as Bakker first crossed the top mark of Paul Bartlett, he of the yellow-hulled Winder, Roel Den Herder, the Dutch Solo Chairman, Roger Lumby (who had a stormer) and Mark Lee. Other guys we don’t mention as often included Roger Guess and David Greening, so a strong Salcombe presence at the time.
The race was tedious and temperamental, with the fleet splitting left and right in an attempt to stay under pressure and out of the wind shadow presented by 60 odd Solo sails.
Bartlett sank low and took the lead at the bottom of the lee gate, I was unable to film so my reporting of who was where is not without error so sorry for those I don’t mention. I had been busy holding a large plank with the new compass bearing as the wind had shifted to the left and a temporary buoy had been dropped at 035, the previous position being 050.
We patiently waited for the last Solo to come through the gate before moving upwind so I could catch up on the action. My pilot took us so far to the left that I assumed we were at the wing mark of a triangle course, the little milk bottle bouncing up and down like an excited child at the circus, but it was actually the new upwind brand. I moaned and exhaled, this was going to be one of those races.
The leading peloton had gone further to the right and seeing the fleet below them reach the mark must have made their eyes water and their stomachs racing. The big winners were current Aero National Champion Jack Lewis, Alex Butler, Brown and Gillard, names I didn’t expect to mention in this race report even though Brown is the Indoor Champion.
Bartlett, Bakker, Van Horey to name a few weren’t lucky enough to be fair, the temporary mark was barely visible and blended in perfectly with the backdrop of the town of Carnac.
The drama wasn’t over as the top three raced through the bottom gate to the finish line. Lewis went low first, then high to defend against Butler but Gillard, his head in the moment was able to dive under both, jibe and dodge the line like Usain Bolt never had to. So, Gillard, Butler, Lewis. Brown took fourth ahead of Innes Armstrong who will be delighted with that result in the sack.
The wind died down completely and we were sent ashore before later enjoying a BBQ which obviously got lost in translation as it was like a pork and potato stew.
Patrick Burns again presided over the draw with the help of Mark Harper from Rooster and there were some superb Rooster prizes, most of which would have gone to the Salcombe fleet but sadly they had gone to a much more salubrious venue although we spotted them trolling an ice cream vendor earlier this week.
Winners included Justine Davenport, Annabel Jones-Lawrie, Innes Armstrong, Shaun Welsh, Chris Brown and Tom Gillard who looked particularly made up as the Rooster bottle holder fit his scooter perfectly.
A big thank you to Rooster for your prizes and your great event T-shirts.
While the results posted included a gap, this is an error and all results count until tomorrow so Gillard leads with Brown, Law and Butler tied for second.
The forecast (which as I write this at the end of Day 3 I know is correct) is looking light so anything can happen!
