First Team Racing of the Year
Published 11:43 on 13 May 2022
Sunday 8th May saw SVYCs annual team race against The Bar (think legal eagles, not G&T) in beautiful champagne-sailing conditions.
Multiple back to back races, with both sides fielding 2 teams of three boats.
The Bar started well winning the initial race, demonstrating that they had some excellent helms in their team this year (some of whom it turned out, were international sailors).
The second race saw the Club win one back, with some spirited racing by the CofM managing to pull off a very hairy downwind manoeuvre that put two opposition boats behind him at the finish.
The next race saw Noel Dobbs demonstrate why hes clearly one of the best Mermaid racers in the Country, putting us one ahead.
At this point the reasonably steady easterly decided to play tricks on everyone making the downwind legs for the next two races a slight lottery, but some great sailing by Ian Prideaux gave another advantage to the Club. Nick Wakefield sailed a great race in the 5th and Johnny King and RComS sailed fantastically tactical races in the 7th and 8th. The result a dead heat, both teams tying on 84 points.
Everyone agreed this was a fair and representative result with the quality of the racing quite excellent from both sides.
All also had fun and many of the crews (some of whom would describe themselves as Robb Racers) who had volunteered to join the Club team and who were not experienced Team racers, agreed that Team racing brought a new and really exciting dimension to Mermaid sailing.
Thanks to all who represented the club and to Biz, Min and Caspar who laid on such good racing and to the Clubs F&B crew who entertained all the sailors so ably.