Four teams of 3 came together at Guildford Model Yacht Club’s Abbey Meads lake in a good westerly breeze to enjoy some fun. There is a schedule which allows 2 teams on the water at once and the schedule is completed when each team has sailed against each other team, a total of 6 races, with each team sailing 3 times. 2 rounds were sailed before the rain started to come down heavily and bring the racing to a close.
Team racing is much more of a game than the normal run of racing, because team members have to sail well together to stay ahead of the opposing team; both teams try to go fast, but also slowly at times using the rules to slow down the opposition and try not to have a team member coming last. It is a tactical game where knowing the rules is important and therefore it is a good platform for learning.
First on the water was the Vice Squad consisting of father, Rob and his 2 sons, CJ and Lockie. They have been team racing before with Footys and really enjoyed the racing helping each other round the course. Their opponents were Datchet’s Holliday and Thorn who had to borrow a competitor from another team as one of their team didn’t turn up. Datchet lost, but stayed on the water to race Frensham’s Stollery, Royse and Wilkinson, who finished in that order to win. They stayed on the water to sail the Vice Squad and there was UPROAR at the front of the fleet with Rob and Roger having a tight match race to get the first place, which went to Roger, which gave the win to Frensham. The Vice Squad stayed on the water and were again in a tight battle and only just lost to the Guildford team of Hugh McAdoo, Martin Crysell and Alan Viney, with CJ going particularly well to beat his dad. Guildford, then had to sail Datchet and won quite easily, before doing the same to Frensham.
After lunch the wind got up a bit and brought some exciting gusts down onto the water to test the B or C rigs being used. The schedule was repeated with almost all results being opposite to the morning. Datchet did particularly well, mainly because the substitutes were very good and they won all their afternoon races. In particular, they were behind until right near the end of the final beat against Guildford, when substitute, Roger, picked up some amazing lifts and passed the whole fleet, which had gone too far off the rhum line to give Guildford, their only loss of the day.
Guildford won with 5 wins, Datchet was 2nd with 3 and the other 2 teams tied for last place with 2 wins. At the prizegiving the competitors thanked Keith Parrott for acting as race officer for the day. Guildford always encourage those who are last to come back for more, and in this case gave the 3 small prizes to the Vice Squad. It was great to see these young kids enjoying the racing. In particular CJ sailing his CRAZY TUBE always made good starts and put lots of pressure on the more experienced sailors at the head of the fleet.
Three boat team racing is such great fun that more clubs need to be encouraged get a team together and to take part in next year’s entertainment.
