Winter Series Wivenhoe 12th January 2020
Winter Series Wivenhoe 12th January 2020
Windy conditions met us for the next round of the winter series at Wivenhoe.
Would the racing go ahead or not? With strong gusts of up 24 mph all competitors were nervous that the call to cancel would be revealed. When the coxes briefing was called we all held our breath………….
Yes the racing would go ahead!!
This was great news, fortunately on this occasion, Wivenhoe are not blessed with a wide expanse of water so the racing was to be done by single starts for each Gig, 1 minute apart. The results would be a time trail, this mitigated the wind as there would be no clashes at turns or cause collisions at a mass start.
Time trials are interesting as you never know where you are in the race. Your only point of reference is the Gig behind and whether it is closing on you. So its you against yourself!
We gathered patiently just passed the flood barrier, in relative calm water waiting for our start time to arrive. We remembered not to collide with the 16.9 m barrier gates as they each weighed 100 tonnes, there would only be one winner there.
As our start approached, we de-robed our red club fleeces exposing our bare arms into the cold January air. Then over the radio...10, 9, 8…. go! We were away, a good start, the first leg down to the turn buoy we had wind behind us. As we pulled away from the start line the next Gig was lining up. They would be our bench mark, keep that minute gap! A good row passing the sand barge following the channel markers. Moored yachts came into view as we progressed against the tide. All rowing in sequence the rhythm felt good, this was going to be a good race. We reached the turn buoy in about 10 minutes, our cox navigated it superbly bringing us around for the home stretch. Suddenly the wind picked up blowing straight onto our bow. Wow what a different that made! The wind resistance was such that we needed to grit our teeth and dig deep into our reserves to pull through it. About halfway back to the finish line the wind subsided as the sheltered banks of Wivenhoe approached.
We passed the line exhausted , given everything, the cold air was now welcome as we needed to cool off. Then comes the rush enjoyment of what we had just done, what a fantastic sport.
We moored up on the jetty and made our way to the wonderful Wivenhoe sailing club. They had made us very welcome on this day. The hot food, cakes, tea/coffee and beer slipped down easily as we looked to replace some of those calories burnt off.
A great day despite the conditions, thank you Wivenhoe we enjoyed that.
