JACK LANGDON TROPHY RACE, 24 October, 2004

As a reverse handicap, yesterday’s race was a bit of a bust. At 1000 it was a fine sunny

day with little or no wind. We delayed the scratch boat to 1030 but as there were only

seven boats out with a rating range of 158 to 137, plus FINAL DASH at 110, most boats

were away within a 10-minute spread. Add to this the very light conditions and fifteen

minutes after the start we were all within 100 yards of each other.

As usual, FANDANGO throve in these conditions and built up an early lead that was

never threatened from start to finish. A brilliant, if somewhat lonely race for this well-sailed

vessel. For the rest of us it was short tacking along the Salt Spring shore to Batt Rock in a

vain attempt to stay out of the strong flooding tide. YEOMAN elected to go north to find a

better wind while FINAL DASH and ALACRITY worked through the earlier starters. At Batt

Rock it was (I think) FANDANGO, YEOMAN,FINAL DASH, ALACRITY, QUESTO,

SOUL DANCER and WESTWIND.

By now the wind had improved and a close/beam reach to and through Captain Passage

and on to Ben Mohr was enjoyed. Most boats tried spinnakers but they were of maginal

value. On the return leg the trick was to stay close to the Prevost shore and keep out of

the tide. At Batt Rock, on the return, FANDANGO had further stretched out her formidable

lead and it looked as if even FINAL DASH would have difficulty catching her before the

line. YEOMAN and ALACRITY were battling it out and WESTWIND had moved ahead of

SOUL DANCER. Somewhere along the course we had lost QUESTO.

This was the race order at the finish. About 100 yards from the line YEOMAN, hard on

ALACRITY’s stern, attempted to pass to windward but a brief veering of the wind rather

spoiled that adventure.

There are no finish times for reverse handicap but I will show the ‘nominal’ starting times.

Bob Jones

ALACRITY