Training Weekend & goings on

Lots of activity at Queen Mary recently with some members of the squadron sadly leaving us but also new members joining.  Chris Anstead sold his Bladerider last weekend as he is emigrating to Australia (beware Australian's he has been known to sail extremely hungover and has said he may get a Mach 2 or something whilst down under).  We've had a few Mach 2's join the club & so numbers are pretty steady at the moment.  Doug has also fitted his new Ninja foils and seems to be going a fair bit quicker, even pulling off a few foiling tacks last weekend when we were out.

This Easter weekend myself, Leigh, Andrew and Paul were down at the club at various points trying to get the early season tuning out of the way.  I'm gradually getting through the new boat niggles with my 2012 Ninja and so far I'm pleased to say she seems pretty quick.  She foils early, is very easy to tack but somewhat unforgiving when you dig the nose in - a proper Diva.  Today we competed in the club's new personal handicap series which was interesting.  We sailed an 'M' course in windy conditions, Andrew was the only one to make the start in the first race.  The second 6 lap race was great fun with myself and Andrew frequently swapping places on both the upwind and downwind legs before Andrew performed a ventilation fuelled dismount 2 laps from the finish.  I ended up getting awarded a personal PY handicap of 600 and I think Andrew was awarded 630, will be interesting to see if we can still compete on other course configurations with those.  

Next weekend is the first UK training event of the season at Queen Mary and is a great opportunity for new comers to the class as well as more experienced helms to improve their boathandling, racing and tuning skills.  There will be a number of experienced coaches available to help out with on and off the water advice, and hopefully some video footage so that we can do full debriefs each day following sailing.  Queen Mary is a great place for those new to the boat to learn those essential skills in a safe environment.  Whilst most clubs in the country were blown out today, even with a forecast of 30 knots myself, Andrew and Paul were still out competing in club racing making the most of the 'Garda of London'.  We hope to see as many of you here as possible!