Our Second Regatta
Last weekend we went up to Oxford Sailing Club to participate in our second regatta in two weeks. it was a two-day event but we decided to go there a couple of days early so we could work on a few issues we were having.
With five races planned over the two days we knew we were going to have some good competition. This event was only open to UK sailors so there where five teams in attendance. with a light breeze of about 6 Mph on the Saturday we knew that this was going to be slow racing. These are the minimum conditions which the SKUD can go out in as there is a 140 kg keel weighing the boat down and so we prefer a little more wind to work
Even though our boat is probably the oldest out of the five it is still one of the fastest. It was our intention to try and come in the top three but we just missed out on this. Considering we have only been training regularly for the last six weeks we had some excellent races.Most of the other competitors in this regatta had been sailing the SKUD for over a year so we were delighted when we were leading a race by a significant margin. We have been struggling with our downwind tactics as neither Peter nor I have used a asymmetric spinnaker before. This is something we are working on.
We came forth in this regatta but we had to third places which we were satisfied with.
Ellen MacArthur says:
Geoff Holt says:
“Despite Keith’s obvious challenges in life, he’s one of the most driven people I know – I like that – it kind of reminds me of myself. He has an obvious talent for sailing and a particular aptitude for racing. And with the right boat and the right technology to overcome his physical limitations, he will prove that he has the determination and skill to earn the right to compete with the best”.