Did Anyone do the RORC Cowes Dinard St Malo Race This Year?

Was meant to be doing it on Nota Bene in IRC 2 but SWMBO had other ideas at the last minute! (I was pushing my luck a bit with the amount of weekends away sailing at the time I suppose). A few of my mates did though, I'll ask and get back to you.
 
Twister_Ken said:
I've had a few DNFs in my time. Usually due to boredom.
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Yes. I wondered if they ran out of puff or got blown away. In the case of Soutache, a massive Nicholson it would take a hurricane and the finely tuned Prima 38 should have coped with almost anything. Given that most finished it didn't seem that either scenario was correct. Perhaps they decided to leave a bit of the course out?

By a curious coincidence I've been on board both vessels.I've been shown round Soutache, by the owner when she was at Holyhead, I've also been on board Sailplane, a Prima 38.
 
savageseadog said:
In the case of Soutache, a massive Nicholson it would take a hurricane
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I saw Soutache before she was rebuilt and what a mess she was then. Fabulous boat now. She was moored at Campers Gosport for a year or two before her present owner bought her and I think that's her home port now.
 
Finally got an answer from one of my mates.

Apparently the start was a little bit blowy, F6-7, not a boat breaker but as they were keen and pushing it a bit they lost a foresail early on (shouldn't imagine this was the reason for the IRC 1 DNFs though) it then eased into a steady F5 for the rest of the race.

The biggest factor was the wind was on the nose from the Needles onwards. They missed their original ETA at St Malo by a significant margin having to pretty much beat the whole way down. Chances are the DNFs decided on a nice weekend in Alderney or Cherbourg rather than bash upwind through the night. As Ken says, quite possibly boredom.

As I said, wasn't there myself :( but hope this helps solve your mystery somewhat.
 
Thanks Emsworthy, no breakages then?

I remember doing a low blow race to Howth (near Dublin) once. We did the last 50 odd miles with the Yanmar to find the banquet kindly supplied by Howth sailing club all to ourselves. A positive blow out ensued.
 
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Just spoken to the Nav/Tactician who had a slightly different story to tell, although he assures me he was on the same boat as the crew I spoke to yesterday!

Apparently there was a squall off the Needles that caught a few out overcanvassed (including Nota Bene who blew out her no.1) so may have been some retirees there. Then a slow beat upwind to Casquets whereupon they were headed by a windshift resulting in another beat to St Malo. They were practically standing still for almost two hours and a lot of the bigger fleet apparently turned tail for St Peter Port and had a great time!

My guys had a table booked in St Malo for 2030 that evening (fat chance!) but instead just snuck into St Malo 0120 the next morning... hungry, tired and wet!

So it would seem that the sensible choice was taken by a few... St Peter Port!! :D

Mystery solved?
 
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