Its died a little! No it hasn't!

** Blog update. You should be able to make comments now, without having a Google Id or any of that nonsense. So start making comments or I'll think that nobody has an interest and stop posting!**

So an interesting race at Slipper today, with 35 boats on the water for the penultimate Hare and Hounds race.  20 finished, 15 retired.

Prior to the start, the wind had been moderating nicely to a F4-5.  Vicky Gould was almost looking forward to sailing, Hugh and I were surveying the scene and concluding that it looked perfect.  With the wind due to moderate through the course of the day it seemed ideal conditions, albeit a little cold.  What do these forecasters know:

We started at 11:55, by 12:05 we had a somewhat gusty F5-6 for the upwind/downwind legs, and a F2-6 gusty wind for the reaching legs.  You may be getting the impression that I wasn't impressed by the conditions and you would be right!

An interesting choice of course saw the fleet sailing up and down the channel twice, with much angst sailing through the moored boats to Echo.  Anyway, some highlights of the day:

- Hugh Watson and Steve Chesney win the race by nearly two minutes in their Fireball, sailing really quick upwind.  Great to see a conventionally spinnakered boat winning a race.
- Dave Acres shows great resilience to place 2nd in his 300.  Dave capsized at the end of the first run, but ploughed through the fleet in the windy 2nd lap, taking Hugh Kennedy before Echo.  Great sailing, and good to see one of my 300 brethren in the top 3.
- Andy and Vicky Gould capsize for the first time in five years.  So it must have been windy.
- Sam Tweedle places first Laser in his Radial, beating all but one of the Lasers over the water.
- Paul and Caroline Fisk keep placing solid results in all conditions, this time a 4th place.
- Special mention to John and Simon in the Laser Stratos.  Fortunately for the rest of the fleet they missed the line at the end of the first lap (along with RS 400s 689 and 792), otherwise they would have placed 5th overall.

So that concludes the Hare and Hounds Saturday series, good sailing in a mix of conditions.