Red Witch

Some of you may be aware of the recent passing of Daniel Wyatt, skipper of Escapade SP100. The following article was written by Daniel and published in the November 2018 edition of Soundings. The last paragraph in particular captures Daniel’s enthusiasm and joy of sailing as he recounted his winning of the Patron’s Trophy during the 2017/2018 season. The Red Witch fleet will miss his generous nature and friendly smile.

Vale Daniel.

Escapade Report by Daniel Wyatt

Unfortunately, and despite best intentions, the skipper and crew of Escapade didn't manage to take part in any Frostbite racing but have already vowed to make a better effort next year. Part of the reason was a lack of a useable boom, but in truth the off season went by far too quickly thanks to a combination of scout camps, family weekends away and a busy work and travel schedule.

Some minor maintenance was performed in the lead up to the Opening Day race - a light sand and quick top coat on the keel as well as some elbow-grease and polish to remove most of the remaining evidence on the hull of contact with various objects including jetty's, marker buoys and possibly other boats during last season. We're not sure why these objects keep jumping out in front of us.

Another task undertaken during the off-season was to get the shroud tensions a bit more consistent on both sides of the boat and to use a plum-bob to make sure that the mast was perpendicular to the transverse plane of the boat - it wasn't by a long shot. I also invested in a Loos Pro Rig Tension Gauge to get some real data as the manual "shroud twanging" method wasn't working for me and it has certainly helped achieve consistent tensions on each side of the boat. The only question remaining is what are the absolute values of shroud tension we should be aiming for to optimise the rig? If anyone has answers then I am willing to sit at the bar with you for as long as it takes to trade drinks for information! Please also note that the tension gauge is freely available for the use of anyone at any time. PLEASE borrow it as it will make me feel a lot better about the size of the initial investment if we can get the average dollar cost per tension measurement down from the stratosphere to something more reasonable with increased use.

The main effort expended during the off-season was to fabricate a new boom to replace the well-used, bent, dog-legged and slightly twisted but loveable old spar that did the job last season. A new length of K02 section was procured from Taskers as well as some cast end plugs from Keeley Marine. After some cutting and drilling, a few coats of 2-pack gloss white and some new fittings the new boom has come up nicely.

Instead of riveting the main sheet fitting to the boom and creating a weak point at a highly stressed location we've spliced some Dyneema to create a continuous loop which is attached to the boom with a Prussick knot to create a new main sheet attachment point. Hopefully this will help spread the stress a bit more evenly at this point on the boom, but we'll keep an eye on it for the first few races to see how it performs.

With one season now under our belt and some small improvements made to Escapade, our semi-experienced crew is feeling optimistic about being a bit more competitive this season.

For opening day, we were the first boat to cross the start line on the drop of 3 minutes and we subsequently lead the fleet for the first half of the race with about 59 other vessels in hot pursuit. It's a great feeling being out in front and it creates a different mindset than if you are consistently at the back of the fleet trying to catch-up. It was great fun for our crew and for that reason we like the pursuit format for the opportunity to lead the race and put pressure on ourselves to maintain the lead. Winning the flag for first place in our class was very exciting and a great reward for our efforts, but the main surprise of the day was being announced as the winner of the Patron's Trophy as well! It was the best start to the sailing season we could have hoped for and we're really looking forward to another fun year ahead with the good people of the Red Witch fleet.

Oracle Report by Peter Gillett

After four seasons of sailing in the Red Witch fleet, my son, Blake, and I finally managed to string together enough results to win the Red Witch Club Championship. However, it was not without its challenges or the constant threat of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. So, what did we learn?

First, never give up! The sailing in the Red Witch fleet has been getting closer and closer over the last few season with all boats now pushing the leaders, making for exciting class sailing. With that in mind, even when behind we always gave ourselves a chance if we could stay in touch with the leading boat. That approach saw us get off to a great start in Race 1 when we snuck in front of Striker and Shenanigans between Thelma and the finish line to snatch victory by 20 seconds.

Second, with the sailing being so close, mistakes can be costly. One easy mistake to avoid is knowing where the marks are! We were well in front in the second last race which, if we had won, would have secured the club championship. However, after mistaking Bond for Deepwater Spit and not realising until nearly at Addison (after being politely advised!), we retired. Embarrassing, but a lesson well learnt!

Third, communication is one of the keys to fast sailing. After a season of mistakes and some thoughtful reflection, my son and I realised our best results had come on days when we had communicated well. Whether it be discussing tactics prior to the start or talking about rounding the next mark well before getting there, good communication is a key element of good sailing. Most importantly, perhaps, is communicating well when things go wrong so that less time is lost and tempers less frayed.

Now the challenge is to consistently apply what we’ve learnt!

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