Alderney Race Report from Whistler

Report from Whistler (Class 4)

After a flirtation with some round the cans stuff and even a double handed race, Team Whistler were looking forward to a bash across the channel and even a little bit of wind (well that was in the early part of the week). Excitement was building when, with less than 30 hours to go to the start, just as the skipper was off for some "store visits", a mail arrived from the bowman dropping out of the race - aaaah! This caused the skipper to miss his second favourite occupation - drinks, as he swung into action to fill the hole (no, not the one in which the errant bowman was deposited, although there is a thought there!).

With fresh provisions on board (a relative term for a selection of tins!) the team were off to Cowes in good spirits to pick up the rest of the crew and a pizza supper (which in the end actually also provided a pizza breakfast, lunch and snacks!). Things, however, started to go wrong when the wind instruments gave up the ghost (cue jokes about our orchestra…), which would make things interesting!

We crossed the line with the fleet in clear view (i.e. in front of us as usual) a position that they would largely occupy for the rest of the race! We exchanged tacks with Electron as we beat down towards Hurst until they picked up a monstrous shift and sailed away leaving us flapping around near Yarmouth. We sailed out and got on it which at least avoided tiresome tacking past the Shingles.

Past Bridge we tried the kite but we were dropping away too far, so sacked it and went for the No:1 for a while. Before dark we went back to the kite and settled down. As the night progressed we were hamstrung by our lack of wind instruments (back to the orchestra) and struggled to use the wind efficiently (nothing new there some might say!)

We also spotted the mysterious "wrong way round" trilight and then spent a good hour battling to keep ahead of a looming red masthead light which eventually got so high that we thought Mirabella was on our tail - shortly after this it rose further, turned from red to pink to white and lo, Venus was there!

The sun rose and a relatively sail-less horizon was revealed. To perk people up a quick blast of the Darkness thumped out from the cockpit speakers and the skipper had to be forcibly restrained from doing his air guitar stuff on the pulpit (it does have to be said that a catsuit, open to the navel, probably suits Justin Hawkins rather more than our 15 stone, 43 year old leader!)

The wind went wobbly, the tide went the wrong way, everyone else went in and Whistler was stuck out there keeping the JOG finish team from their pre-prandial libations! In our new "finish at all costs" spirit we stuck at it despite the temptations of the fleshpots of Braye.

We rafted up next to Comedy of Errors, who very obligingly rescued one of our fenders, when one of their crew stripped down to her bikini and went in for it (note to self, might try that one again…) Someone else we owe a beer!

Hey ho, Braye is a lovely destination, it was good to catch up with people over a beer and we bought up the island's stock of Mountgay Rum in preparation for Cowes Week!