Taken from a face book post…
Been away for 9 days now …175 miles sailed .. first dose of showers, experienced over night and now clearing away, but blustery. Sitting under woods at Pin Mill. Clutching a mug of coffee, under my boom tent, I watched intrepid bargemen make timed dashes for the line for the three stage start of the barge match… Mate remained under her duvet!
I thought Mirosa got off to a good start followed …by the Melissa and Decima … the Marjorie seemed to get ‘stuck’ under the woods and was a reach behind by Collimer. It was then that I watched as the EDME stepped on the gas and accelerate from the pack…
The fast staysails were led by Edith May and Mellissa with Reminder close by … Repertor was a little back, strangely. However, the speed queen, Niagara which had broken out her anchor late also arrived at the line late, ah well. Rounding Collimer the Edith May was seen to do as the EDME had done, just go!
The slow class was led away by Des aboard the little Cygnet … followed by, I think, Ardwina, the a slow to get going Centaur…
It will be interesting to see what the order is later when they all come bounding up river early this afternoon… Should be fun for the wind is fine down the reach up to the finish off the Butt & Oyster.
Me, well us, we’re staying put for the day – oh yes, the sun has broken out again!
To follow up my face book post here is my view of the finishing line of the Pin Mill barge Match… The course had clearly been shortened: surely enough time had not elapsed to reach the Stone Banks.
A little after 1145 the first of the barges began to return. Under a threatening sky the Ardwina stormed over the line, leading her class by some distance. Away down above Collimer Point the EDME could be seen thrashing her way up, white water thrown up as she shouldered the’ black’ water of the river aside … a squall hung over the reach, her bob dipped back and forth to the pressure… Behind her was the plucky Centaur, much refreshed after a new bottom last winter … second in her class.
EDME lifting her chine as she crossed the line…
Mirosa appeared next storming up under the woods darkened by another passing bit of blackness. The wind was gusting and views of barge chines were a regular feature. The finishers then began to appear in clusters or singularly.
Mirosa…
Decima came up, luffing her two headsails to gain ground to windward: earlier Centaur had had to pass under, making a neat tack round it then again to cross the line – it was beautiful.
Decima approaching the line … a strawberry tea awaiting her crew, perhaps!
Remember my comment about the Niagara, well, there she came, cutting effortlessly along, gently swaying to the wind buffeting her topsail from above the trees to finish first in the fast staysail class. The Decima, bowsprit class, was close up to her stern.
Niagara storming over the line while Mirosa jogged back to her anchorage.
There was then a bit of a gap as a group came in sight down by the Collimer. Repertor led this with a group behind. This was led by the Edith May and Melissa, seemingly neck and neck . Coming up towards the Butt buoy they engaged in a luffing match, endeavouring, I assume, not to put a tack in. The Edith May held onto her lead and stormed across the line some four barge lengths ahead… It gave her a third, after her Passage Match win she is well placed in the championship again!
Edith May and Melissa in a private match…
Marjorie, in slightly higher wind conditions, came up with a rucked topsail speed was not of the essence, finishing intact was.
Some time later the little Cygnet gamely came into view, putting many more tacks in than her sisters had to… She’s lovely. Well done Des and his crew of one other…
Last in was the tiny Cygnet, an east coast treasure surely, hooted by all her larger sisters, an honourable salute…
Ah yes, here is an edit to this post…
Attending the Pin Mill Sailing Club, for a little refreshment, I caught the part where the match report was being made … it transpires that the bowsprit and fast staysails did indeed go out to the Rocks, the slower class sailing a shortened course.” It was somewhat lumpy out there…” Peter Dodds of the Mirosa told me.
Geoff Gransden took his Edith May the wrong side of the Cliff Foot mark, sailing on for two thirds of a mile, he has told me, before turning back after a message came through from the Repertor … they would have clearly had an invincible the lead. But, you see, all was not lost: both Melissa and Niagara did the same, both however did not go back and were thus ‘disqualified’ … there being no third prize. So Repertor was awarded first and Edith May second… Ed, the Edith May’s mate, grinned broadly saying they needed to take more care of passing marks! Cally crew on the Repertor was well chuffed: she said our barge was going well and catching the Niagara…
The drama did not end there: in the slow class, Centaur was awarded first place: although she was so far back at the start she could not see that the other two in he class had gone over the line early … so she won! A good call eh!
Also at the event, Edith May was awarded the winner’s cup for the passage match and Niagara second place. The match was sailed as a ‘cruise in company’ because of the PLA’s reluctance to sanction sailing barges let loose upon there waters. It started from the Medway … why don’t they continue t do so and ‘stuff’ the PLA? The barge trades operated from Rochester (Gillingham as a start) … food for thought, surely!
