Bicky on Ranger in Falmouth: win in Race One

Ranger ranging

News from Stevo: regular Crew Boss on Xena, Richard ("Bicky") Bicknell, is on Ranger in the J Class Regatta at Falmouth. He's in charge upwind/downwind trim.  Downwind they pop a 10,000 sq ft kite! (five times Xena's....).
Must be awesome to see four of these monsters battling each other.....
Race One: Ranger first on water and on handicap -- and that for the lowest hcp boat!
Check out the site here. The Race One (Ranger first).  Race Two (Ranger second). Race Three (Ranger second).

LATER: Ranger pipped Velsheda to overall Regatta win: they win on count-back, what's more, as both finished with 4 points!  Results, Report Race 5.

Xena racing update

We won't do the Raja Muda regatta, as it's a big logistic challenge and no guarantee of a Premier Division.
We're still committed to the King's Cup in Phuket, so that's a definite.
We may also do the China Coast Regatta, with the Hong Kong to Hainan Race on 18th October.
That's a Cat 1 race of about 360 miles, an overnighter.  If we do that, then Xena will stay in Hainan for a bit before delivery to Phuket.
The marina at Sanya in Hainan is great.  See piccies here.
A BTW: there's an update on the Tipsy Frenz sinking on the post immediately below.

Tipsy Frenz lost at sea...

Tipsy on the rally to Hainan Island last December, here
(Spencer Suen photo)

Below story in today's South China Morning Post.  Tipsy Frenz is well-known to us, a pretty Wauquiez 45s, moored close to Xena, raced against them many times, including in the last race to Subic.  The Skipper, Leon Chan, was our scrutineer for that race.

Luckily all well....
UPDATE (30 June): just came across this report from a few weeks ago.  With this nice photo from Guy Nowell.  There's longer report at the link:

UPDATE (21 June): at recent China Coast Regatta Committee meeting, Walder Ip, who was on Tipsy Frenz on that trip tells us: it happened at 2:30 in the morning.  Most crew were on deck, just 3 down below. The folks below reported water coming in.  It was investigated, but as they did, the water was coming in faster, pretty soon half-way up the companionway steps.
Walder phoned Alex Johnston, the Race Officer, on Satphone (the SSB was not working, because of battery being under water...).  Alex told us at the meeting that he could hear the water coming in, over the phone (!).
Tipsy set off their EPIRB and Alex contacted HK Marine Dept.  Mardep in turn contacted Taiwan authorities.
Water kept pouring in and the crew couldn't figure out where it was coming from.  To this day they still don't know what happened.  Skipper Leon Chan called for the "abandon ship" routine and all was prepared (here, the Safety as Sea Course kicking in).  They kept on looking for the leak until they couldn't any more for the water too high.
The two liferafts were deployed, with painters holding them to the boat.  When it was clear they would have to leave the boat, they stepped into the liferafts, at the same hight as the boat now was, just about under water.  By this stage, the Satphone wasn't working any more -- out of battery, I think -- and they set off their flares.
Meantime, back at the Yacht Club, Alex had set in train the emergency procedures, which involved all those needed coming to the Club and contacting the relevant authorities and monitoring the situation as best they could.
A Chinese commercial vessel was contacted and came to their aid.  Getting onto the boat was not a simple procedure, Walder says, with waves of 5-6 metres.  A couple of go-arounds before they could board, most on the lee, but a couple on the more dangerous windward side.
In the end, all safe on board the Chinese vessel, in the hands of friendly (mainland) Chinese merchant sailors. And delivered to Taiwan, where the local authorities treated them well and with professionalism.
The earlier South China Morning Post report is below the fold...

Prize giving, Koh Samui Regatta Day Five

Pete accepts the trophy for the win on Day Five.
(PF iPhone photos. Click to enlarge)

Judy with Qin Hill of Genuine Risk

Moonblue 2 crew gather the trophy for First
overall in the regatta in Premier Class

Brazilian dancers at the party;
a kind of cool Impressionist photo; well, I think it's cool...

Some nice photos on the water, Day Five

On the line action on Moonblue 2.  
(thanks to Samuipics.com)

The view we like to give the competition

Spinnaker hoist at the top mark

Winds around 20s knots

Crew Dinner photos

Last night, cocktails chez Vic and Pixie's

Before...

... and after

Trophies to date.  An eclectic and quaint choice for prizes....

Marcus and Pete

Liam, Sue, Judy, Mary

Last Day results...

... and it's a win for Moonblue 2!
As we went into the final day we needed either two wins or a second and a first (but not a first and a second, for then we would have lost on count-back).
We lost the first race by one minute to El Cayote, so it was all down to the second and final race, which we won by two minutes, giving us and El Cayote a total of 9 points each after our drop, and we win the Premier Division on count-back.  Great result, especially the trials in delivering the boat and our having to miss Race Day One completely.
Today they gave us two windward-leewards, course 16, simple double sausages.
In the first race, second upwind leg, another squall came through with winds of 40+ knots so downwind we decided on Main and jib only.  A couple of the IRC 1 types persevered with spinnakers, mostly out of control, broaching all over and a couple of shredded kites; one of the multi-hulls was dismasted.
The second race winds still gusting in from the NW, around 20 knots, we went round cleanly, good kite hoists and gybes.  We finished 11 minutes ahead of Cayote, for a win by two minutes corrected.
More photos later.

Last race day

We gave Cayote a cheer and they reciprocated.  Good competitors.

Our main competitor, El Cayote making way back to beach.
We were equal on points going out this morning.
We think we beat them in the first windward leeward, bit the second one too close to call.
Posting this from my iPhone as we make our way back...
UPDATE (2 June): results were: Cayote won the first race (a windward-leeward) by one minute and we won the second race by two minutes, for a win overall on countback)

Photos Day Four of racing on Moonblue 2

Owner-Skipper Pete Churchouse discusses the day's tactics with Grant

Katie, Gabrielle, Bethany, Parag, Roger and Coggs, on the way to the racetrack

Ah Wai, Mike, Marcus, Tony and Judy

Iris and Sue

Dropping the Main, we find it's got a tear near the head and has to be
repaired overnight.  Here it's being loaded onto dinghy....

.... and being taken ashore.

Another win for Moonblue 2

Results just in and we won the race (5 hour Islands course), by 18 minutes on corrected time!
Hurrah!
And we're leading on overall pointscore.
Hurrah!