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!

Trophy time

Pete Churchouse, Judy, Mark and Ah Wai pick up the silverware
for second on Day Three, last night

This is the cute prize for Day Two first place, which
cunningly changes into an....

... ashtray.  Oh so politically incorrect!  Samui all over....
(thanks to Ah Wai for this and previous photo)

A few catch up photos: Lay Day

Yesterday just before the squall hit. Doug our "wind whisperer", Judy on
Main and Grunter querying something on the foredeck....

It got wild and wolly pretty soon.  Winds were in the mid 40s knots
At this stage we were under main only...

A cropped version of earlier photo: Genuine Risk, the Dubois 90
rushes past at, I guess, 28+ knots.... (see UPDATE, below)

Today's a lay day, so no racing.  A few woke up with sore heads, having been out on the town last nite till 4-ish....  A day of pottering round the Island and relaxing.  Save for the boys on FreeFire, Sam Chan's TP52, who had to try to get a boom fixed.  It bent in the squall yesterday, just after a gybe while still with jib, not kite, up. As I sit here at the Chawang Cove Resort, looking out at the bay and the boats, she's still boom-less....
So, I'd better finish off with a photo taken just now, from the terrace of our hotel, overlooking the boats in Chaweng Cove, Ffreefire at far left still without boom, Moonblue 2 third from left:

UPDATE (2 June): Geoff Hill, owner of the Dubois 90 Genuine Risk, which you can see at the end of our boom above, told me they hit 29.2 knots in that squall, so I wasn't far off in my guess. He says that they figured if they hadn't had to bear away to go through the Gate, they could've hit 32 knots or more.  The boat's set to go to Australia, be modified and competed in this year's Sydney-Hobart, going for Line Honours.  They had a few issues: the engine wouldn't drive the boat and the canting keel at the same time, so it was one or 'tother, but they've sorted that, I understand. (That had become an issue that the Race Office had to adjudicate on, as you can't race if you don't have a working engine; RO gave Risk dispensation).  Sailing legend Syd Fischer was on board, liked her a lot, and, I'm told, wants now to buy a share in her.

Genuine Risk planes past

Moonblue 2's boom points to the Dubois 90, Genuine Risk,
passing us on the horizon doing 28 knots.  Winds reached mid 40s knots

A cracking day on the water for Moonbue 2

A sea of red on Moonblue 2, finish Race 4

Everything sorted on the boat and they sent us off on a 30-miler round the Islands to the South. So: a long beat with steady breezes in the teens, sneak past the reef to port, round Ko Rap Island on easing pressure, up with A1 kite, round the island and north to the gate.
Then we get hit by a 40+knot squall, which lasted 45 minutes.  Winds too strong, so Jib up, Kite down, still stronger winds, so Jib down, powering along at 12+ knots Main only... wind eases, Jib up, eases more... A2 Kite up, Jib down, pole on... then pole down, Kite down, Jib up, to the finish.
Overtaken during the squall by the 90' Genuine Risk planing along at nearly 30 knots.
Finished at 3:00 pm and we may have just pipped El Cayote for first but, don't want to put the mockers on that by saying it...
UPDATE: well, I guess I did put the mockers on it, as we came second....

First overall today for Moonblue 2...

.... Not without some dramas, mainly at the top mark roundings, a few kerfuffles with spinnaker hoists and on windward leg the outhaul gave way. But all retrieved in due course for results in windward leeward courses of First and Second, for overall First on the day.
Missed Race Day One, so we sit on 8 points in three races.
No photos of today's racing on the regatta website yet, and stupidly I forgot to get a piccie of Pete with the first-place prize: an elephant carving that turns into an ash-tray.... so here's a photo of the beach last nite, from the Regatta website.

Sent from my iPhone
+852 9308 0799

Risk the winner?

My guess, seeing Genuine Risk at the bottom mark and working to the finish, is that she's go this race won. There's me putting the mokkers on it...

Sent from my iPhone

Rockpool race watch

Sitting at the Rockpool in south Samui watching the racing on the horizon and it seems like Genuine Risk has stolen a huge march on the others in IRC 0 on the downwind leg.

Sent from my iPhone

No Sailing for us today....

Not sure what the issue is, but we can see Grant still up the mast and Pete has radioed in that they can't get things sorted in time for us to make the startline this morning.

Sent from my iPhone

Sittin' on the dock of the Bay: Race Day One

We're sitting here at the Chaweng Cove ResortHotel bayside, waiting for the Moonblue dinghy.
Moonblue arrived last night around midnight with no engine and no Main after the Main halyard parted at a new splice put on by the Boatyard in HK.
Not sure if we'll make it to the startlne yet, nor in which division, as two boats pulled out of our Div.
09:50 race day one.

Sent from my iPhone

Waiting for the Blue Moon..

Sue, Kate, Marcus and Judy (aka "Bucket"), await arrival of Moonblue 2 at Chaweng Cove...

Koh Samui

Moonblue 2 bunkering outside the RHKYC, last Friday.
Jing and I are joining her crew at the Koh Samui Regatta.