The 2018 JOG Inshore started on Saturday with the traditional jaunt to the Nab Tower. 5 Impalas raced within a 17 strong Class 6. With over 70 boats in total competing, and plenty of other traffic due to the unseasonal hot spell, it was a busy and fun day on the water.
Conditions were mainly light, and misty, very, very misty! We could see the shoreline at start time and we had a good view of Cowes near the finishline. Other than that we spent six hours racing in a km radius circle fringed by fog and ghost ships. The GPS was invaluable for working out where to go. We would have been lost without it.
Unusually the dominant wind direction was from the South East and following a ‘holey’ beat to the Nab via the Forts Fearnought, Imptish and Spectum had pulled out a good lead over the majority of Class 6. Even the legendary Whooper was half a km behind as we rounded the sadly truncated stump to begin the run home. Sadly for Impala pride Whooper put up their masthead kite and utilising their extra 11′ of waterline length passedus all on the trip back to Gurnard and the finish, eventually finishing far enough ahead to win on corrected time. For the 51st time in 4 years – yes we’ve been counting – we’d been ‘Whoopered’! Amongst the also-rans Imptish did best at avoiding the holes on the way back, nabbing a useful 2nd overall, with Spectrum 4th, Fearnought 5th, Two Frank 6th, and Magic 12th.
The fleet repaired to Hamble for drinks by which time the hot spell was over the the thunderstorms had started. A fiery end to a lovely day on the water.
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