Racing our new boat
Preparations
October 30
I installed the battery terminalS in the morning and wanted to do more electrics but then the clock was ticking. I thereforetook all the construction materials off the boat. Meanwhile Joel sorted out the deck and changed the belt of the motor as last preparations for the regatta.
Mavic, Miriam and Regis arrived around 10:00 from Subic via Batangas by speed boat and we had brunch in the Puerto Galera Yacht Club and then brought their stuff and my tools to the private residence which we had booked for the week.
In the afternoon two guys, who learned sailing in the small boat program, joined us and we took the boat out to test the standard sails, gennacker (cruising chute) and spinnacker. It went reasonably well, with a few things identified to be fixed before the race on the next day. I had to buy another 21 meters of rope at the Broadwater Marine booth, which had just opened for the regatta.
Day 1: October 31
First day real sailing on IRResistable. Peter, the previous owner, joined today. He suggested that he should helm and show us the boat – sort of on the job training. We also had a crew of 4, Joel and three boys from the Small Boat Program to help with pulling the sheets and with setting up the cruising chute or spinnacker, if needed.
.jpeg)
Sailing was great fun, first running down to White Beach, jibing around the marker buoy there, then tacking back towards Long Beach, passing the second marker, then rounding third and back to the second running, around it and then towards the finishing line.
We lost some time with the Spinnacker boom that was still attached to a sheet when tacking.
We came in fourth, out of 14 boats joining the race. Not too bad, for a start. But honestly, it was not so much our doing since besides helming we did not to much handling of the rig.
It was the first time that we had a crew doing most of the work. A very different experience.