Eastbourne. Is Proteus fast enough
- Jun 23
- 4 min read
If you are Craig Richards then the Proteus is fast enough. He won with consumate ease. As for me, my boat sprung a leak and was shipping a pint or so of salt water each race. Even with a badly set up B rig (my bad) I finished third on a day where I could get little right and was the only sailor to find and hook a tree branch taking me out of one race.
The welcome at Eastbourne is always warm in line with yesterdays weather. With tea and coffee on offer, all that was needed was to pay the money and show the necessary paperwork. Racing was based on the other side of the lake which had the huge advantage of being by the loos. After a short walk the next question is which rig to use because there were some fruity gusts developing. However there were calms between the gusts, so on with the A rig which we kept for a few races before hoisting the B rig.
I had a great start winning the first race, but when I tipped the boat up there was an unusual amount of water coming out of the bung hole. It was impossible to see where from and I suspected it was from the inside of the fin box. As racing continued I seemed to struggle for speed especially with the B rig. I rarely perform well with the B rig and struggled most of the day and it was only when Craig took a look before the last race. The penny dropped on how the B rig should be set up. More on that later.
My results were pretty average and was always struggling with boats passing me on the last beat. Not surprising with a pint or two of salt water in the bottom of the boat. It was hard to build momentum and a few incidents added to the frustration. Here are a few.
I was above the starboard lay-line and sailed fast into the first windward mark when lying second when I missjudged and sailed the wrong side. In returning I had to let the entire fleet on starboard go by before I could round the mark.
Approaching a first windward mark on starboard, there was a huge gust and massive header forcing me onto the mark as I could not tack in the gust. The exoneration process was nigh impossible in the gust and to the back of the fleet I went.
After rounding a leeward mark, I hooked the start mark twenty or so yards up the beat. By the time I got off the fleet was gone.
Approaching a windward mark I approached a port tack boat and was aiming well behind the transom. Just as we got close, a gust hit, his boat heeled and the top of our rigs touched. As I was doing my turn, another gust hit and the boat nose dived so I could not avoid another boat which I would have been well clear of had I been able to complete the turn. As it was we collided, the boats connected taking him out of the race so I had to retire.
Finally on one beat I came in towards a bank and picked up a branch on the fin. The boat stopped and I had nowhere to go.
To be honest the conditions were really tough with gusty winds with 30 degree shifts which make boat on boat action really tricky. One moment it looks as thought you are boat-lengths clear of starboard boat and then suddenly you are not.
Most of these errors were my fault. I list them because it shows what you need to avoid to ensure consistent results. Despite all the drama there were loads of positives and one key lesson which I hope with make a dramatic difference in future.
The consolidation after what was a tough day for me was I won the last race even with a boat full of water. Even that was in doubt as Craig overtook me on the last beat but I got him back before the finish.
So what did I learn on the day?
Craig's set up is unique to most IOM sailors. His leaches are always tighter and is booms are sheeted further out and he is fast easpeciallyoff the start line. It was only when he looked at my set up for the last race that I saw what he did and hopefully I am able to replicate.
The Proteus is fast although the Britpop still has an edge on gusty runs, but that is what the design is known for.
I found the leak and it appears to be caused by an issue with the printing process. Hopefully I can fix it as I do like the current boat.
Despite the struggles I got on with racing in a quiet efficient manor.
It was a great day with a worthy winner and a shout out to Dorian Crease who finished second in his Britpop, not having raced since the start of the year. He is evidence that sailing is like riding a bike. You never forget.
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