Pica’s Grand Show At Sandbanks
The Sandbanks is a popular venue for fleet race and this year too it has attracted sailors and crew from far and wide. The 18 ft Skiff fleet is making its sixth appearance at Sandbanks and the event here is held from 1st to 4th September 2016. The European crew is also making a visit to Sandbanks and this makes it even more special race event.
Three races were held on the first day and the breeze started to pick up after each race. The newer crews at Sandbanks were able to settle into the thick of things in the first race, because of the light breeze. It was Pica, who won the first race and had to rig off tough challenges from Be Light, Chameleonl and Original Chia.
The second race of the day was also a closely fought one similar to the first race. The Original Chia from Denmark caught a mark and this made it difficult for the boat to catch up with Pica at the front, whilst the crew on the Scotland yacht charter boat pushed the crew all the way to the end.
The third race of the day was a tough challenge for the sailors as the wind speed was picking up. It made boat handling a totally difficult proposition and many of the boats were not accustomed to handling such winds on these legs. Pica ended the day with three bullets followed by Be Light’s Hungarian boat.
There is no doubt that the wind would keep on increasing as the races progress over the weekend. There might be a thought to switch to smaller rigs by a few of the crew for the races to come. This is to counter the strong winds seen at Sandbanks. Even though the forecast said that there would be not much of a wind on race day, the sailors were in for some surprise when they hit the waters.
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