Our gratitude goes to Chris Bridges for his energetic enthusiastic expertise that he kept up all day last Sunday. For his show’n’tell with Rata, and then for the first ever PRSC airing of HMS.

Great to see Ben K prove how efficient Pete’s Mark III buoys are to lay a course, and move it about…. and then have a go at helming Rata.

For the afternoon, Chris split the fifteen entries into 2 equally divided heats for a first “seeding” race. The results from this Race 1 were used to rank the fleet into Race 2 Heat B and Heat A. The top two of Heat B stayed on the water and raced in Heat A.

The top six from Race 2 were put into Race 3 Heat A with Colin added as DNC, and the remainder took to the water for Race 3 Heat B. Again, the top two moved straight into Heat A.

From then on, after each Heat B, the top two moved up into Heat A. After each Heat A, the bottom two were moved back into Heat B for the next race.

The benefits of HMS included a maximum of 9 yachts in each heat making spectacular starts and racing to the max with far less unresolved incidents.

The HMS count back rule 5.1 a, and c was needed to split Ben and Gary Shorts, Paddy and Gary Tex, and Rick and me.

(Note to self, I will have to keep practicing for when Rick has both hands in full strength and grip).