The run: Long gone are Mark and Paul who wiped us all on the beat. Alas, it was all for nought, as the windward marks began to drift, and our RC decided that the race had to be abandoned. Full sportsmanship marks to Mark and Paul who took this decision without any sign of grumbling, even though the rest of us were surprised - some like me who was losing in style, pleasantly - that the RC made no greater effort to save the race. Meanwhile, I believe, here we have ...

...

I do believe they have opted for discretion and are about to tack here?? Note also, the total absence of Heider Funck from these pictures. After a poor start, he and Tom banged the right corner, convinced that the right side would be favoured. Hard to argue with success (Heider and Tom came out of the right corner with a lead that was never threatened), but I'll have a go anyway: This early in a series, it should be hard for any serious contender to justify taking such a big risk. No matter how convinced one may be that one side is favoured, going off completely on your own is not a risk that should ever be taken (unless it really is your only hope!!). In this fleet, there were many excellent racers who would be hard/impossible to catch, if the gamble did not pay off, i.e if a number of the left-side boats got around ahead. If I had been convinced that the right side was better, I would have "defended the right side". In other words, I would merely have remained just to the right of all my most feared competition, and risked little to gain just a little. When you're as fast as Heider and Tom are, a little lead is mostly enough.

...