Gulf of Osaka Double Hand Yacht Race, Light Winds and Happy Yacht Racing
Over the three day weekend of September 13th to 15th on Osaka Bay I had the choice of two yacht races. The “Seattle Cup Yacht Race” held over at Suma yacht Club and the “Gulf of Osaka Double Hand Yacht Race”I have sailed in the Seattle Cup race and I know it is a great race however as a Double Handed yacht race lover I decided to join the Osaka Bay race.
I have to say that the organisers did a great job with this race. The initial information was sufficient and the entry process was easy. A couple of days after making my application I telephoned the Harbour Master at the Tannowa to check the depth of the harbour as our boat draws 3.0 meters. The Harbour master was friendly and when I mentioned my name he said “Oh, “Roschana”, Adams 11.9 Modified, yes you have no worries at 3 meters” Huh! he knew everything about our entry. This means the race organisers and the harbour worked very well together.
The night before the race a quick Skippers meeting was held and we had the chance to say thank you to the race sponsor. The skipper’s meeting was followed by a BBQ party which was hosted by the Hokko Yacht Club. The self cook style was fun and there was more than enough food to give everybody a full tummy. The volunteer support of the friends of Hokko Club was fantastic. I really enjoyed meeting my sailing friends and enjoying some BBQ beef.
The morning of the race we had a breeze of between 0.0 knots and 2 knots true. The race committee worked hard to find a start line for us and we eventually got going with little delay.
“Roschana” had trouble with the light winds and took her time getting out from behind the shadow of Kansai International airport from where she picked up some breeze and enjoyed the rest of the race up to Hokko Yacht Harbour.
Although “Roschana” did not place well in the race we had a lot of fun. At “Melbourne House” which is Hokko Race Clubs home ground we received a warm welcome and many happy faces. All boats struggled with the light winds it seems and as we all know it takes a good sailor to sail in rough weather but we need a great sailor to sail in 2 knots true. The best sailors won this race.
Many thanks to the Organisers, Sponsor, Hokko Marina and Tannowa yacht harbour.