Page 16 - Folk Boat Year Book 2022

Unfinished Business!

There was unfinished business from 2019 when the race had petered out off Dunnose
Head with Mistral and Stralende becalmed a hundred metres from each other, the
former having taken an earlier lead with a courageous tack out of the only visible
breeze, under the cliffs in Scratchell’s Bay, to a hint of a fitful sea breeze offshore.

2020 RTIR had fallen victim to the pandemic and Mistral was itching for another crack
at the Red Lion Trophy. For our part, principal helm Joshua was stuck in Netherlands
under the Covid Q flag.

Wind was light at the start, meaning that sailing back from the line was not going to
be an option in the strong ebb off Cowes. There was only one chance at the run up
and this got complicated by the Red Funnel ferry, with Harbour Master outriders,
charging through the waiting fleet with 2-3 minutes to go, splitting Mistral off to the
south of the principal group of Folkboats and delaying her start.

The six Folkboats progressed down the Solent in a building breeze, with Stralende,
Valhalla and Pickle splitting tacks and trading the lead during the Sconce-Shingle Bank
slingshot. In Stralende, we committed to our starboard layline to the Needles

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