Today my job as blogger could not be easier as Dave Brooks’s Match Report for the Swale 2012 pings across the email and I can pretty much quote it verbatim. He also supplies a couple of lovely photo’s, one of which I publish here. Thanks for that, Dave.
Swale Match 2012, photo by Dave Brooks.
Dave writes “This years Swale Barge Match was the best race of the season so far. We based ourselves on Graveney beach right by the start line and watched Cabby, Orinoco, Phoenician, Greta and Pudge in the restricted stays’l class along with Decima, Repertor, and the newly refitted Niagara in the stays’l class got underway. Niagara was last of her class to start with Cabby leading all over the line. Mirosa, Marjorie and Lady of the Lea contested the bowsprit class but Lady of the Lea had already started with the stays’l barges so only Mirosa and Marjorie started correctly.
Watching the finish was a joy as Niagara and Repertor were side by side heading up to the finish line, Repertor crossing first by 1 second but had earlier incurred a 5 minute penalty giving the win to Niagara in a very impressive first race. With Niagara starting the race at the back of the fleet she was certainly the fastest stays’l barge of the day.
Mirosa and Marjorie were also neck and neck coming to the line with Mirosa winning by the tip of her bowsprit.
Cabby led the restricted stays’l barges from start to finish with Orinoco taking second place as Phoenician who crossed the line before her had failed to go round one of the marks.
Many thanks to an email from Hugh Perks who cleared up all the mystery over the finishing places.
It was nice to see so many barges racing and such close finishes. Niagara looked impressive as she picked off the places after starting last.
Shame Cambria was otherwise engaged up in Ipswich, and the Edme didn’t come it would have been good to see how they would have faired against the Mirosa and Marjorie. Also regular barge match attendee Edith May was unable to attend this year.”
Thanks, as I said, for that, Dave.