KASS SCHMITT
HUMPHREYS CUSTOM ZEST
Having already H qualified for the 2020 OSTAR, I decided to race both legs of the Mailasail AZAB 2019 doublehanded, to benefit from coaching by my more experienced partner, Rupert Holmes.
Ideal conditions at the start gradually deteriorated and we were soon bashing upwind through three successive fronts and an increasingly chaotic sea, conditions which took a toll on the fleet.
We heard news of retirement after retirement, and diverted briefly for a friend’s Mayday, while another friend, who was concerned about his mast, made the difficult decision to turn back.
Just as well – a few days later and we were altering course to avoid the centre of Storm Miguel. The rest of the leg was a blur of squall after squall, followed by the predictable wind shutdown on the approach to the finish at São Miguel. After the relentless leg out we’d surely get an easy ride home, right? Wrong!
In the first 36 hours we concentrated on keeping Zest moving in little wind, a task we relished, as we frequently make big gains this way. In a following breeze on the second night, we got ahead of all the other Class 2 boats bar one, by hoisting our big spinnaker in the dead of night.
The breeze freshened and we peeled to a small kite, continuing to make gains. We left it up too long, however, resulting in a messy takedown in which we tore the sail and lost a
halyard. We were soon up and running again with the poled-out jib.
The forecasts suggested gale-force headwinds for the final stretch, so we planned to rest up for the final push. This was when the autopilot drive cable snapped, so I spent much of Sunday hand-steering while Rupert fitted a spare cable and recommissioned the pilot – tricky when downwind in 20 knots.
The gale arrived quickly on Wednesday morning. We were soon down to three reefs and the heavy weather jib, and still over pressed. It was time for the storm sails. The final 30 hours saw a full beat into a Force 8 to 9. After nine-anda-half days, Zest surfed into Falmouth on a dark night at speeds up to 14 knots, still under storm sails. Fifth boat to finish, we were fourth overall on corrected time.
I will remember the Mailasail AZAB 2019 as the race that seemed to ask, ‘Are you REALLY up to the OSTAR?’ A timely test of strength for both Zest and for me.