Thistle Nationals 2022 – Day 2 Race 1 & 2

Thistle Nationals – Monday, May 16 – Jacksonville, FL, FYC

The opening day of racing at the Thistle Nationals provided some great weather and a slight respite from the high temps we all encountered over the weekend.  The winds weren’t very strong, nor very stable, but the great Race Committee, led by Mark Foster, got the most out of a very tricky day.

The venue for this years event is the St. John’s River.  Many times, Thistle sailors encounter “river sailing” as the many fleets around the USA evolved through the years.  Today the St. John’s lived up to the mystic of “river sailing”.  With the big velocity and directional changes, the fleet had a quick current to deal with.  Very tricky, to say the least.

As the boats raced all day, many different conditions would be found on many different parts of the race course.  This meant looking beyond your current breeze and trying to predict the BIG PICTURE and carefully place your boat with good timing on the next big puff.  Fun and challenging would be good descriptions.

As with many legacy classes, the championship is as much about the people as it is the racing.  Camaraderie is a constant in the Thistle Class and the fun in the boat park today matched the fun on the water.  Many stories shared with many “hero to zero” moments.

Tuesday’s racing will commence at 1100.  Good luck to all competitors.

Skip Dieball
Thistle 987

 

This website uses cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Cookie Policy.