Your humble correspondent stepped back on board a J/80 for the first time in some considerable months at the weekend and joined the helms and crews of ten other boats, to compete in the seven race series of the Garmin Autumn Championship.

Whilst one would like to report that the seven races sailed were a jolly, a walk in the park etc, even with the benefit of journalistic licence, that  would be stretching the truth somewhat. Notwhithstanding the fact that conditions on the Saturday were relatively benign, with plenty of sunshine and an extremely shifty 10 to 15 knot breeze from the west (and just a little more on Sunday), your correspondent it seems, had forgotten a number of key facts since last racing in the J/80 fleet…

Start Line Transits: With eleven 26 foot keel boats pushing it on a relatively short start line, a vague reference to  ‘that slow moving yacht on the far shore with the kite up’ instead of a proper, noted transit will simply not cut it. A second rate start can lead to a third race position at the windward mark.

In fact, your correspondent also noted that a blinding port tack flyer on the whole fleet at the start can also lead to a third rate position at the top mark, but that’s another story…

Out on a Limb: It may well be that the BBC, Met Check and indeed Mystic Meg said that the breeze will go round to the right or the left, or build or drop, or pour down Mountgay and coke on the J/80 fleet. However, unless you have a specific insight in to when and where this is going to happen, and without the benefit of heightened senses or a crystal ball, it’s often far safer to cover (Ha! who am I kidding?) or at the very least try to stay in touch with the rest of the fleet in order to avoid getting hung out to dry when the breeze does swing round.

Sure, you need to work the shifts as they reach you and sail your own race, but remember the bigger picture. If the mark is off Calshot Spit it doesn’t make much sense to be headed for East Ryde.

What are the Good Guys Doing: It was very hard to call who to watch in this fleet: four different boats out of the eleven each won a race, and the competition was hot from the front of the fleet to the back. That said, looking at the other guys who were doing the same job on the boat as your correspondent, there were things that your correspondent got very wrong (and slow) on every single hoist and drop that others were getting very right (and fast) each time.

These J/80 guys are a friendly bunch and are mostly happy to share their learning. It’s worth asking the good guys a few questions in the bar after racing.

Fitness and Nutrition: By comparison with many other sportsboats, the J/80 is extremely well thought out in terms of the crew ergonomics and systems on board. Nothing on the J/80 tends to load up excessively and all of the systems are simple and usually work well. Plenty of small people sail the J/80 most effectively and you don’t need a team of four gorillas to get the maximum amount of fun or pace out of the boat.

Now it is certainly fair to say that your correspondent may not be quite at the peak of physical fitness, nor indeed the youngest hack on the race-track, but one was more than a  little surprised by just how quickly one became overtired and emotional after racing on Saturday night at the Toe in the Water J/80 Party. Now for sure, it’s probably unwise to rely solely on Addlestones Cider for rehydration after racing, and the carbs in rum and coke are certainly not the most useful kind, but good grief… one didn’t expect to feel quite that bad, and it showed in one’s performance on Sunday.

All in all, that was a fabulous weekend out, and thanks to all of you who turned out to play!

Congratulations to the 2009 J/80 Garmin Autumn Champions, Thor Askeland and his crew on Elle S’apelle. A new boy to the J/80 fleet, Thor sailed like an old hand and drank like a journalist on the Saturday night too.

Well done to Ian Atkins and his team on board Boats.com who finished second overall and the John Cooper and the squad on Oi!! who ended up third.

Signing off now; see you next Sunday.