In order to shake down the all new full sailing version of the Atlas Barge Boat we entered her into the Classic section of our local club ‘race’.
In this first image you can see the sprit sail is stored ready for action in the same way as a sailing barge. This is due to the use of a sprit rig which would have been used by the sailing barges that this boat type would have served.
As you can see Sargasso would also be racing some more modern vessels!
Below you can see Sargasso pushing against the tide to reach the start line.
Sargasso made surprisingly good progress heading into the wind on the first leg. The small jib combined with local river knowledge helped to keep Sargasso up with some of the more modern boats in the upwind leg.
By the time the half way marker has been reached a few miles upstream the Bermudan rigged boats had pulled clear but Sargasso still led the classic section by a distance!
Below you can see Sargasso on the return leg as seen from the deck of the last placed boat..
A great time was had by all with a well deserved bbq at the finish line.
Sargasso performed very well, winning the classic section by a distance and a very respectable 5th overall!
Happy sailing
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