North West Electricity have advised us of some scheduled maintenance work this Saturday 3rd October between 10am and 2pm. Consequently access through the gate will not be possible until some kind person does a manual override.
So if you’re not privy as to how to open the gate manually please be patient, someone will turn up eventually!
Several members of the Youth Squad took the opportunity to attend the RYA Youth North Zone Championships over the weekend, as it was being held so close to home at Ullswater Yacht Club.
Hazel Newport, David Rodgers & Poppy Gannon were sailing in the Topper fleet, Harry Binns & Izzie Hunter in the RS Feva Fleet, Josh Hunter and Sam Macey in the Regatta Fleet.
Although, the weather was amazing for the weekend’s camping, it was a sad note for the sailing. On Saturday the squad waited all day but the winds never came, so at 4.30pm it was declared no racing was going to take place.
Sunday started to look the same but the organisers were more hopeful and sent the fleets out at 10am only to abandon racing at 11am and bring them all back in. Then the winds came and while most sailors were enjoying a relaxing lunch, note David, the racing was set to start and everyone was quickly back on the water.
The wind held while the fleets managed to sail 3 races but it was not very strong and proved to be very challenging for some.
However, a good weekend was had both on and off the water. Hazel Newport sailed really well in the Topper Zone fleet, finishing 3rd girl and 7th overall in the Topper fleet out of 29 competitors. She was really pleased as last year she came 23 out of 28!! Also, Josh Hunter managed to bring home a medal by finishing 3rd in the Regatta Fleet in his RS Tera.
Well done all.
After the final championship weekend series of the series, the championship tables have been updated and can be viewed on the following link
Congratulations to this year’s champions are
Flying 15s – Neil Currie�&�Rory Yardley
Fast Handicap – Robin Dawson�&�Phil Davenport (Pipping Commodore Mark Somerville at the post!)
GP14s – Dave�&�Lynn Lawson
Slow Handicap – Jim, Poppy & James Christie
For various reasons there weren’t many takers for the latest weekend series, but those that did turn out were keen to take to the water once there was the hint of sufficient breeze to blow away the mirror like conditions. So when a light northerly filled in the OD took to the water and the sailors followed.
The wind swung a couple of times while waiting for the fleet to get to the start line, so a simplified triangular course was set, which seemed to be the most manageable option for the conditions.
Fortunately the general wind direction remained from the north, but the strength was much more variable. Joan/Jack took the leeward mark a little bit too close and had to do a turn losing significant ground on Dave/Lynn who went on to win.
John Roberts managed to lasso the staff on mark A, so after untangling himself he too had to do a turn. Jim C led and won the slow handicap fleet, with Mik 2nd.
In the fast handicap fleet, Robbie D/Banter won with Alex/Olivia 2nd
Before all had finished the wind dropped to drifting conditions and all hopes of another race faded.
It was unlikely that Sunday’s conditions would enable four races to be sailed, but it did look promising as the day started with a warm, light southerly.
With a plan to get two races in before lunch, the courses were plain and short, even though Robbie D wanted longer legs (an eternal wish for him some might say!)
The wind did ease as the second race went on, and finally died over lunch. Scumper and Hugh each had a first in the fast handicap, while Jim C and Barbara each had a first in the slow handicap fleet, and Dave/Lynn took two more firsts in the GP fleet.
With no obvious sign of the wind filling in, afternoon racing was abandoned. As is the norm, the wind did fill in, though not really strong enough to race in.
Trophies go to Dave/Lynn in the GPs, Robbie D in the fast handicap, and Jim C the slow handicap fleet.
Other sailing events over the weekend had good representation from Bass members with Andy and Rob Smith finishing 2nd at the GP Northern Championships at Derwent Reservoir, while Hazel Newport came 7th at the RYA Zone Championship, and Josh Hunter came 3rd overall in the regatta for Toppers, Teras and Oppies at Ullswater. Meanwhile Mike Moore and Kayla Sheard came fourth of 17 at the Burton open meeting. The results meant that they were tied on points for the Waples Wine Northern travellers series but came second on countback.
While the Southport 24hr race attracted a good selection of our members, club racing was held alongside the annual Tinker Rally. Forecast high winds may have deterred a few takers, but they need not have worried as conditions were very sailable, and the wind didn’t pick up until we tweeted that there wasn’t much!
The weather was mixed with sunshine and showers, a couple heavy, and there were mixed fortunes throughout the afternoon. Jim C was sailing his Supernova for a change and led both races winning the first one, but the heavier conditions in the second race suited the GPs and it was Joan/Jack that secured the winning position on handicap. Tony King is getting to grips with his Solo, finishing the day with two 2nds.
Nigel made a welcome return to the water, and despite a collision at�the start of the second race, he was first to the windward mark.
Joan/Jack led overnight, with two races on Sunday started in a stronger than expected southerly could they keep their cool and fight off challenges from Banter et al. As it happened, Banter was a bit too eager to start and was called back (though he did suggest others were further over the line than him!), and promptly capsized, before making a sharp exit ashore. The course/conditions didn’t suit a couple of others who retired also.
AJ/Sue put in a good performance winning the first race ahead of Joan and Chris/Julie. The wind eased slightly in the afternoon but Banter kept his head to win, with Joan 2nd, and AJ 3rd.
Overall, Joan/Jack held on to their lead, and AJ/Sue’s 1st split the tie with Tony in their favour
The Tinkers were enjoying the conditions so much they had a total of six races, and had a tie for 1st overall that was split by the results of the final race with Alastair Parker pushing the regular winner Malcolm Ellwood into 2nd place. Vice Commodore Robin Dawson gave a vote of thanks, and his daughter Amber presented the prizes.
Our Southport team survived without major mishap (apart from being over at the start?) to finish 16th overall.
It�s all over. Cor! I, and the dedicated competitors, can take a mid week break in future. But Thursday NJ & Social evenings will be missed over the coming months.
This has been a record series with 59 different helms contesting it. As the Night Jar was based solely on PH in the past, let�s give preference to the winner and leading crews in that category. Tony King took the series win although only by a single point from AJ & Sue.
In the FH category the clear winners were Alex & Olivia with the GP of Mike & Eric second despite their not contesting the final four round. Joan & Jack came third after a season long contest with Val & Ken who were placed fourth.
Other results of note were David Haselden who was placed 5th on PH, Peter Winfindale 8th and David Roger a brilliant 10th. On FH Hazel was 8th and Jon Anson 10th.
So what happened in the final race? There was a force1 ESE wind leading up to the start and the OD chose 5-3-1 as the course. With 20 boats it was a busy line and Alex (I think) was over at the port pin but immediately restarted without much loss of time.
The wind swung a little up the long beat but was generally true. The journey to the wing mark was a broad reach for most with Joan/Jack & AJ/Sue in the GPs being gradually hauled in, and later overtaken by Alex/Olivia�s 200 and Joe�s 300.
After 3 there was a huge hole followed by a temporary wind shift to the North. The leading crews gybed out of it but, with the wind dropping, a number of boats decided not to round 1 for the finish but to head for home. After 23 to 53 minutes, dependent of fleet position, it was all over.
Thanks go to OD�s, safety crews, meal providers and all the other helpers for making the Series such a success.
A bit mixed would probably sum up the afternoon. Sunshine with cloudy spells, wind varying between force 0 and 3, and shifting between NE and NW!
As ever, OD Moore was determined to start on time, and he did. Unfortunately not all sailors were there on time. Despite being late for the start AJ, caught up with, and passed, Joan/Jack to take the lead which he held through to the finish. It’s a shame that he wouldn’t repeat it in the second race in which Joan got away and continued to strengthen her lead.
Banter sailed the first race well taking a deserved win from David Hazelden, but a good performance by Joe Watkins in his RS300 in the second race, and Banter doing an extra penalty turn for hitting a mark put paid to a repeat performance, and the race ended with David taking 1st place.
John Roberts in a Pico had one of those ‘could do better’ days when, in the first race, he couldn’t work out where he was going on the final leg giving away precious minutes (!) and his chance of 1st place to Mik. Jim C was out in his Hartley in the second race, and sailed well to take 1st with Mik 2nd.
Sunday brought more sunshine but a battle of the winds left a central calm patch resulting in a delayed start once the forecast northerly took control of the racing area. As with Saturday, the wind direction twitched somewhat before backing more to the west by the end of the race which was the first of a two race, one day series for all classes on fleet handicap.
Mike/Kayla sailed well in the morning race to pull out out a good lead securing consistent lap times despite the variable conditions around the course, but the last lap conditions suited the GPs better as they closed the gap taking the first three positions, and Hugh in a Vareo took 4th pushyMike down to 5th.
The race after lunch had a steadier SW breeze which suited Mike’s F15 and he won overall more than 20 secs ahead of Joe W in a RS300. Hugh’s chance at winning disappeared as he capsized on the 2nd beat. Perhaps the afternoon conditions would never suit the GPs but AJ’s chance after taking the lead faded after trying to defend his position coming into the leeward mark which he promptly over-ran (or went the wrong side of) as he was taking down the kite.
Final positions were very close with GPs of Joan and Paul on 5pts, with Joan’s 1st splitting the tie in her favour, and Mike in his F15 with 6pts taking 3rd overall.
There was not a lot of wind around. But crews were keen to get another race in with the Night Jar drawing to a close, so the Bates went out and posted 0-9-A as a course.
Of the 14 starters Val & Ken had the best get away from the starboard end of the line. But the force 1 wind was dropping away to a drift. Hazel & Izzie in the Feva struggled to cross the line even with the crew perched on the bow and they soon capsized involuntarily or otherwise. After a spell going in reverse Josh joined them to practice righting the Tera.
By the time many boats reached 0 many crews were in no mood to continue and five more retired. It was slow work for those who continued. Terry Hall led from Val & Ken with Peter�s Laser and David�s Solo in close company and Poppy Gannon with Neil in an Enterprise in pursuit. And that was the order in which they finished. The last finisher was Tony King needing to get another result in to maintain the lead on Personal handicap which he had built up in earlier rounds.
FH results were as the finishing order on the water except that David moved ahead of Peter to take third place. Terry also took the win on PH with Peter taking his best result of the series in second place. With a third, David has given himself a chance of moving into a podium place.
The race was enlivened by a low level fly by with spectacular starboard turn by a Hercules. Well, either there were two, or the same one circled around for a second attempt? And this was followed by a superb sunset lighting up the underside of the clouds and enveloping fells and boats, in a ruddy glow.
[lg_slideshow folder=”album/15sundry/sunset/” display=”slide”]
Photos (C) Sarah Newport
Back in the clubhouse Olivia and Alex had been laying out tables and preparing a meal which was enjoyed by all.
The last bank holiday camping weekend of the year started off with a mild sunny afternoon combined with a good breeze, somewhat lighter than forecast, that tempted out a fair fleet of boats.
In the F15s, Ian/Izzie got the best start but it was Mark/Ian that took an early lead and promptly headed for the wrong mark, with the next couple of boats following like sheep. Bean/Alan were the first to head for the correct mark and take the lead. Mark did get back in to the lead, but Bean finished a close 2nd.
Dave/Lynn took two 1sts in the GPs leaving Val/Ken and AJ/Sue to battle it out for the next couple of places, each sharing a 2nd and a 3rd.
Having burnt out Alan in the F15 in the first race, Bean moved into the GP with Tog to practice for the forthcoming 24hr race. Finishing 4th might suggest they need some more practice!
Scumper/Zefer won both handicap races in their 400 with James in a Laser taking one 2nd, and Banter in a 100 taking the other.
Lighter winds are forecast for the next two days over which the five race championship series will be held.
Sunday started with camp patches and a slight shower but broke out into another bright day, and the wind filled in, albeit shifty, for the first three races of the weekend series. Visitors from Southport SC joined in with the racing, though not included in results, topping up boats to a busy 35.
Keith/John had a good first race pulling out a good lead which they held to win the F15s, while Ian/Izzy wind the second race and Mark/Ian finally got their act together to win the third.
Joan/Jack shone early in the GPs, but Dave/Lynn eventually got back into the groove winning all three races. It was good to have Jess/Sally sailing their GP together for the first time.
Bean/Naomi were back in the RS200 taking three bullets in the fast handicap fleet. Newcomer John Roberts in Pico won two slow handicap races while Jim won the other in his Hartley.
What would Bank Holiday Monday bring? While the south of the country battled through flooding and heavy rain showers, after a misty start, we were blessed with clear skies but a general lack of wind. Racing got underway after a short postponement with a light breeze from the North East but the wind would fade to drifting conditions after little more than 10 mins then return for another brief spurt. The OD was keen for the race to be a reasonable length, though he didn’t expect the tailenders viz Josh and Martin to be on the water for 90 mins!
Although the wind faded again over the lunch break, it returned from the NE to get racing back underway on a short course to manage any further wind drops. What it didn’t allow for was the wind backing to the north, making the beat a fetch! Later the wind backed further to the west (was that the sea breeze effect?) creating a beat on the final leg of the course.
Dave/Lynn again mastered the conditions winning the GP trophy with five wins. In the handicap fleet, the light airs suited Steve/Ruth in their Merlin and they were able to secure a 1st and 2nd behind Ian Hall in a Solo. However, Bean managed to get a 3rd which was enough to win the trophy.
Jim’s collision with a F15 on Sunday perhaps spurred him on to take two 1sts in the conditions and win the slow handicap trophy.
In the F15s, Ian/Lezliann only sailed two races on Sunday, but took two commanding leads on Monday to win the trophy, and denying Mark/Ian of one their few opportunities to win a series while the newer boats were elsewhere.
With racing over, the rain held off for another hour. All in all a good bank holiday!
It was a dull evening but without the threat of rain. With a constant force 4 wind from the SW the beat was 3-B in a box shaped course B-A-4-3. There were fourteen starters with two newcomers to the Series, Mike Cave in his Solo and Poppy Gannon in an Enterprise.
Following a good start, Joe Watkins in his 300 streaked around the course to complete the first lap in five minutes. The 200 of Alex and Olivia followed some lengths back and then there was another gap to the GPs of Val & Ken, Joan & Jack and AJ with Janie.
But it was not a good course for the Geeps with two tight reaches interspersed with a dead run. David�s Solo moved ahead of them and Ethan�s Radial and Pete�s Laser were also in the mix.
Joe was now lapping in six minutes and those on the Bates were asking how many laps he could complete before the light started to fade and the race was shortened. The wind was shifting ahead of beam on the final reach and all the kite boats were having difficulty getting them to fly and, particularly, dropping at 3. A tight rounding was needed to make the line but all were losing seconds while stowing and before they could harden up.
Val & Ken seemed to fare best of the bunch at 3 while Joan & Jack were not having one of their better Thursdays. But Alex & Olivia, a lap ahead, had the poorest rounding on the final lap eventually tacking off up the line. Surely that would ruin any chance of a win on FH? But no! FH results showed that they had beaten Joe by a mere second. David was third and Ethan fourth.
On PH it was Joe from David from Pete. Where were the Geeps? Don�t ask!