They may seem like a distant memory at present, but the Thursday evening Night Jar series started last night.�

It was forecast to be light�and mainly�northerly. �Well,�the forecasters�were right on the first count but, for an hour or more before the 1915 hour start time, the wind was swinging through all points of the compass. �At least there were clear skies.

The Race Officer decided to go out and try and set a line. �And yes, it was a northerly beat. �By bringing A�south�of, and near to�B and�by�laying the start line between them, B-3-A seemed to be the best bet. �But then�the wind went west and the nine competing boats had a beam reach followed by a run.�

Mike Fairlamb led the fleet in his Streaker with Alan Jones second in the GP. �It was flat at 3�but most boats struggled round onto another reach as the wind went back to the north . The exception was Louise Roger in her Topper who had dropped behind after a slow first leg. �Julie Tomkinson�/ Melanie Clapham�in the Laser�4000 also struggled with the rounding. � With the wind holding �at that point it was decided to send most boats around for a second lap, the exceptions being Tasha Todhunter in her Laser and visitor Nathan Pickles in his Tera.

With the wind dropping and gradually veering south, the fleet approached the final mark. �Mike thought it had gone completely when he came to a complete halt but he soon realised that he had fouled the Bates� anchor warp and he continued after raising his board. �This allowed AJ and Sue to catch up but they were still astern�crossing the line.��

As it was becoming chilly and the dusk�was setting in, all returned to the Club and tucked in to a meal�previously�prepared by Sue and AJ. �Results showed �that Mike Fairlamb had beaten the chefs on FH but that AJ / Sue were the winners on PH with the Laser of Peter Winfindale second. �

�Latest results

Previously run as a long series, this has been compacted into a weekend series of 5 races. Sun and blue skies were the order of the day, while the wind struggled to settle down.

A forecast easterly did come in, but the strength was variable throughout the afternoon. Feedback from the sailors suggested the wind direction was equally variable! Simon was keen to suggest to the OD (every time he passed the Bates) that the course was in the shadow of Sale Fell.

Before the start, Gary queried AJ as to how Chris/Julie managed to stop dead still. He discovered a second later when, he too stopped dead in his tracks when ran aground! AJ opted to strip to his shorts before jumping overboard to get them underway again.

Scumper/Zefer had a flying start in the 2nd race, only to be recalled. Later in the 2nd race Simon/Jon were reluctant to give up their lead on Mike/Kayla and invoked some mega luging tactics. Although they won that war, Mike went on to win the battle…

Sunday was cloudier and cooler with slightly stronger winds which were to be useful to get the three scheduled races in (even if tiring for some sailors).

While Sue was recovering from her daughter’s wedding, AJ recruited Karen, the flagpole dancing decorator, as a temporary stand in. Tim was keen to push Simon over the start line in the first race, but failing to realise he too was over, and not returning after being recalled, led to him being awarded OCS.

As ever, Mik was enthralled by the tweets and webcam images, and decided to pop down to sail. Actual conditions put him off, so he returned home to watch the Grand Prix.

Tim was later involved in an incident with training officer Neil who collided with Tim, capsized, and realised his leg was caught in the mainsheet!

Banter was in the groove today, being more confident that he was finding how to tune his RS100, he was able to have some close racing with Scumper/Zefer, securing a 1st in the 2nd race of the day, to add to his bullet from Saturday. Scumper won the final race of the day and the Asymmetric Cup.

Simon/Jon had a better day leading all three races, but rear commodore Andy and Ginger Phil in a GP put in three good races as well taking a 2nd and two 1sts to win the MJM Trophy.

If you want to see how Andy/Ginger Phil worked the shifts check out this link that shows what was recorded on his GPS during the afternoon racing. It shows his 11miles of sailing!

Final results

Next weekend we are hosting the Great North Asymmetric Challenge, to benefit from the �10 early bird discount make sure your entry is submitted by midnight tonight (Sunday)

… just weren’t enough. A lovely, sunny, afternoon but high winds, or was it low temperatures, put numerous would sailors off. So AJs stressful OD duty was straightforward- just get settled into a few cups of tea before abandoning racing for the day.

Winds eased overnight, but it was a wet start which seemed to dampen enthusiasm for the various sailors that were on site. However, after lunch the rain stopped and the one and only race of the weekend got underway – the Eric Twiname Trust pennant, typically raced around the lake. Fortuitously the OD only set the course as far as 10 as the wind eased soon after the start!

Alastair/Gayle in a RS200 were first to 10 and held off Scumper/T in a RS400 all the way back to Scarness. Despite being in the slowest boat, Jim/Poppy stayed ahead of a RS400 on the water, and won on handicap.

Final results