Following high winds and a prolonged squall in Strangford Lough, where the GP14 Worlds are being held this week, a major incident was declared when approx 50 boats capsized and the rescue facilities were inundated.
We are pleased to advise that all Bass members who are taking part in the event are safe and well.
To keep abreast of happenings and results for Bass week check out the dedicated site
Please try and make yourselves available from about 6.30pm on Tuesday evening to help put the final preparations in place for Bass Week which starts next weekend.
There are many different tasks to be undertaken, and all help will be fully appreciated.
Well, stormy Saturday was the forecast, lightning, torrential rain. What did we get? Overcast, with bright spells and a few showers passing through, oh and no wind! Well the wind did fill in about 3.30, just after most of the select group of sailors that did turn up (not being put off by the forecast) decided they wouldn’t wait for wind any longer (or were they just in the mood for an ice cream?)
Sunday’s forecast meant the day should remain dry and sunny, though the wind could be a challenge unless a sea breeze pops in to save the weekend series!
The day started overcast with just flurries of breeze across part of the lake, and it looked like a tall order to get four races of the weekend series in. The OD found the shifting wind direction challenging. During the start sequence of the first race the wind swung through 90 deg resulting in some reaching starts. The Mirrors/Toppers were so disorientated that all bar one had to return after starting. The second and third races suffered from some large shifts as well.
By the final race of the day, the skies had cleared and a sea breeze steadied and enhanced the wind for the best sail of the day.
The shifty winds helped spread the positions in some fleets (the top four F15s each had 5pts after the first two races), and with no discards there was little room for mistakes. Mike/Kayla were disqualified after an incident with a Topper which went to protest, dropping them to 4th overall behind winners Neil/Rory, and Graham/Elaine 2nd
Dave/Lynn had a clean sweep with four 1sts on the GPs, with John/Nigel 2nd. Mike F opted to go Streaking this weekend and ran off with 1st overall, well ahead of Banter and Tog. In the Mirrors Mik was back on form winning 3 races, and Pam the 4th and final race. They finished 1st and 2nd overall respectively
With Bass Week just two weeks away, final preparations are being organised.
Would all members who are not partaking in any of Bass Week please arrange to take their boats home, or move them to the bottom of the middle field for storage. This will create space for participating visitors to park their boats for the duration of the Regatta.
Your attention is drawn to Club byelaw 8 – Boats on Site. If your name is not on the entry list by Tuesday 29 July, it will be assumed that you will not be participating in Bass Week.
Another Thursday with sunshine and a warm light wind. This time the direction was again NW but it swung NE as the race progressed. There were twenty starters. It would have been twenty one if Andy Sugden�s lauching trolley hadn�t expired on the way to the slipway!
The start was just upwind of A giving a course of 1-4-A. The GP of John Riley / Nigel Lewis took an early lead on the water to be hauled in and overtaken by Joan & Jack Hardie�s 200. Neil Garrison in his Radial and Paul & Vicky Bowmer� GP had taken advantage of good starts to be well up the fleet whereas Chris Lloyds�s Wayfarer was later over the line but markedly improved position throughout the race.
Eight boats were sent around to complete three laps but, with the wind dropping, the rest of the fleet led by Kath Davis / Glenys Kett were finished after two.
David & Lynn Lawson forfeited racing to prepare the well attended meal and, during this, results were published which showed that it was GP�s to the fore with Paul & Vicky taking the FH win from John & Nigel. On PH the positions were reversed and, with Neil in third place, the three boats were within ten seconds of each other.
Further down the fleet there was family rivalry with Mike Hunter�s Laser finishing one place ahead of daughter Izzie�s Topper and Hazel Newport beating her mother Sarah.
A weekend to ourselves, no visitors, no scheduled racing, just camping on site, team games, fun in Toppers, barbeque, and rain showers thrown in.
Here’s some pics of the rounders match (which went ahead on Tog’s new grass! – perhaps it’ll repair before Bass Week…), and the Topper challenge (a video will be prepared some time in the future).
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Several bags of charcoal were more than enough to overcome the evening showers that threatened the barbeque – there were several sets of glowing (and singed?) knuckles shared between the generally male chefs before Claire’s bingo got underway, with some novel calling. Mark N took the prize first line, and Judith K the overall prize despite daughter Andrea making numerous iffy claims earlier…
Sunday started with�some practicing of gate starts for�the GP fleet before�for the forthcoming Worlds. Shunty opted to show the way in the first start by skimming the transom of pathfinder Dave/Lynn only to narrowly avoid being wiped out by son Chris in the Gate boat! A couple of starts later and helms were more in tune with the procedure.�In�the afternoon�a one-off race in memory of Pete Ballard, from which donations will be given to the Samaritans. The course took the fleet down to 14, which on the western side of the lake was slightly in the shade of Sale Fell and led to some wallowing, especially by Shunty/Ruth who lost a good lead while the asymmetrics planed to windward of them.�Overall, it was the GPs that took the honours, led by Dave/Lynn, ahead of Bean/Alan in a F15, and then Val/Ken.
There was slight embarrassment when someone mistakenly sailed the Commodore’s boat believing it to be a club boat! Intriguingly Sazzle started in a Laser Radial and finished in a Topper – how did she do that?!
A short prize giving was held with prizes awarded by Commodore’s daughter Katia
All in all a fantastic weekend with a difference.
Mike/Kayla had been racing at Ullswater over the weekend and were delighted to beat Steve Goacher in one of the races! Steve has confirmed he will be taking part in the Flying 15 Northern championships which are being hosted at Bassenthwaite on 23/24 August. Book early and save �10
This week�s Night Jar was held in ideal sailing conditions with blue skies, warmth and a F2 NW wind. Twenty four boats signed on and the number would have been higher had not the majority of the Topper Fleet been away on school trips.
The OD set a compact figure of eight course 0-9-B-A. With a long start line and port end bias, there were many crews vying for space at the outer end but no one was over at the start signal. The GP�s of Mike Fairlamb / Eric Smith, Dave & Lynn Lawson, and Alan Jones / Sue Watson got away well as did Joan & Jack Hardie in their RS200 and Jim Christie�s Surpernova.
With lap times of around eleven minutes for the lead boats and a gap opening after the first group, Dave, Joan, Mike and Jim were let through for a fourth lap. With the wind strength appearing to drop, the course was then shortened and AJ and Neil in his Laser felt this would benefit them as the first lead competitors to finish.
But then the wind filled in again and Joan beat Dave to the line in an extremely close strategic contest at the completion of their fourth lap.
Another excellent meal greeted competitors once they had packed their boats away, although it was such a lovely evening that some were reluctant to retreat to the clubhouse.