Thanks to the Paparazzi for these shots from last weeks F15 team racing

The final weekend of the October Series greeted competitors with strong, gusty winds from a predominately WSW direction. Three intrepid competitors took to the water, Jim Christie in his Supernova, Peter Whipp sailing a Laser Radial and a new combination of Phil Davenport helming Alan Jones’s Flying Fifteen with Alan crewing.

The first race was a straightforward Olympic course, triangle sausage, with a beat to South as mark O has mysteriously disappeared. Peter took the lead but had his first of many capsizes shortly after his first beat, Phil and Alan assisted by their keel took the lead which they held until the finish. Jim after numerous immersions retired but Peter completed the course and told the OD he would like another race, Phil was keen to go, Alan less so and Jim a definite no. Race two was contested between Peter in his Radial and Phil/Alan in the Fifteen. Peter once again had a good first beat but hit he windward mark and had to do a 360, Phil/Alan took full advantage and sailed down the reach at times flying their spinnaker. Peter recovered well and despite a couple of capsizes en route he managed to win the race on handicap making it all square on the day as Phil & Alan had won the first race.

The day’s racing put Peter in the lead for both the fleet and handicap trophies, and with not even one contender on Sunday (was everyone making the most of their extra hour’s sleep, or were they just put off by the gales?) racing was abandoned and the results stand for the series.

Final results FH PH

Three of the Youth squad (Ethan, Lottie Winfindale and David Rodger) took part in the end of season Junior traveller event at Bolton SC on Saturday.

Weather was medium wind with a few very strong squalls giving many spectacular capsizes. That there were no breakages say much of the good design of modern boats. (Optimist, Topper, RS Feva, Laser, Hartley 12, 420 and Supernova)

Bolton is a very small sailing club but it still has 12 main buoys and temporary buoys and the OOD intended using most of them. Each race more and more of the club bouys were being used to the utter confusion of most of the kids.

For the last race the OOD put the start line across both upwind legs having initially failed to put the start line on the course board at all. It appears that the direction arrows were not clear either.

At times the whole of the Topper Fleet were sailing the course in reverse order, and our youth squad were perhaps more confused than the more experienced kids.

At other times some of the leaders were spending more time unravelling themselves of the wrong course than they were sailing the right course.
The lead boat of course led the experienced Laser Fleet around but left the Toppers and Optimists to find their own way…

After weeks without rain the weather system was determined for us to catch up so we endured 24 hours of rain which topped up the lake level considerably. A forecast of gusty winds increasing as the weekend progresses may have put some people off, but those that turned out for the final championship series of the season had a mixture of winds that were challenging, and gusty, but well within everyone’s capabilities. There was a mixture of legs to test skills, even if Tog didn’t appreciate them! Robbie D/Banter took two wins in their RS400 while Tog and Peter Whipp each had a 2nd, and Tog and Jim C each had a 3rd.

Despite some close racing at times, Tim/Ian had two wins in the F15s with Chris/Julie 2nd each time. Honours were shared in the GPs with Mike Cave and Jonathan Bovington each having a 1st and a 2nd, though Jonathan leads overnight with the tie being split on the last race.

Mik and Harry were joined by eight Toppers from the training programme (even if the conditions resulted in several capsizes and they didn’t make it through to the finish). Harry capsized when a knot in his mainsheet came undone and the rig depowered quicker than he could sit in! After a short while he had rerigged the mainsheet and he continued. Mik won both races with Harry 2nd.

Just after racing finished a shower moved in and the wind eased to mirrorlike conditions – Perfect timing!

The winds were due to build again for Sunday, and they did, but as we have a micro climate, it was not as gusty as forecast. With Mik having a late start, and two races being sailed before lunch, his pole position in the series slipped away as Harry won both races ahead of Jenny. Harry consolidated his lead by winning the final race after lunch, and won the series trophy.

Robbie D/Banter won the two morning races, though son Ethan with Izzie (in the race he didn’t capsize and wrap his Feva’s gennaker around the leeward mark) did give him a close challenge finishing 2nd by just 30 secs. The courses were more to Tog’s liking, but Robbie’s victory robbed Tog’s chance of winning the championship. The final race was won by Ethan/Izzie just secs ahead of Peter in a Laser, and then Tim in a F15.

Despite an incorrectly rigged, and non-flyable spinnaker, Tim/Ian took a further victory in the first race ahead of Chris/Julie. In the next race, an ‘administrative error’ led to Tim sailing the wrong course for a while, Chris seized the moment and held the lead through to the finish. The series trophy was won by Tim.

Final results

As this is the last series in the club championship the final results have been calculated. Let us know any queries before the prize giving list is finalised.

Congratulations to this year’s champions
Flying 15s – Mike Moore/Kayla Sheard
Handicap – Robin Dawson/Phil Davenport
GP14s – Dave/Lynn Lawson
Mirror/Topper – Mik Chappell

Club Championship