Ne’er cast a clout till the May is out – so true! The forecast wall to wall sunshine was nowhere to be seen, and the light winds were cold.

With the Catapult fleet having their open meeting with us again, there was a great turnout of boats. The winds eased as the afternoon progressed.

Tog coaxed Joanie out in the RS200 again, and despite his frustrations seeping through, she was still smiling at the end! It was Robbie D that built up a good lead, but when the handicaps were applied, Banter, newcomer Ian Hall, and Alastair were hot on his heels finishing within 29secs of his corrected time. In the 2nd race, Robbie D again took the honours, with Jim C 2nd, and Mik, with no comps torus in the Mirror/Topper fleet, finishing a few secs later in 3rd place.

Mike/Kayla won the 1st F15 race but in the 2nd race, Ian/Lezli-Ann kept the wind to take the lead, and advantage of the shortened course (though they were hoping it would have been shortened earlier). Dave/Lynn won both GP races from Mike/Eric

Latest results

There could be a bit of hot air this evening with entertainment comprising Chilli followed by a rules talk/discussion by Eddie Ramsden. Will everyone be fired up to protest on the water tomorrow?

Sunday offered slightly milder, but much stronger and gustier winds. Although there were various capsizes, and several near misses, the good reaching conditions and close racing made it an enjoyable race for many. For some reason sheep syndrome took over and several boats went around the leeward mark the wrong direction (consistently) and so were giving DNF.

Lucy was crewing for Alastair, but not amused that they capsized on their way ashore. Perhaps they’d let their guard down…

After lunch there were another two races that were certain to tire many out, especially as the wind continued to blow with some wild gusts at times.

Alastair/Lucy crossed the finish line only to be flattened by one of the gusts – did it blow Alastair’s hat off too?

Izzy (or is it Hazel?) and Harry put in gutsy performances in their Toppers coping with several capsizes, finishing two of the races, and retiring in the final one of the day. Despite some close racing, Harry took two firsts and currently leads the series.

Scumper/Zefer kept Robbie D/Banter at bay taking 3 wins and the overnight lead in the handicap fleet, while Paul is in 3rd place. Dave/Lynn recovered from their mark rounding mistake in the first race to win the next two races and overnight lead ahead of Alan/Sue.

The F15s had some close racing, sharing the wins between Mike/Kayla, Simon/Jon and Neil/Tog meaning everything was�to sail for on Monday for which the forecast was more of the same, though with the wind from the SSE. Indeed there was a good SSE wind on Monday, but it�wasn’t as gusty. The wind direction suited some courses that�made use of the southern end of the lake. Birthday boy Simon sailed with his sensible head to win both races and the F15 series with Mike/Sally and Neil/Tog each getting second to finish 2nd and 3rd overall respectively.

Despite some strengthening�competition from Val/Ken who are quickly getting to grips with their new boat, Dave/Lynn took another couple of firsts (and the Lyne Tankard), with Val and John each�taking a 2nd place, but AJ’s first on Sunday secured him 2nd overall ahead of Val.

Whether it was the less gusty conditions, or the longer beats, John Reekie�mastered his Musto Skiff to win both races in the handicap fleet. Robbie D and Shunty each had a second position, but Scumper’s 3rd place was more than enough to win him the May Holiday trophy when combined with his three wins from Sunday.

Commodore Andy sailed, and won,�one�race each with daughters Lily and Katia, �but it was Harry’s consistent performance over the two days that�earned him the Peel Pot ahead of Hazel.

There was more consistent results from Gareth Ede giving him a clear lead in the Catapult open, but some more close racing led to there being�only 3�points separating 2nd to 4th places, with�John Terry securing 2nd overall.

All in all another great sailing weekend!

Final�results – Club racing / Catapult Open

Entries for the first round of the season long Night Jar Series are usually a little sparse. But, on this occasion, regular competitors were supplemented by nine Trainees or beginners giving a total of eighteen boats on the water.

The evening was warm and dry with an extremely light NE wind. With calm patches around the bay, race officer Ian Macpherson chose a clockwise course starting upwind of 0 with a beat to 1, a close reach to B and a long run as the final leg.

The Skiff of John Reekie took an early lead and completed the lap in 17 minutes. So, when given the option, he requested a further circuit. He was followed some 10 minutes later by the four GP14�s and Ethan Dawson�s Radial and, with the wind dropping near the Bassenthwaite shore, a shortened course was signalled at 0.

Mike Fairlamb / Ken Bell were first of the group to cross the line followed closely by John Riley / Nigel Lewis. However, the wind was shifting SE and both Alan Jones / Sue Watson and Kath Davis / Glenys Kett were pushed into 0 when rounding resulting in turns.

The trainees and beginners were receiving on the water instruction from Robbie Dawson and six completed the course with Julie Tomkinson and Peter Winfindale in Radials finished in under 38 minutes. Izzi Hunter in her Topaz Uno crossed the line just ahead of Morgan Glass who was helming the first Topper to finish. Congratulations to all who were attempting their first Club race.

Latest results PH FH

The last day before British Summer Time started sunny with a good southerly breeze, which increased as the morning progressed but the white horses eased before racing was underway. Mike F led the first half of the Celebrity Glass Pursuit in his Streaker, until being passed by Mike/Kayla, who were subsequently passed by winners Robbie D/Banter in a 400.

Scumper/Alastair had a few problems taking down their gennaker, slowing them down on the start of the beats, while Mike F became the 2nd boat to capsize this season.

In the 2nd race, Mike/Kayla led the F15s as Ian/Lezli-Ann and Graham/Elaine battled it out for 2nd place. Robbie D won in the handicap fleet.

Latest results – Celebrity Glass / Morgan Trophy

Sunday started hazy with a light SE breeze, and a simple triangular course was set which proved to be more appropriate for the variable strength airs which faded to a drifter as two wind directions fought it out. How Ian Mac capsized in such conditions we may never know!

In the F15s Ian/Lezli-Ann broke through to the lead and held it with Graham/Elaine 2nd. Robin/Banter had a close race with with Bean/Naomi, but, unfortunately for Robin, Bean was in a 200! Dave/Lynn again showed their mastery of the conditions in their GP, gradually pulling out a bigger lead on Andy/Phil.

The Youth squad had their first race of the season which Heidi led throughout, with David a close 2nd

With a sunny lunchtime, many took the opportunity to dine al fresco

The afternoon race was a pennant. Many of the 12 starters were keen to go round the lake so that’s what they did. A fair breeze took them down the lake but it was a bit more flukey on the return leg. Robbie D led the race, but Mike/Kayla stayed close enough to beat them on handicap, win the race, and give Kayla the lead in Sandra’s Salver. Andy/Phil led Dave/Lynn around the course finishing 3rd overall, just 11 secs behind Robbie D (on handicap).

Results – Calvert Trust Pennant / Sandra’s Salver (latest)