Another sunny Saturday, but with no takers due to the high winds, racing was cancelled.
Same outcome on Sunday!
Easter 2022
Saturday started with sunshine and an unexpected SE breeze for the two race Celebrity Glass Pursuit series. Over 30 boats started the first race over a 46 minute start sequence, with the Reekie’s sandwiching the fleet (James in an Optimist being in the first start and John in a 49er in the last start), during which the wind eased, then picked up at John’s start.
The conditions helped James in his Optimist maintain the lead to the start of what turned out to be the final beat when he was caught by Naomi in a Mirror. However, the wind faded and it ended up that the whole fleet, bar two, were on the same leg when the shorten course signal was sounded (perfect handicapping?). Matty in his Tera mastered the light winds only to be pipped to the finishing line by a matter of seconds by Rob in a Phantom, with Naomi 3rd.
The challenging final beat put many off sailing another race, but seven showed interest, so the OD set another start line only for the wind to fill in from the NE, so the line was moved, course set, and racing got underway before the wind swung again! Fortunately, the wind held for the full race which Chris/Evie led throughout, though on handicap it was won by Dave/Lynn in their GP, followed by Mike/Jack in a Graduate.
Overall, Dave/Lynn beat Chris/Evie by one point, with Mike/Jack 3rd
Final results Celebrity Glass Pursuit
Clear skies and a mild southerly greeted sailors on Sunday morning for the start of the first championship weekend series of the season.
Some sailors were just starting their racing season and found the position of some hard to grasp!…
Throughout the course of the day there were numerous hard beats to mark 7 where the wind strength, and swell, increased as it funnelled through the narrows, several capsizes, a couple of boats OCS, some great reaches, and some close racing to boot. After three hard races many sailors knew they would be sleeping well that night!
Over the 40 boats racing the overnight leaders were Neil/Rory in the F15s, Rob in a Phantom in the Handicap fleet, Dave/Lynn in the GPS, and Phil/Oliver in a Mirror in the Slow Handicap fleet
By Monday morning, the clouds had moved in, the winds eased, and swung to the west.
As the morning race progressed the wind came back in, but without the swell of Sunday afternoon. There were some good spinnaker reaches, a few capsizes (and that was just Shunty!), and some shifty conditions on the beats to contend with, as well as a lap more than many appreciated, or were used to!
One final race after lunch was held in slightly lighter, but sunnier conditions, and topped off a great weekend.
Overall the winners were Neil/Rory with the Easterly Trophy in the F15s, Joe with the Easter Trophy in the Handicap fleet, Dave /Lynn with the Bass Tankard in the GPs, and Phil/Oliver MT Image Trophy in the slow handicap fleet.
Sunny Saturday
Saturday had plenty of sunshine, but the wind was bitter when a cloud passed through.
There had been little wind during the morning training, but it filled in a little from the SE before the afternoon race, though most sailors were caught out when the OD set a course and started the sequence despite a wind shadow in the start area. The wind had backed substantially to the east when it filled in shortly after the boat that had launched early started the race.
Gayle’s first start in her Solo didn’t go to plan – capsizing on the start line (and wishing she had repaired her drysuit a bit earlier!).
The line was moved for the next race as the wind had backed further to the NE. The start line was busier this time, and there were two boats OCS, though only one returned to restart.
Heading to mark 3 in a NE wind is typically challenging, and today was no different, especially as on the second lap the wind eased for 10 mins, so, with the wind filling from the right hand side, there were places to be gained.
After two races, AJ/Sue lead the GP fleet from James/Jenny, with Nigel/Glenys 3rd
In the handicap fleet the new partnership of Mike and Jack in a Graduate secured a 1st and 4th, placing them 2nd behind Robbie D in a Solo who had a 2nd and 1st.
Matty won in his Tera from brother Cameron in the first race to lead the series.
On Sunday the sun was being much more evasive, and despite the wind swinging regularly (as ever),� brought the best wind of the season needing sailors to hike out, though there were no capsizes.
The morning race was the start of another long series, and after lunch there was a pennant race in aid of The Eric Twiname Trust in which female crews’ results count towards Sandra’s Salver.
Angus/Mike had a good first beat in their F15, but could not maintain their lead over Neil/Rory also in a F15, while AJ/Sue proved that spinnakers aren’t very effective in the water, and had some chasing to do to get past Nigel/Glenys. However, it was Matt/Oliver in their Laser 2000 that mastered the conditions to win the pennant, with Joe in his Laser 2nd.
Saskia leads the series for Sandra’s Salver, with Sue 2nd
Eric Twiname Trust pennant results
Many congratulations go to Ant and Penny Woodyer who have just celebrated 50 years of wedded bliss!
Championship Weekend Series
The final weekend series for the club championship failed to get any enthusiasm from the various sailors that turned up. The wind gusts were not as strong as forecast, and there were no white horses to worry about, but there were no takers so racing was cancelled for the day.
With weather conditions similar on Sunday morning, there were only a few potential contenders, but their enthusiasm did not extend to taking covers off their boats, so combined with the lack of OD, racing was cancelled again.
This season’s club championship is concluded and shown below,
Transom Trophy
An opportunity to use some spare camping days, resulted in a good turnout for another weekend series, especially in the slow handicap fleet with many of the Cadet squad racing.
Saturday was overcast, with a light, variable, breeze from the south, with variable being the operative word! Although the wind held for most of the first race, by the time the next race was about to start, it had eased and swung to the south west, so the start line was quickly moved and a tight triangular course set. The light wind faded even more at times, just what you need when the drizzle turned to rain for a while! At the end of the first lap, despite little sign of wind on the water, the leaders were moving relatively quickly through the water, so they continued on another lap. The leaders completed the lap in approx 20 minutes, but the bulk were affected by the wind dying until it veered more to the north.
Well done especially to those that persevered to finish, even if their total race time was only an hour!
Sunday started with mirror conditions, with the occasional zephyr disturbing the water. Only when some rain moved in did any wind appear! Racing got underway an hour late but there was wind, quite healthy at times, but the rain showers were persistent…
During the lunch break the rain disappeared, leaving some of the best sailing conditions of the weekend, especially as the sun broke through the clouds too!
In the F15s, there had been different winners in each of the first three races, though Ian/Lezliann were in a strong position with a 1st and two 2nds, another 1st in race 4 secured them the Transom Trophy, with Graham/John 2nd, so the F15 fleet opted to call it a day.
The handicap fleet had two main contenders for the Comet Trophy, and winning the last race meant the honours went to Matthew/Oliver in a 2000, with Chris/Chloe in a Graduate 2nd.
Val/Ken won the Stables Prize in the GPs with four wins. Although a birthday party prevented AJ/Sue racing on Saturday, they finished the series with a net 10 points to finish 2nd overall. Perhaps, if James/Jenny had braved the damp morning race they would have gained an extra place to beat AJ/Sue?
With no racing in the slow handicap fleet on Sunday, Bean/Lucy’s two 1sts in a Mirror on Saturday won them the Singlehanded Trophy, with Henry in a Tera 2nd
Summer Sailing?!
Summer may well have started officially, but the sun was keeping a very low profile, and the NE breeze was contributing to the chill in the air.
A force 3 gave the fleet of 16 boats some good planing conditions at times, and there were a few capsizes.
A quick turnaround between the end of the first race and the start of the second race caught a few sailors off guard and they had some minutes catching up to do!
Joe and Alex in Lasers, together with Val/Ken in a GP shared the 1st three positions in both races, but with more races to count, it is AJ/Sue that lead the series, with Joan/Jack 2nd
Sunday morning was sunny, but with little wind. Although it filled in from the forecast NE direction, as soon as the OD on the water and ready to prepare a course, the wind faded. The fleet had launched, but after 45 mins of waiting for the breeze to fill in again, the OD opted for an early lunch, only for the wind to fill in from the NE before the fleet had reached shore! The appearance of some wind put paid to the sunshine for the rest of the afternoon…
After lunch, the wind eased a little, but stayed long enough to get both races in. There were, of course, some big swings to contend with, but that’s Bassenthwaite! In the GPs, Val/Ken won, with Mike/Tim 2nd. Robbie D in a Solo won the handicap race, with Joan/Jack 2nd. Word has it there was some abuse of the rules, but it did not go any further… The slow handicap race was won by Phil/Lucy in a Mirror, with Mik 2nd, and Poppy 3rd
The second race was the Calvert Trust pennant, but in line with tradition this year, the course was set in the northern bay. Robbie D led the race, and won on handicap, with Neil 2nd, and Hugh 3rd. James/Jenny had a good race, leading the GPs, and finishing 5th overall.
Sunday Racing
Following the Open meetings for Lasers and Solos on Saturday, Club racing returned to Bass on Sunday albeit following a 90 minute delay due to the refusal of any wind to turn up.
The first race was the initial round in a new Long Series of class racing. Neil and Judith were on the Bates and, as there was no FF start, decided to combine the two handicap starts and set a simple triangle O-A-B in case the wind died again. Well it didn�t, but was alternating through virtually every point on the compass and filling in and dying at various legs of the course.
Dave & Lynn took the GP win and Joan & Jack in the Graduate the Fast Handicap result. The three boats in the slow handicap fleet were continually changing positions, Katia�s Tera leading initially, then Mik�s Mirror but at the finish it was Poppy in a Topper who took her first win and leads the Bates Series.
The Jubilee Sailing Trust pennant followed but the start line was shifted to give a course A-9-0-B. Here Dave & Lynn took a further win from Val & Ken and the Hardies.
Away from the Club Andy & Lily were contesting the Mirror Nationals in Cornwall finishing an excellent 8th overall including a 2nd in Race 6. It is thought that this was the crew�s first time racing on the sea. Also three Bass boats were contesting the RS400 Northerns. Dave Exley & Crew were third, Mark & Joe seventh and Caroline Exley & Crew ninth.
Saturday Southerly
With a S/SE breeze the OD considered sending the fleet of 29 boats part way down the lake, fortunately, his mind was changed because, soon after the racing started, the wind eased. Boats did keep moving throughout the afternoon’s races, but it seemed touch and go at times!
There were two attempts at having the first F15 fleet start in two years. Unfortunately, Ian/Archie had gear problems before the first race so did not start. All ready for the second race, their timing was a bit awry, leaving Graham/Eric to get a clean start. After trailing around the full course, it was on the final short beat to the finish that Ian pulled one out of the bag to beat Graham!
John/Jack had timing issues in the first race, and had to return after being OCS at the start. They did not hold back though, and went on to win, with AJ/Sue 2nd. In the following race, a triumphant AJ promised to buy everyone a drink, and James/Jenny were 2nd.
In the slow handicap fleet, Oliver was in his Optimist, and with a little help from Bean in his Mirror, completed his first(?) race! Next race Oliver was back crewing in the Mirror, and they were leading, but went around the final mark the wrong way. By the time they had unwound their mistake, Andy/Lily had passed them, and Bean slipped into 2nd place. Andy had won the first race too, with John Reekie in a Mirror 2nd. It was the Teras that shared 3rd places, Katia, in the first race, and Matty in the second.
Conditions didn’t really suit the handicap fleet, and positions changed dramatically. Scumper won the first, with Robbie D 2nd, and Graham in his F15 3rd, while the Solos took control of the next race, with Robbie D winning, Neil 2nd, and Rory 3rd.
Sunday morning seemed to be confound expectations as the rain had passed through and there was a steady breeze from the SE again.
Angus/Mike in a F15 led the handicap fleet, but rounding the leeward mark the wrong way was to be their downfall, especially as they failed to unwind correctly! With the wind easing, to extend the race length slightly, the finish line was moved up to the windward mark, only for the wind to fade even more! OD Simon determined it had been a karabatic wind that the fleet had enjoyed before fading to forecast levels.
So after a very slow final leg, and the rain moving in, the fleet headed ashore. Although the burgees had swung to the west, there seemed little prospect of the wind filing in, so the second race was cancelled.
In the GPs, AJ/Sue with another win, and Dave/Sarah 2nd, now lead the series. Joan/Jack in their Graduate took the lead to win in the handicap fleet from Neil in his Solo, while Bean/Lucy won in the slow handicap, with Katia 2nd, and present leader of the series.
May Bank Holiday
The weekend started off with a gloriously sunny, but cold, day and a light, variable wind. There was another excellent turnout of cadets and juniors for the morning training, many of which gave the afternoon racing a go too.
The light NE wind looked promising for racing, but it faded, delaying the start, then came back in from the east, swinging quickly to the SE though the start sequence. However, wind wise, it was to be an afternoon of no consistency, as it swung, dropped, filled in briefly from the NE, dropped, swung to the north, dropped again, etc, etc.
The fleet of 33 boats seemed content to put up with the conditions, and even stayed out for the second race. Andy/Phil launched their new F15, certainly not the best conditions to test it in, and raced against the formidable duo Graham/Alan. Andy secured a good start port on port, with Graham at the starboard end crossing a few seconds later, however, the changing wind left Andy in a hole as Graham slipped into the lead from which Andy didn’t recover. Things can only get better Andy!…
John/Jack took another two wins in the GPs from AJ/Sue, while Robbie D had two wins from Neil, both in Solos, in the handicap fleet. Stephen in a Mirror had two wins in the slow handicap fleet from Mik in a Mirror in the first race, and Poppy in her Topper in the 2nd. All the winners presently lead their series overall.
Sunday was more overcast, with a wind that bedded in as the morning progressed, although yet again it continued to� swing throughout the day, with some challenging backers for the sailors to contend with.
For the two day weekend series there was a Fleet Challenge with just a single start for all 27 boats, not that they got away in a single start as there was two general recalls, with the threat of a black flag coming into play (which it did for the second race!). There were several capsizes, including one for AJ/Sue when they got their mast stuck in the mud. Graham/Alan in a F15 were leading the fleet until the leeward mark when they struggled to drop their spinnaker and dropped down the fleet as a result. Andy/Phil struggled to find second gear again, this time due to a failed kicker. Meanwhile, daughter Katia, led the Teras all round the course until the final beat when she was pipped at the post by Matty.
Robbie D in a Solo won the first two races, with John/Jack in their GP 2nd. After a lunch break, the fleet thinned out to just 13 starters. This time Dave L in a Laser beat Robbie D into 2nd place.
Sunday morning was glorious, and even the wind looked much lighter on the webcam than forecast. However, the forecast did prove to be correct with a gusty SSE, and persistent rain. It was the enthusiasm of Katia and Hannah that eventually got racing underway. The official starter chose to use a shore based start (best decision of the day!), with a beat from 0 to 8. The downside of having to clear away thousands of dead flies in the race office, was far outweighed by the ability to be sheltered from the cold wind and rain.
When the wind veered towards the SSW, the beat was more in shadow, making the beat more challenging, but with large shifts and lighter patches, however, there were some good gusts on the reaches to make up for it. 40 minutes of challenging conditions did not dampen the enthusiasm of Banter, Ethan, and Zefer, all of whom were keener than the OD to have another race. So they had a running start for course 0-1-5. Despite being further away from the shadow of Sale Fell, the winds were not much kinder, especially rounding 0!
Considering the gusts, there were only a few capsizes. Two more wins for Zefer earned him the trophy on fleet handicap while Katia won the trophy on personal handicap
Windy Weekend
Strong gusty winds in the morning eased sufficiently for racing in the weekend series with a turnout of 16 boats. There were various capsizes, some challenging variable conditions around 9, and opportunities for some spectacular reaches, especially by Scumper in his RS100.
At one stage, AJ seemed to have a new take on an age old rule re mark rounding…
In the handicap fleet there were mixed fortunes with the shifty conditions, and the asymmetrics were able to take advantage of the gusts on the long runs to the leeward marks. Scumper had a 1st and a 3rd, Robin/Erin in a RS200 two 2nds, while John in a Solo had a 3rd and a 1st to take overnight lead.
There was more consistency in the GPs with Andy/Phil in overnight lead with two 1sts while John/Jack had two 2nds.
Paul leads the slow handicap fleet after both Poppy and Katia retired.
Sunday morning was bright and dry but with a strong SW breeze that wasn’t tempting anyone to even take covers off their boats. Perhaps the occasional sunny spells highlighted too many white wave crests?!
After a while Andy/Phil and John/Jack decided to give it a go, and three handicap boats followed suit.
Conditions were such that the Bates wasn’t holding its anchor, even second time around, so it resulted in a lot of port bias (probably so much that boats couldn’t cross the line on starboard tack!). There were numerous capsizes, hard beats, and some good reaches to make up for all the hard work.
Despite a strong lead, Scumper had one, or two, capsizes too many and ended up finishing behind John on the water. In the GPs, Andy/Phil led throughout the race with John/Jack 2nd.
Coming ashore after the first race there was no appetite for any more races, so that brought the series to an end, with no change to the overnight leader results.