The glorious weather has returned to offer what must have been the best sailing day of the season so far, with blue skies and 20C SW winds. 18 boats raced in shifty (nothing new there), and sometimes gusty conditions.

The F15s had some good racing with Ian/Lezliann getting to grips with a new cut genoa that took a couple of laps to set correctly up the beats to get the edge over Tim/Ian and take the win. In the second race, Ian pushed his luck claiming water at mark 4 and ended up doing a couple of turns, then had to fight back to successfully take the lead and win the race.

There was mixed fortunes in the GPs with a relatively close finish in the first race, won by Val/Ken, with Mike/Eric 2nd. Not sure what happened in the second race, but the boats were considerably more spread out, with Mike winning, and Alan/Sue 2nd.

Beginner Jo was keen to get a sail, and unexpectedly ended up racing in two races with Robbie D in the handicap fleet. To her surprise, there were no bumps, capsizes, or broaches! However, she did experience a general recall in the first race, somewhat unusual in club racing. Scumper was in his RS 100 and won on the water and on handicap, though in the second race Peter Whipp in a Laser was a very close 2nd by just 5 secs. Steve/Ruth took 2nd in thd te first race.

Sunday started off with the micro climate that is Bass doing its own thing. Westerly breeze at Bothel, north easterly on the lake, when it filled in. When the course was being set, the lake was sporting a northerly, but soon after some of the fleet rounded the windward mark, but gusts started from the west, and later continued to back to the SW! With no competition in the slow handicap fleet, Bean with Oliver raced with the handicap fleet and was only just pipped to the windward mark by Scumper! The excitement proved too much for Oliver and they subsequently retired. With the beat having disappeared following the windshift, and three races to get in, a shortish race seemed appropriate with the expectation of the wind bedding in over lunch.

The SW breeze, though somewhat shifty, held for the next two races, and it was strong enough for some good close, and spinnaker, reaches. Mike and Eric took 3 wins to win the McMillan Cup in the GPs, while Ian/Lezliann used a first and a second to win the Ullock Mug, with Neil, and a guest appearance from wife Judith, won the other two races in the F15.

Wins in the handicap fleet were shared between Ian Hall, Scumper, and Zefer, with Scumper winning the Grisedale Cup and Zefer 2nd.

Final results

A sunny afternoon with good winds had 15 boats on the water across three fleets, and they all had clean starts. There were a few boats that capsized and subsequently retired, though others soldiered on and will no doubt sleep well after the day’s exertions!

Val/Ken had some good racing with Mike/Eric in the GPs, but they lost out on the final beat in the first race when they were caught port and starboard by Mike. They didn’t make the same mistake in the next race, finishing with a good lead.

Sandy/Douglas had two straight wins from Mik in the Mirrors. It was the single handers of Tony in a Solo, and Peter in a Laser that each had a win in the handicap fleet.

None of the day’s results affected the overall leaders in the series

Latest results

Sunday started much more overcast but the sun came out in the end. There were good winds again but very few takers. 

Val/Ken had some gear problems but managed to hold off Alan/Sue, while in the Handicap fleet Peter in his Laser beat Mike in a Streaker by a good margin. 

BL etc latest results 

The afternoon race was the Albert Bates Retirement pennant. However the course kept the fleet in the northern bay with the small potential for typical flukey airs as the course had one beat to mark 8 in the shade of Sale Fell. 

Rory/Eleanor won on handicap in a F15, with Alan and birthday girl Sue 2nd having been forced to tack off from Val/Ken on to a better tack!

The race counts towards Sandra’s Salver for female crews, and Eleanor’s 1st puts her into the lead

Albert Bates Memorial Trophy 

Sandra’s Salver

After a week of fantastic weather, everyone was looking forward to more of the same for the bank holiday. With the wind from the SSW, it was in two minds as to whether it would come round Sale Fell from the S or SW. There was a great fleet of nine mirrors, in the first race and it was the Smith brothers Phil�and Andy that were vying for first position, but Andy/Lily couldn’t keep up with Phil/Oliver. Meanwhile, as thunder could be heard rolling through the hills, the rain held off, and blue skies were edging towards us.

By the 2nd race the SW wind had swung back to the S, and the wind eased. Although the boats seemed to crawl around the short course, it just took 15 mins to complete the lap so the OD sent the fleet round again. However, in a matter of minutes a squall moved in, bringing heavy rain, and resulted in so many capsizes that the race was abandoned and boats headed back to shore.

Within a mad half hour, the squall had disappeared, together with the rain and wind, and the scene was set for a lovely evening during which the Hunter Family were putting on another curry night, serving over 100 meals and raising over �500�in aid of the ASHA Foundation.

Latest results

Sunday started off dry, overcast, but much cooler with a chill factor of 5C! As ever, the wind swung back and forth throughout. After lunch the skies cleared and the sun shone with the wind backing more to the west.

Neil took to the water�for the first time this season with Rory in their F15, taking three 1sts and the Mellor Mug ahead of Graham (also fresh back to the water) and Elaine.

In the GPs, the main competition was between Mike/Eric who took the first race, and Joan/Jack who are overnight leaders having won the next two races.

Joe won the first race in his Laser, but Robin/Erin took the next the next two to be overnight leader.

In the Slow Handicap fleet, it’s a bit of a family affair with the Smiths taking the top four positions, all in Mirrors, with Emma being overnight leader.

Bank holiday Monday morning started with light rain and a good SE breeze. The fleets seemed reluctant to get on the water, which gave the chance to do its worst by easing, and swinging, so the OD had to lift the start line and move it across the lake to take advantage of a slightly steadier breeze, or so it seemed. The course was set, and racing got underway, but the wind wasn’t at its best, and there were holes around the course. Although racing had only been underway about 25 mins, the race was shortened at the end of the first lap to put the sailors out of their misery (and save the committee boat having to hang around too long!). The wind promptly filled in and settled down as the fleets headed ashore for lunch…

Joan/Jack took another win in the GPs from Mike/Eric, and won the Commodore’s Prize. In the Handicap fleet, Robin/Erin beat Scumper which earned them the Isel Cup, with Scumper 2nd overall.

Although Phil won the Slow handicap race, Emma’s 2nd kept her in the lead, so he would need to sail the final race to secure the series.

After lunch the wind held, and strengthened a little, enabling the OD to set the course he had initially set for the morning race. There were only six boats that took to the water and enjoyed some good reaches and planing conditions. Scumper led the Handicap fleet but was beaten by Joe with a margin of 18 secs on handicap. This didn’t affect Scumper’s overall 2nd position, with Joe 3rd.

Phil�raced against Jonathan Bullen in the Slow handicap fleet, taking his fourth win and the Orsova Cup, with sister in law Emma a well earned 2nd.

Final results

After some varied weather conditions through the morning, the skies cleared for racing, but some of the shadows on the lake made the white horses visible, and that was looking down the wind! Consequently there was just two F15s and four single handers prepared to race.

The OD was kind to the F15s and let them do one lap more than the single handers, just enough for them to call it a day when the came in between races, with Mike/Kayla taking the win. However, the winds eased slightly during the break, so the handicap fleet raced again. Rob Cook won the first race in his Solo, and Dave Lawson won the second in his Laser.

Latest results

As forecast, the rain clouds moved in, and the winds eased, but there was still a reluctance to get on the water! The first race suffered from major wind shifts, and pockets of very light airs, but the rain held off. The closest finish of the race was in the Mirrors between Bean and Sandy Simpson which, after some defensive cover tacking, was won by Bean.

The wind settled in to the west, and strengthened, for the remaining races of the day. There was some good planing conditions, a couple of capsizes, and the day ended with the first protest of the season between who else but Mike and Simon! Simon/Jon are the overnight leaders in the F15. Dave/Lynn lead the GPs with 3 wins, Scumper leads the Handicap fleet, and Bean�leads the Mirrors.

Unexpectedly, for a Bank holiday, the sun was finding its way through the clouds, but the wind took its time settling down to the forecast NE-NW direction. Racing did start about 1pm but it proved challenging in the swinging, variable, winds. The wind shifts varied from laying the beat on starboard tack for the leaders, through beating for middle of the fleet, and laying the beat on port tack for others! Perhaps not the best conditions, but better than sitting on the shore wanting to sail.

The final outcome after two further races in the GPs and Handicap fleet was the same as the previous night, with Dave/Lynn winning the Bass Tankard, and Scumper, winning the Easter Trophy. Mike/Kayla won the F15s Easterley Trophy and Sandy the Mirror/Topper�Image Trophy

Final results

Next weekend we host the Great North Asymmetric Challenge. Racing starts at 1pm

Another sunny Sunday with a lack of wind resulted in sailors having another early lunch, but the wind did fill in from the West to get both of the scheduled races sailed.

The Mirror fleet benefitted from a couple of new helms in the fleet, Bean with son Oliver, and new members Sandy and Douglas Simpson. Bean and�Oliver had their�first victory together, while Sandy struggled slightly with the Bass shifts.

There was the first capsize of the season by John Roberts (or was it Bob Gate?) in a Laser, Steve and Ruth lead the handicap fleet after tying with Ian Hall in the first race.

Mike/Kayla�sailed consistently winning�all F15 races over the weekend but they had some good competition from Ian/Lezli-Ann who seemed to share the mistakes between them!

Dave/Lynn found their form again to win three of the weekend’s races in their GP, but had some close competition from Mike/Eric on Saturday, while Duncan/Colin put up a good fight on Sunday.

The wind, though shifty and variable at times, was worth waiting for and topped off a successful weekend back on the water.

Latest results

Wild, but warm, winds whipped up some large waves, spindrift and lots of white horses which faded as the day went on, but not sufficiently to tempt more than one boat to race, therefore, racing was cancelled.

Throughout the weekend, theSupBikeRun event is being based at the club and Saturday was a practice day, especially for those new to paddle boarding. The event itself will be run tomorrow, and hopefully there’ll be some lighter winds, more suitable for racing.

Indeed, Sunday brought much better sailing weather, but boats were not rushing on to the water, so there was some silent suffering when the OD started the races on time even though not all the boats were at the start line, and those that were hadn’t watched the flags to see what was happening! As the first race was drawing to a close, the winds freshened leading to some exciting sailing conditions for the rest of the day, together with numerous capsizes. Scumper/Zefer had capsized at the end of the first race which resulted in Zefer head butting the boom, and sporting a painful lump on his forehead over lunch! Another capsize in the next race �lost then some vital seconds dropping them back to 2nd place behind Peter Whipp in a Laser Radial. Scumper won the final race and the�Comet Trophy.

The F15s only sailed the first race, so Mike/Kayla’s win won them the series with�Tim Chittenden 2nd.

AJ had his chief coach, aka Dave Lawson, crewing for two races and secured two wins. Even with having to count a DNS, his points were equal with Val/Ken, but the tie was split in AJ’s favour winning him the Stables Prize.

Final results

All racing for this year’s club championship are now complete so the championship will be calculated and displayed here shortly.

The SupBikeRun event went�well with over 160 entrants, and could tempt a few club members to take part in the future.

Also, following the recent open day, there has been an influx of new members keen to start sailing who took advantage of this weekend’s training. Although conditions were too windy to get them on the water yesterday, they all took to the water today and some had an unexpected capsize drill! Ah the joys of sailing…

The Bank holiday started early for many campers that have been on site since Thursday (using up a spare day in our allocation). A walk up Catbells for many was celebrated with some fizz on the summit, though Scumper seemed to struggle opening it!

A sunny Saturday was a bit of a surprise on a bank holiday, and there was a light breeze suitable for a fleet of eight Mirrors, many crewed by junior sailors, one of which was Alfie in his first ever race. Jonathan and Henry won the first race, and Mik the second race. In the handicap fleet, one of the Southport visitors gave Robbie D/Banter a run for their money as they each had a 1st and a 2nd. Dave/Lynn won the 1st GP race and Andy/Phil the 2nd, with Joan/Jack being the runner up in both races.

Will there be more partying tonight? You bet!

Latest Results

Yes, Saturday night was long and boozy. It finished at four from what folks can remember. And apparently the ladies were holding their own against the high supping males!

But all were ready to roll on Sunday morning with 32 crews on the water for the first race of five in the series. Weather was dry with a light easterly. The line remained unchanged throughout the day and was port biased in the extreme making good starts challenging. The morning course was liked by some if not by all and this was a long race considering there were two more to follow after lunch.

The second course was an even longer one with a bit of hanging around for the Slow Handicap one lappers – but so what? It was compensated by a tight course in the bay for race 3.

Highlights – from my notebook – as was too engrossed with my own fleet battles when racing! Well, one of the Fifteens got tangled up with the port end mark during a start and Z went some way down the beat before being retrieved! In the Geeps Val was determined to get the better of Joan and did so in Race 2 for positions to be reversed in Race 3. And the S/H fleet managed 9 Mirrors, most with dynamic young crews, and positions were continuously changing.

The F/H fleet had an extremely close result in the afternoon races. On corrected time the first two crews were 7 seconds apart in Race 2 and, in race 3, the first five boats were all covered by 34 seconds.

Holiday Monday: you couldn�t have asked for a better day. Ideal conditions with a Westerly wind which was the strongest of the weekend although not strong enough to tip anyone in. Well our brilliant weekend Safety Driver, Martin Rowell did go swimming fully clothed when he went to check the boats before racing!

The morning race was again on the longish side � or am I just getting old? (Don�t answer that!) And the sunny and warm lunch break seemed to go on for ever.

What happened on the water? Well, the Pico thought it was a Fifteen and got embroiled in their start, John apologising to all the affected helms afterwards. Also, to Mike who wasn�t involved anyway and reckoned that it might just have helped in him getting five bullets.

In the Fast Handicap�s afternoon race there was a slight incident – a clash of rigging I believe – involving Mark�s 100 and Robbie / Phil�s 400 which led to the latter boat retiring. Mark went on to win that race but the series had already been sewn up by Phil & Naomi.

The Geeps afternoon race was a turn up for the books with AJ & Sue leading the first lap and finishing second to David & Lynn who also lifted the series. And the Slow Handicap again, had the young crew to the fore with Andy & Lily in their Mirror taking the series with four wins. In the final race Mother was flying in a Topper and brother in law Nick was out with Scarlett in yet another red sailed boat. In all there were ten different Mirrors on the water over the weekend.

The day finished in style with a demo sail by young Henry Bullen and (I think) Matthew Somerville in an Oppy.

Final Results

John Spittle Images from Sunday and Monday’s races are now available on johnspittle.smugmug.com

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A poor forecast of wet weather and gusting winds led to a small collection�of sailors turning out to race. While they waited for more to appear the wind looked acceptably sailable though somewhat wet. By the time the decision was made that there was enough interest, a rescue contingent was pulled together, and boats were prepared, the more blustery conditions suddenly appeared, and Lynn Lawson led the retreat! Sailing secretary Joe Roberts opted to test the suitability of conditions in his Laser, but when he returned, after the odd capsize, he decided he had had enough! A couple of boats went out for a sail, but racing was cancelled for the day.

Sunday morning came,�the�rain had passed, the wind had eased, and there was more interest in sailing. It was�the last race in the Blencathra�series in which Ian/Lezli-Ann were leading -should they stay ashore preventing Mike/Kayla from having a race, thereby securing the trophy? No, they wanted to sail! Claiming water at one mark, Ian misheard Mike’s response so ducked out, and missed a chance to take the lead which Mike held to the finish, taking the trophy.

In the GPs, Dave/Lynn led and won the race, with Val/Ken close on their heels all the way round, but it was series leaders Mike/Eric (who weren’t sailing) that kept their pole position winning the Mustard Pot.

Robbie D/Banter in their RS400 enjoyed the planing conditions on various spinnaker legs, catching up with, and passing, the F15s. Despite winning the race is more than a minute ahead of Zefer in his Laser Radial, Robbie D didn’t have enough qualifying results to win the Dodd Cup series from Ian Hall.

Final results

After lunch the Banana Stakes would take the fleet around the lake on a simple course comprising two two beats and two reaches – well that was the theory. Scarness itself caused a few problems with several boats misjudging how shallow the water was on the spit and consequently scraping their centreboards and rudders on the bottom. Val/Ken grounded a little too hard damaging their rudder and had to retire. As with most Westerlies the winds past Scarness were changeable as the gusts came over Sale Fell and became and downdraughts which spread out in all directions as they hit the lake – challenging as ever! Banter helmed the RS400 this time with Robbie D crewing, and led around the course, but conditions didn’t let them break away, finishing sixth on handicap. It was Dave/Lynn in their GP14 that took the honours with Joe�securing another�2nd.

Banana Stakes