Three boats from Bassenthwaite competed at the FF Scottish Nationals at Kippford over the weekend.
The first day was good sailing after being towed out from the estuary sailors were surprised to find a force 4/5 wind making good exciting sailing. At the end of the day, after two races, Neil Currie/Rory were lying 5th, Simon Longstaff/Jonathan 6th and Mike Moore/Kayla were 7th.
In the evening everyone feasted on Loch Fyne produce and listened to Simon Longstaff telling everyone that there would be no wind on Sunday. Morning dawned with only a slight breeze at the clubhouse so Simon/Jon packed up the boat and departed for home. The rest of the fleet were towed out to sea and had two good races starting in a force 3 but dropping towards the end of the second race. However there was still enough wind to allow the fleet to sail back up to the clubhouse on a dead run against a strong current.
At the end of the event 18 boats had competed and the event was won by Steve Goacher (what a surprise!!). Neil/Rory moved up to 4th after listening to Steve’s tuning lecture on Saturday afternoon. Mike/ Kayla finished 8th and Simon Jon 12th (not helped by counting a DNS)
There’s a busy weekend ahead as, in addition to club racing, we are holding the RS Tera Northerns and a Catapult open.
Busy is an understatement – a fleet of 35 Teras sailed two races,�then club racing took place including a fleet of 10 Catapults, followed by another two races for the Teras. Six hours on the water for the committee boat crew – no mean feat, especially for Herb (though Tog needed a comfort break)!
Although there were shifts (as ever), and Mike/Kayla would say some major shifts that enabled Ian/Lezli-Ann to move from last to 1st in a single leg (while Angus slipped from 1st �to last),fortunately, and amazingly, the general direction remained steady enough to maintain the same start line and beat all afternoon.
There were eight clean starts in the Teras (can’t say the same for the club boats), and some occasional capsizes, but there was some good racing on a dry, but cool afternoon.
Ripon sailors are topping the results overnight with Oliver Kent leading the Tera Pro fleet and Ellie Clark leading the Tera Sport fleet. [Clark and Kent – Superman effect?!]
Two more races were scheduled for Sunday, but gusting winds continued throughout the morning, even after a two hour postponement, so racing was cancelled and Saturday’s results became the final outturn.
After a lay day on Sunday due to strong winds, Monday’s forecast was not promising. However, despite a wet and windy start to the day, the wind eased, the rain stopped, and the sun forced its way through the clouds, so enthusiasm was higher, and racing got underway.
Five Catapults took to the water, and Gareth Ede led the way to win the final race of their open with three straight wins.
Small�fleets of handicap and GPs raced for the�May Holiday and Lyne Tankard trophies. There were a few capsizes, and Mike Fairlamb retired through gear failure in his Streaker, but they were glad to be back on the water, albeit in shifty and blustery conditions.
Although conditions were still sailable, there was no drive to return to the water after lunch, so the series were concluded with just one race to count, and the honours going to Scumper/Joe in the handicap fleet and Dave/Lynn in the GPs.
Good winds were forecast, good competition, good food, and lots of special birthday celebrations to enjoy!
Despite the good forecast, the winds at lake level were variable to say the least, challenging OD Andy Smith to find a mean direction to set the windward/leeward course to avoid a reach/reach situation. Taking note of the winds driving the nearby wind turbines, it seemed that WNW was a good bet for the first beat so racing was underway at the scheduled time. Of the fleet of 29 boats, there were a couple of boats over the line but they dutifully returned. The beat was maintained, despite some major shifts, but regulars Chris Pickles and Matt Sharman from Delph �in a RS400 soon took a commanding lead. Sailors did sit out at times but gusts were not really enabling planing conditions. Paul Allen from Leigh & Lowton, with Phil Hodgkins from Bass crewing, and in a RS400 as well, made up ground to finish 2nd just 2 secs behind Chris.
The wind eased soon after the start of race 2, and there was a completely different set of race leaders, with�Robin Dawson and Phil Davenport leading the fleet through to the finish, though on handicap three RS200s, led by Bass’ Phil and Naomi Smith would beat Robin on handicap.
The wind backed more to the west for race 3, with occasional stronger gusts, and Chris Pickles was again at the fore, with Phil Smith 2nd and Robin Dawson 3rd.
Race 4 started in a good breeze which shifted and faded, together with the OD’s spirits, soon after the the first beat. New wind patterns appeared from the north, but they resulted in an unfortunate reach/reach course. The RS400s mastered the conditions again, led by Chris Pickles with Commodore Mark Somerville and Joe Roberts 2nd.
With four races complete it was time to break for the evening and celebrate a couple of special Bass birthdays – Robin Dawson and Phil Hodgkins.�Can they still stand the pace and be ready to race agin in the morning? Time will tell!
Overnight leader was Chris Pickles with Phil Smith 2nd.
Sunday started with sleety showers and�no wind, but at least the forecast was suggesting there would be some wind in the afternoon, so sailors had an early lunch, then some wind filled in, although it was as variable as it has been for the last couple of weeks. The fleet split up the first beat of race 5, and those that went right lost out massively. Phil and Naomi were first to round the windward mark with Dave Exley and Paul Heath in a RS400 on their tail. Dave pulled out a good lead but was passed by Hamish Gledhill on the final run, though on handicap Phil claimed another win.
Was the wind going to steady for race 6? Well it seemed to be filling in, and racing was started in a promising breeze which promptly shifted and faded by the time the first boat reached the windward mark. The same phases of wind and shifts continued through the race which was won by Chris, with Hamish 2nd.
After a late start and no sign of a steady wind following through, the OD cancelled the two remaining races, leaving Chris and Matt winners, with Phil and Naomi runners up.
Winners Chris Pickles and Matt Sharman with Commodore’s wife Kirstie Somerville
A fleet of 18 Flying Fifteen Sailors are taking part in the annual team racing for the Viking trophy. To minimise the risk of protests, one Bass team comprised Mike Moore, Simon Longstaff and Neil Currie – perhaps they will gang up against another team?!
The forecast force 3-4 did not materialise, and the wind that was available, a bitter north easterly, came through in waves changing every few minutes. Some of the lulls were frustratingly light but, as ever, the cream comes to the top, with Steve Goacher taking the first race.
Steve took the lead in the second race too, but that master of light airs Hardisty broke through to win the second race.
With a particularly slow finish a third race seemed unlikely but the wind filled in yet again. A short race was held but a reaching finish, a freshening wind, and a closely bunched fleet led to challenging recording of the finish positions. Hopefully amicable agreement will be reached over a beer or two this evening.
Another two races were scheduled for Sunday, and those that turned up early would verify that conditions looked promising. However, as soon as some disappeared into the changing room the wind did the same! Various zephyrs spread across the lake, and the direction kept changing, but the wind never filled in so by noon the racing was abandoned for the day meaning that Saturday’s results were the final outcome. As for the Grotty Potty, it went to someone who’s need was greater than most, as they had to come ashore for relief (and went aground at the same time), so the lucky recipients were Gary and Alan.
Jamie’s DodgersGary received the Grotty Potty while AJ was indisposed…
FF Team Racing Team Scores
1
Jamies Dodgers
1
4
9
14
2
You need a good Rod in it
2
6
8
16
3
Bassturds
5
7
10
22
4
Only time will tell
3
12
16
31
5
Tims Team
9
13
14
36
6
The Leopards
15
17
18
50
Club racing was held alongside the team racing. Mik was towed out to the start, watched the fleet set off and asked when he was starting!�The first race was plagued by one of the�lulls. Although Banter had a good lead, Joan/Jack were close enough to beat him by 17 secs. With the wind unexpectedly filling in, and the OD starting second race straight after the F15s, some were caught out and only just made it on time. Not the case for Banter who was a minute late for the start. He did pull through to the lead, but finished 5th on handicap (would have been 4th had he not been caught out by the OD’s eagerness to get racing underway – apologies!). Joan took another win, and�a commanding lead in the series
The Flying Fifteen Open, part of the Waples Wine travellers series, and the GP Open, part of the Northern Bell, are taking place this weekend. The first race on Saturday was scheduled for 1300hrs but blustery winds were forecast to ease so proceedings were delayed an hour, by which time there was a lot more enthusiasm to give it a go!
The wind did ease but there were still squalls that would catch sailors out from time to time. Our own AJ was one of them, capsizing just before the start on the start line, getting stuck in the mud, eventually getting free and continuing his merry way only to capsize on the finish line after the 2nd race!
It was the GP fleet that suffered the most from the squalls which flattened three boats at the start of the first reach which shook up the positions.�Andy/Ginger Phil took the honours in the first race from Dave/Lynn, who won the 2nd race and take overnight lead.
In the F15s, Simon/Jon took an early lead but it was Andy McKee that would survive the longer races to finish the day with two wins. For consistency Steve Goacher took two 2nds, and Simon two 3rds.
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For the evening entertainment, and the Flying Fifteen sailors in particular, Steve Goacher will be providing some valuable input on “sniffing out the wind” (perhaps ‘snuffing out the wind’ might be more appropriate after todays weather!) and Phil Evans will give an insight into spinnaker handling.
After a very wet night for campers, winds eased a little as forecast for Sunday. There was still some great racing, close reaches, and a few broaches to challenge sailors, but most sailors raced all three races to the bitter end.
Not sure why, but the first race had two protest flags, and a 720 pirouette, in the F15 fleet. Apart from that, all 10 starts were clear, no known boat damage, so a good time was had by all.
Andy McKee and Rich Jones from Dovestone won the F15 trophy with 4 pts while Andy Smith and Flaming Ginger Phil won the GP trophy with 5 pts
Prizes were awarded by Commodore’s wife Kirstie Somerville.
Bassenthwaite Sailing Club are hosting a round of the RYA North West Junior Travellers Trophy today.
An overcast morning brightened, and the wind strengthened, as the day went on. There were plenty of shifts to challenge the competitors, some capsizes, and much good sailing for many.
A fly past by a Vulcan bomber during the final race was a spectacle that many will never have seen, nor have the opportunity to see again!
Although Windermere School received the travellers prize for entering six boats, Leigh & Lowton had outstanding performances winning�all three fleets. Harvey Leigh winning all three Optimist races, Lorcan Knowles winning two races in the Junior fleet, and Gareth Staples-Jones 1st in the final race of the Youth fleet breaking the 3 pt tie with James Chasty from Redesmere.
While other parts of the country were hiding from torrential rain showers, 41 entries in this weekend’s open meeting were praying for some wind, on an overcast Saturday afternoon.
Racing did get underway a little late though the winds were light. As the afternoon went on the wind swung, and faded from time to time. Despite the light winds, Isabel Wallwork hardened up at the start of race 2 and broke her mast! – she clearly doesn’t know her own strength…
With the risk of it disappearing altogether, the OD opted to do try and have three races back to back, but by the time the tailenders had finished race 2 the wind had gone. After a short break, the wind seemed to fill in sufficiently for a final race of the day. The wind was light but enabled the fleets to drift over the line. Within a few minutes the wind started to fill in from the SW and propelled the fleet around the course for an extra lap.
Team Bass mastered the Laser fleet taking the first six places overall. After problems with his outhaul in the first race, Dave Lawson made a great comeback winning the second race, and taking the lead in the final race at the penultimate mark, snatching the trophy from Tony King who had won the first race.
Winner Dave Lawson receiving trophy from Claire Duncan
In the Toppers, West Lancs’ Samuel Cooper held Molly Nixon at bay all afternoon to become overnight leader. The light winds prompted some protests for pumping, and one protest against Joe Baker was upheld removing one of his three first positions.
Club racing was playing second fiddle, and had to make do with whatever was thrown at them. First of all they started from the opposite side of the Bates, and then they had to sail a course that kept them outside the Laser/Topper racing area – it just happened to hug the shore in the area of least wind. The second race looked very ominous – could they get across the lake to 5 and back to 0 in very light conditions? Reminiscent of Thursday evening sailing perhaps? Six boats were prepared to try, and must have been relieved when the wind filled in from the SW….
On Sunday the wind swung to the NE and freshened to allow some great sailing conditions. Three further races were sailed in the TopperNW areas and Joe Baker continued to out perform the competition, even after returning, being one of two premature starters, he still worked his way back to 2nd. He won the series with four 1sts and a 2nd.
NW Area Champion Joe Baker receiving trophy from Kirstie SomervilleThe club racing was, well, different to say the least. Starting on time was unusual in itself but compounded by catching numerous sailors out. Then when they glanced at the unusually phrased course, it was funny to watch their second glance of disbelief! (For the uninitiated, the black space is read as the word ‘Then’)
How appropriate are OD Simon’s horns?!Graham/Elaine’s excuse was that they couldn’t get a lift out to their mooring, they did reach the line on time but spent too much time laughing at Mike/Eric not realising they should have started.. Peter Winfindale was out in plenty of time but had a poor start some 90 secs late. Others just didn’t realise that no boats and no flags meant the race was underway! The OD happily left the sailors to determine whether they’d sailed the correct number of laps and course in general
The afternoon race was back to normality (of sorts). The fleet had the lake to themselves, along with a good breeze, and a more usual course.
Joan/Jack Hardie mastered the variety of conditions and challenges (well it was a fleet challenge!) to take the series trophy clear ahead of 2nd placed Ian Hall in his Solo.
A busy bank holiday weekend with the Tera Northerns and Catapult Open running alongside club racing �On Saturday the weather was blustery, cold, and drizzly but it didn’t put off many of the visiting Teras or Catapults from venturing out.
There were various capsizes throughout the afternoon in Teras and club boats, because not many opted to continue on after getting upright.
Sunday started with the tail end of a wet stormy night,�and despite the stronger, gustier winds, the Teras were back on the water for their 4th race. Numerous capsizes later, they came ashore for lunch before returning to the water for the final two races, by which time the rain had stopped and the wind abated.
At the end of the championship it was the Rastrick brothers from Ripon that took the honours in both fleets – Henry winning the Pro fleet, and Jamie the Sport fleet.
After a problematic and aborted start in the morning, club and Catapult racing followed in the afternoon. The wind continued to ease, and swing around Sale Fell, which cast various shadows on the course for the 1st race. For the 2nd race, the wind had swung to the SW, but there were major shifts for the sailors to contend with affecting leads dramatically.
After some close, competitive racing the overnight leaders are Simon/Jon in the F15s, Phil/Naomi in the fast handicap, Dave/Lynn in the GPs, and Hazel in the slow handicap fleet.
Bank Holiday Monday was pleasantly bright, dry and milder, but there was still a good wind to offer thrills and spills to competitors and spectators alike.
The Catapults had one final race which determined the overall winner as John Terry from Gareth Ede from Yorkshire Dales after splitting the tie on points by the position in the final race.
Catapult winner John Terry receiving prizes from Kirstie Somerville
In club racing there were a couple of notable capsizes in the Mirrors – Rob Smith leapt to save niece Lily from falling out of the boat causing them to�capsize, whereas Mik’s capsize and subsequent retirement was enough to win him the Peel Pot series.
In the F15s, Simon/Jon successfully held Neil/Rory at bay in the last race to win the Jak Pot. Phil/Naomi continued to master the fast handicap fleet, with three 1sts and a 2nd to Scumper in the last race, winning the May Holiday Trophy. Dave/Lynn took all four�1sts in the GPs to win the Lyne Tankard with Mike/Eric 2nd
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We tamed the wind, and the rain eased too! As the clouds lifted off Skiddaw, a snow covering was exposed! The competitors were signed up, but the wind wasn’t playing ball. An early morning breeze faded, shifted, swung, faded, and finally reappeared, though its direction would prove to be variable throughout the afternoon.
The lack of wind was the cause of an hours postponement, but racing eventually got underway. The first couple of (if not all) races had a steady general northerly direction but there were some major shifts that caught various sailors, including leaders out, causing the occasional capsize to windward. Even the commodore fell out of his boat at one stage!
In the 3rd race a major wind shift started to affect the course, so the race was curtailed early. What was to be the final race of the day was held in a reasonable, but variable, westerly.
Some great racing in some testing conditions. Hopefully the wind will be better behaved in the morning.
A curry night on Saturday�may have had an�affect on Sunday’s wind, which although it started light, it finally came in with a vengeance by the end of the day’s racing.
As with Saturday, the direction was all over the place, varying from minute to minute adding to the challenge of setting the beat and a reasonable start line. The fleet were given the benefit of the doubt for the first two starts which resulted in general recalls, but the introduction of the black flag resulted in third time lucky for the start of race 5.
The shifting winds necessitated moving the start line a couple more�times for subsequent races. Sailors endured sun, rain and hail, together with strengthening winds�with the final race being the most spectacular with numerous capsizes.
The battle�for the winners trophy was hard fought, with only a single point pushing overnight leaders Paul and Jude Allen from Leigh & Lowton into 2nd place behind Chris Pickles and Matt from Delph.
Commodore Mark Somerville and Joe Roberts were best Bass boat at 6th, with Vice Commodore Robin Dawson and Phil Davenport 7th.
