Fifteen starters in a very light North Westerly. Andy and Banter on the Bates chose A-9-0-B which gave a slight port bias to the start line. Never seen Andy so perplexed!
Was considering a General Recall but was waving the Individual Recall for all it was worth! In all five boats returned including Mik�s Mirror who was next to JR�s Solo which was definitely over! Mik wasn�t and had a perfect start according to Banter but hey ho!
With the wind dying, five boats were stopped after one lap. The Hardie�s Grad and Robin�s new Solo were vying for first on the water at the end of their second lap.
What a restart to Open Meeting sailing after eighteen months of twiddling our thumbs! �A weekend of racing for the two classes with on site camping and caravanning thrown in.It certainly attracted the northern competitors with twelve and seventeen entries respectively in the two classes. �The Lake looked positively crowded!
Although the weather had been wet and wild prior to the weekend, the first of the race days was reasonably sunny and warm. �The only trouble was the wind � or lack of it! Very light airs on Saturday morning eventually gave way to a light westerly to get the two fleets totalling 29 boats on the water after a short postponement. There were some major shifts before the first start, and they continued throughout the afternoon, however the general westerly direction was maintained, and generally most boats had to tack on the designated beats!
A shift at the first start was perhaps the cause of two general recalls for the GPs, but they got cleanly away on the third attempt without the need of a black flag. The wind shifts proved to be advantageous, or challenging, depending on whether or not they worked in your favour. Planing conditions were rare, and there was only one unfortunate capsize by Grace and James in a Mirror, seconds after they finished the second race.
Phil and Naomi Smith, sailing separately with children Oliver and Lucy respectively, had there fair share of good fortune throughout the afternoon. In the first race, Graham and Sebastian Vials were leading but failed to head for mark A on the run down to the leeward mark. Phil was lying about 4th, noticed the error, took the lead, and won, with Rob and Elizabeth Cook 2nd. By the time Graham had noticed his mistake, he had to beat back to A, dropping back to finish 8th overall.
In the second race, Naomi and Lucy opted for the left hand side of the first beat, taking advantage of a major port lift, to be clear ahead at the windward mark, a lead which they held to the end, holding off Rob who had another 2nd to be overnight leader in the Mirrors. With so many youngsters in the Mirror fleet, it is not surprising that one fell asleep (well Saskia isn’t two yet!)
In the GPs, Bass’ Dave Lawson and Joe Roberts had good leads in both races, winning the first, but were passed on the final run as the wind filled in on starboard gybe. To top it off, at the leeward mark the two leading GPs went wide round a Mirror, but Adam McGovern took advantage of the situation, rounding inside the Mirror, and gaining the lead to win the race, and lead the series having secured a 2nd in the first race.
Sunday started with a stronger southerly, so a course was set to send the GPs to mark 7 at Scarness, but by the time the fleets were all on the way to the start area, the wind veered to the SW. The start line was relocated, a new course set, and the wind rapidly strengthened as it backed to the south. So a third� course was set, and racing was soon underway. The increase in wind put off several competitors who headed back to shore.
In the GPs, John and Jack Telford were leading, and in close competition with Dave and Joe, until an unfortunate capsize at a gybe mark. Dave went on to win, with Adam 2nd. In the next race those positions were reversed, so it meant the championship would be determined on the final race. More close racing between the four boats that sailed, had Adam take the lead which he and Eleanor held through to the finish, winning the GP Northern Championship, with David and Joe 2nd, and Patrick Hamilton and James Dewhurst 3rd overall.
GP Northern Champions Adam McGovern & Eleanor Davies
The Mirrors had close competition between Andy/Lily Smith and Rob/Elizabeth Cook, each sharing the lead positions in races 3 and 5. In race 4, Rob was OCS and subsequently retired, but this time Andy was runner up to Graham/Sebastian Vials. It was Andy’s win in the final race that won him and Lily the open meeting trophy, with Rob/Elizabeth 2nd, and Jonathan Bullen/Gracie 3rd overall.
Mirror Open winners Andy and Lily Smith
Katia Smith and Hannah Preston sailed all five races finishing 9th overall and 2nd U17 category
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.
High wind and rain resulted in the cadet training being cancelled on Saturday. However, it didn’t put off Scumper and� Zefer� from blowing the cobwebs off their RS400 and getting it ready for a sail, ever confident that the forecast of easing winds would come to fruition.
The wind slowly abated, and the rain stopped (always makes sailing more inviting!), and four boats opted to race in the Celebrity Glass Pursuit. It was to be Matty in his RS Tera that would start first, while dad Scumper & Zefer in their RS400 would be last to start some 16 mins later. Matty sailed well, stayed upright, but was passed in both races by eventual race winner Scumper. Andy T in his Laser picked a challenging day for his first race of the season, and got to practice his capsize technique a few times, as did Poppy in her Topper.
Sailing was hard work, but there were some exciting reaches to be enjoyed. Scumper won overall with Matty 2nd.
Sunday brought a fresh southerly, that veered and backed around Sale Fell all day, the downside being that the shadow caused by the fell affected various legs of the course. When the wind was fully in play, there were some great planing reaches to be enjoyed.
In the first race, John/Jack beat AJ/Sue in the GPs, Robbie D beat Dave L in the handicap, and Andy/Lily beat Katia in the slow handicap.
Between races Banter/Izzy went ashore to replace a spinnaker halyard, but, with the wind freshening again, the OD couldn’t hold the start of the pennant race long enough for them to return (which they did, some minutes into the race). Seconds before the start a squall resulted in Dave L in his Laser, and AJ/Sue both capsizing. Though the wind then suddenly eased, shifts and gusts continued throughout the race resulting in more capsizes (Ethan seemed prone to capsizing just as he passed the Bates!), and several retirements.
On handicap it was Robbie D in a Solo that won, with John/Jack in their GP 2nd, and Andy/Lily in their Mirror 3rd
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
Another bustling Saturday morning for the cadets and juniors, with sufficient breeze to get them all on the water.
The northerly breeze was cold, but the sunshine helped temper the conditions (when it wasn’t hiding behind the odd cloud!). The fleet of 26 boats had to contend with a light breeze which swung, and eased from time to time, causing the fleet to spread out, and prolong the first race. The wind was a couple of minutes late settling in for the second race (way too cold to hang about waiting for it!) but it held, and the shorter course kept the fleet together.
The mixed conditions resulted in mixed fortunes, however, John Reekie in his Solo was more consistent than others with a 1st and 2nd to lead the series overall, with Dave/Lynn in their GP on 4 points and 2nd overall.
After a freezing night, Sunday started with clear blue skies and no wind. However it did fill in from the north in time for racing. It must have been colder than Saturday as AJ wore his drysuit, rather than just his shorts! Shifty as ever, ground could be readily gained, or lost, depending on whether you were in the right part of the beat at the right time.
Dave/Lynn beat John/Jack to regain the lead in the series, while Robbie D beat Joan/Jack trialling a Graduate to maintain his lead in the series.
The second race was the first pennant of the season, though the OD opted to keep the fleet in the northern bay, wary that the forecast was for the wind to pick up and back to the west. Soon after the start, worryingly, the wind dropped but filled in again after five minutes, before swinging and picking up as forecast. John/Jack in their GP lead the fleet, and won the race ahead of Robbie D in his Solo. As racing finished, a snow flurry could be seen over the Caldbeck hills…
Perhaps jumping the gun with that headline, but that announcement may come later…
With the high winds, no competitors, OD, or rescue, the Starter had an early finish, and it brings the Autumn Saturday series, and Saturday sailing in general, to an end. Dave/Lynn pick up the trophies for both the fleet, and personal, handicap series, with Scumper 2nd.
Sunday turned out to be just as blustery, so with no takers, it was a non-racing weekend. A few sailors appeared to relocate their boats to higher ground/remove them from site. Will your boat be safe, especially with the imminent lockdown restricting travel?
Persistent rain, very light wind, and a limited number of unenthusiastic sailors, waited until the scheduled start time for any latecomers. With no further takers, racing was cancelled.
By Sunday morning the rain had passed through, the was shining and a katabatic wind (I think) was creating a south easterly.
Of course, as soon as the course was set the wind started to swing to the forecast NE! Throughout the first race the wind gradually oscillated, giving more bias on one tack than the other. Neil Currie took advantage to lead at the windward mark, but AJ/Sue were on form (for a change!) and took the lead until the final beat when Val/Ken passed them. Despite not flying their gennaker at full height, Ant sailed well to lead the race through to the end.
Mike Cave had an early capsize before retiring, and Dave/Lynn retired as well with rigging failure.
The course was changed for the next race, and despite moving B to provide a second beat, the course displayed A!! However, by the final lap A was an ideal mark for the beat…
Val/Ken led throughout the race, with AJ/Sue occasionally snapping at their heels.
Blue skies with a cool gusting NE wind seemed to be a bit challenging at first but 16 boats raced in the weekend’s Celebrity Glass Trophy series. Not surprisingly, the wind was swinging throughout the afternoon, and it did ease at times throughout the first race, but bedded in for the second race.
There was some good reaching conditions at times, and the occasional capsize, including Tog/Joanie in a RS200, Barbara in a Laser Radial, and Dave/Lynn in their GP after they finished! However, generally there was some close, and consistent, racing. Steve/Ruth led both races, but they could not break away from Dave/Lynn sufficiently in either race to beat them on handicap.
Poppy persevered in her Topper, avoided capsizing, and completed both races!
The final results had the GPs taking the first three positions – Dave/Lynn, John/Jack then Val/Ken.
Sunday’s start may have been put back to 1130 but the Lake was just as flat then as at 1100. It remained that way until Andy abandoned at c1230.
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.
Mike Cave had an early capsize before retiring, and Dave/Lynn retired as well with rigging failure.
Blue skies with a cool gusting NE wind seemed to be a bit challenging at first but 16 boats raced in the weekend’s Celebrity Glass Trophy series. Not surprisingly, the wind was swinging throughout the afternoon, and it did ease at times throughout the first race, but bedded in for the second race.
There was some good reaching conditions at times, and the occasional capsize, including Tog/Joanie in a RS200, Barbara in a Laser Radial, and Dave/Lynn in their GP after they finished! However, generally there was some close, and consistent, racing. Steve/Ruth led both races, but they could not break away from Dave/Lynn sufficiently in either race to beat them on handicap.
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.