Whit Bank Holiday 2023

The forecast for the third bank holiday this month was unusually good. Fortunately, it seemed to be accurate on Saturday, with bright spells, and a warm wind from the west offering good planing conditions, it was another dose of champagne sailing conditions (not that some of the Friday evening revellers could perhaps face a drink!).

There was an excellent turnout of more than 40 boats for the Mark Ninnim memorial trophy, being raced over two races on Saturday. The shifty conditions mixed up the typical finishing positions for many, but meant there was close racing, with many positions changing. The extra long line needed for a single start led to the first general recall of the season in club racing.

Sunday’s wind was slow to fill in from the forecast NE but it appeared in time for racing only for it to be superseded by a southerly. The course was a straightforward windward leeward. There were various shifts throughout the start sequence, but soon after the last start the southerly and NE winds successfully opposed each other causing a massive calm patch for 10-15 minutes.

Finally the NE wind won, and the legs became reaches, but at least the boats were sailing again!

During lunch the wind held, then swung back to the south, which held until the fleets had started, then repeated the morning by dying! By the time the last boat finished the wind had reappeared from the NE.

The final race of the day followed on with the best winds of the day, and some good planing conditions.

In the F15s, Robbie D/Toggle watched their lead diminish in the first race as the fleet on the other side of the course were first to benefit from the wind filling in from the NE. They held on to win, but gear failure prevented further results. Andy/Ian won the other races, but with three results it was to be Ian/Lezliann than lead overnight.

The mixed conditions ended up with Mike/Jack in a Graduate, Phil/Oscar in a RS200 and Jack/Caroline in a RS400 each winning a race, but consistency by Chris/Evie in a RS200 gave them the overnight lead.

Dave/Lynn took three wins and the overnight lead in the GPs, with AJ/Sue 2nd.

In the slow handicap, Bean/Oliver dead heated on handicap with Tristan in the first race, but took another two wins to lead overnight.

Bank holiday Monday started like Sunday with few ripples on the water but half an hour before the start the NE wind filled enough of the bay for stand in OD Commodore Preston announced the committee boat was heading out.

There was a short delay to recover the port pin which was temporarily marking the location of a rogue commercial wheelie bin, but, with the wind having filled the bay, proceedings got underway, catching out a few stragglers.

Again, there were some large swings in wind direction, with places gained and lost, but the wind held to the end, and the lunch break, during which the wheelie bin was successfully recovered!

After lunch a line was set for a 2pm start only for the wind to fade and swing, and spin through numerous directions, so a postponement signalled, the line lifted, and the waiting began. After half an hour, and numerous boats heading ashore, racing was about to be abandoned when there was a hint of a sea breeze, so a new line set, the sequence started, then postponed moments before the first start due to the wind dying. There was one more attempt to start the final race, but to no avail.

In the F15s a win by Ian/Lezliann confirmed their 1st place winning the Scarness Cup, with Robbie D/Toggle 2nd.

Similarly Chris/Evie won the handicap race and secured their overnight lead to win the Wythop Trophy, with Phil/Oscar 2nd.

With 3 wins, Dave/Lynn couldn’t be beaten in the Graham Cup but they added another win to their collection, and AJ/Sue finished 2nd in the series.

It was the same story in the slow handicap, with overnight leaders Bean/Oliver taking another win and the series Reflection Trophy, with Tristan 2nd.

After racing there was a mysterious flypast of eight military helicopters, including 3/4 chinooks…

Another High

20 May, 2023

Championship Racing No Comments

High pressure on Saturday again squeezed out the likelihood of good winds, but there was enough to wind to get racing underway. The general wind direction was from the north, but, as ever, it did swing from time to time.

Banter/Oscar in their RS200 led the handicap fleet in both races, finishing with a 1st and 2nd, with some close competition from Neil/Archie in their RS200 finishing 2nd and 5th, but Mike/Jack in their Graduate were in close contention, finishing 3rd and 1st to hold the lead in the series.

Dave/Lynn won both GP races, and lead the series, with James/Jenny and Julian/Jane each taking a 2nd.

The slow handicap fleet comprised the Smith family – Oliver, Bean, Lily and Andy, all in Teras. A clear demonstration as to how crew weight affects overall boat speed, especially downwind! Oliver won both races. The fact that Bean capsized when caught out by a wind shift is not an acceptable excuse for not doing better… Oliver won both races and leads the series.

Latest BL results

Sunday was brighter, but the wind was lighter, and very variable in strength from minute to minute. Racing was delayed until 1215 hrs but the promising wind from the north all but faded when the sequence commenced. Mike/Jack were not far from the line at their start, but they ended up starting with the GPs! Perhaps it was tactical as they were able to see where the wind might be coming from next, and pulled through to win on the water, on handicap, and maintain the series lead.

In the GPs, AJ/Sue were leading at the end of the first lap, but slipped back to finish 3rd behind Dave/Lynn who lead the series, and Nigel/Glenys 2nd.

The Jubilee Sailing Trust pennant was held after lunch. The winds were just as fickle as the morning. Mike/Jack in a Graduate had some close racing with Dave/Lynn in a GP, finishing 1st on the water and on handicap. Dave/Lynn were 2nd and Banter/Oscar 3rd

Jubilee Sailing Trust pennant results

Flying 15 & GP14 Open 2023

13 May, 2023

Open meeting final results

Opens Racing No Comments

Bright sunshine and a lack of wind greeted the entrants for the weekend’s open meeting sponsored by Im pact Marine. However, just before the scheduled start time, a sea breeze started to fill the bay, so the OD prepared to get racing underway just half an hour later than scheduled.

As soon as the line was set, the wind veered to the north, the the line was lifted, relocated, and racing started. The strengthening wind eased again as the two winds battled each other throughout the afternoon, and led to a mix of fortunes for many.

The winds held long enough to get three scheduled races finished, and in the Flying 15s it was Andy Tunicliffe/Andy Smith relatively consistent results that made them overnight leaders with John Reekie/Rory Yardley 2nd. In the GP14s Dave/Lynn Lawson had three wins to take the overnight lead, with Val/Ken Bell 2nd.

Some unscheduled club racing was held alongside the open meeting for which the overnight leader is Paul Clark, with Henry Bullen 2nd, both were sailing Laser Radials

Sunday started in much the same way but without the sun! The wind did start to fill the bay in the half hour before scheduled start time but it would be 1100hrs before boats were on the water and ready to start.

The light airs strengthened in the second half of the first race and generally held for the final race too, and there were some good planing opportunities on the reaches.

As on Saturday, the shifts created opportunities (or challenges!), and there was a set of mixed results for most.

Though there were some spots of rain, fortunately they didn’t last.

Club racing final results

Sunny Saturday

15 April, 2023

After a wet few days, the sun shone on Saurday, but the wind was a little shy. A light sea breeze counteracted the forecast NE for the first race in the MJM series, but as it eased, it slowed down proceedings, and the wind swung to the NNE. Matt/Oliver led the 15 boats, and won the first race on handicap.

With time passing waiting for the last boat to finish, and the need to reposition the start line, a small course in the limited part of the lake with wind was set, and racing got underway. However, with fears that the wind would fade again, the race was quickly shortened (probably to the relief of all the sailors). Though Steve/Ruth crossed the line first, Matt/Oliver were close enough to win again on handicap, and lead the series, with Pix/Jack 2nd.

MJM latest results

Sunday’s SE F1-2 wind seemed to be a pleasant surprise for many as they were expecting light winds. With the Bates having an off day, racing was started from the shore with a somewhat port biased line!. The reach back on the final leg was tight enough to challenge sailors as to whether or not they should fly their spinnakers.

After lunch the Bates was up and running again, so the course took advantage of the wind veering more to the south, although it had slightly eased from the morning.

With relatively steady winds throughout the day, positions were relatively static. Steve/Ruth in their Merlin� led the fleet again in the morning but finished 2rd on handicap behind Alex in a Laser, and� Matt/Oliver in their RS200 who led after lunch, and won, to lead the series.

Easter Weekend 2023

8 April, 2023

Championship Racing No Comments

A busy weekend at the club started with an Easter egg hunt on the sunny Saturday morning.

Afterwards, the adjacent photo shows an alternative egg hunt when Henry lost his egg in the pool table!

Those that have replaced their boats through the close season were keen to set them up and get on the water. However, whatever wind there had been faded unfortunately, and there was not enough wind to get racing underway, so there was a postponement, before it was abandoned for the day.

Sunday’s forecast SSE F3-4 came to fruition, though without too many heavy gusts. The OD took the opportunity to use a windward/leeward course between 0 and 7 for the main fleets which some of the F15 sailors did not fully appreciate when they came ashore for lunch! There were many planing conditions, and various capsizes throughout the morning.

The two races after lunch were, generally, in slightly lighter winds, but with good planing opportunities. A couple of gybe marks in the courses caught several sailors out so kept the rescue crews occupied.

Three races in windy conditions proved to be too much for some, so there were various retirements.

Through the day there were 42 starters across the four fleets. The overnight leaders of three fleets each have three wins – Andy/Ian in the F15s, Dave/Lynn in the GPs, and Phil/Oliver in the Slow handicap fleet. Pix/Matt lead the Fast handicap with a 2nd and a 1st.

Monday was forecast to be wet and windy. With a SW wind it didn�t look too bad from the shore, and just as the committee boat set out there were some sprinklings of rain – fortunately they didn�t last long!

There were various strong gusts in the first race that caused multiple capsizes, but there were plenty of good spinnaker reaches to make up for the odd swim.

The races were held back to back to avoid the forecast downpours, but numerous boats thought one race was enough so numbers were reduced for the final race. The wind eased considerably so there were no capsizes or exciting reaches in the final race, and the rain held off too!

In the F15s, the Easterly Trophy was won by Andy/Ian with five wins, with Robbie D/Toggle 2nd, and Andy T/Keith 3rd.

In the handicap fleet, Pix/Matt won the Easter Trophy, with John Reekie 2nd, and Phil/Oscar 3rd.

Dave/Lynn won the Bass Tankard in the GPs, with Alan/Sue 2nd.

Phil/Oliver won the Image Trophy in the slow handicap fleet, with Alex/Saskia 2nd, and Matty 3rd

April already!

1 April, 2023

Championship Racing No Comments

Saturday sailing got underway this weekend with another chilly breeze from the NE. There may have been April showers in the locaility, but they stayed away from the lake.

Generally, the winds eased throughout the afternoon, and the forecast gusts never materialised, so there were no capsizes. The handicap fleet of nine boats was led by Pix/Evie in their RS200 with Matt/Oliver in their RS200 giving them some close competition, with positions being reversed in the second race resulting in Matt taking the lead in the series, with Pix 2nd, and Mike/Jack in their Graduate 3rd.

In the slow handicap fleet of five boats, Lucy opted to sail with dad Phil in the Mirror while mum Na was left to sail single handed. It proved to be a team that Na couldn’t beat in either race!

And they’re off!

26 March, 2023

The start of the sailing season was quite eventful. The Commodore was travelling up the motorway to be OD for the first day’s racing, but his car had other ideas! While waiting to be recovered, Ian was able to enjoy his coffee under blue skies…

Paul and Emily were planning to sail their RS200 only to find their gennaker, which they had made a mental note not to forget, didn’t make it to the club, so Paul sailed his Laser.

The club tractor was a reluctant participant too, not being easy to start. The lake was too deep for the starter’s wellies, so personal transport from the shore was required.

When everything was set, and starting sequence underway, the OD got a message to say the mark being moved broke from its mooring chain, so the AP was hoisted,� an alternate course set, and the race restarted!

The NE breeze was chilly, and though not as gusty as forecast, there were several capsizes throughout the day. Andy/Ian led the fleet in their F15, with Robin/Toggle, in a rekindled partnership, sharing a F15, keeping in touch most of the time. Banter was getting to grips with his RS300, and enjoyed some exciting reaches.

For a change, and to let sailors warm up, there was a break for lunch, before returning to the water for the 2nd and final race in the Starter’s prize series.

Andy/Ian were overall winners with Alex/Saskia in their Mirror 2nd.

More like winter

20 November, 2022

Following high winds and rain overnight, and a significant drop in temperature since last week, there was little sign of wind as sailors arrived, but they were keen to race. As rain came pouring n before the start, the breeze filled in as well.

Barbara in a Radial was on course side at the start and lost a lot of ground returning to start correctly. Banter/Oscar in their RS200 took a good lead but the wind faded again on the next beat, though it came back in time to be sent round for another lap.

Despite more rain, and less wind, which had swung to the SW three boats opted to race again, on a shorter lap! The wind continued to swing back and forth, and it eased for a while as well to the extent that the race was hurriedly shortened just as Barbara was about to complete her first lap. Fortunately the wind came back sufficiently for Banter, and Neil in another Radial, to finish in reasonable time.

On corrected time, all boats maintained their position on the water, putting Banter/Oscar into 1st place overall, with Neil 2nd. All to play for in next weeks final races of the series, and the season itself!

November Series

6 November, 2022