Saturday: Not a good forecast. Flood warnings. High gusting winds. Rain

The wild conditions in the morning were sufficient to postpone the taster session, but the Youth Squad duly turned up for their 1pm race. The five competitors all took to the water, and all capsized. The race was started twice, but eventually abandoned

As for the main racing, the weather remained uninviting, but 10 boats ventured out and braved the autumnal weather. Although William and Elaine put up a fight at times, Steve and Ruth took advantage of the gusts to get ahead, but kept giving William a chance by capsizing (was he trying to preserve his handicap?) albeit briefly.

Mark Ninnim and Rob Smith sailed well in their Enterprise and may have won all three races on personal handicap if they hadn’t capsized in the second race. It seems that Ian Macpherson was mastering the conditions and is in a good position in the series having secured a first and two seconds.

Tomorrow’s forecast for the conclusion of this six race series is less blustery and dry, but only time will tell what the conditions will actually be

Sunday seemed like a different day. The rain had passed through and the wind seemed so light that we were unlikely to get the chance of a plane. However, the wind was forecast to pick up a little. There were even patches of blue sky!

The final three races of the fleet challenge. How would things fare today?

The wind did come, but in fits and starts, occasionally planing conditions, but usually when boats were on the beat! Was the OD just looking the other way at the start as several boats thought they were over the line but there was no recall, so they got away with it.

Despite an adjustment of handicaps, the overnight leaders had sufficient standing to see them through the day, so congratulations go to Mark Ninnim and Rob Smith

Though the forecast is for a gentle breeze, the mirror-like water does not give us much hope!

Perhaps it would have been better if the wind had stayed away because the drizzle came down as the OD tried to determine where to set the course. He seemed to take Albert’s view of Let the B***ers Go to try and make sure a race was held. Unfortunately the wind had swung and the windward leeward course ended up without a beat. Interestingly at 2, several boats tacked with the gennakers flying!

Over lunch the rain bedded in and the wind faded. No more racing for today!

Light winds and sunshine was forecast – didn’t really get much of either! The sun did come out from time to time, and there was a pleasant light breeze before the start, but an over eager handicap fleet (or was it the commodore?!) led to a general recall for which two sound signals were heard but no sign of the flag! Just as well everyone knows what was meant. However, the delay caused by the restart resulted in the slight breeze that was there faded. Shunty and Ruth were first to the windward mark, followed by Neil and Judith and both boats continued to open up their lead for the rest of the race while William and Elaine fought with Robbie D in his laser for best of the zephyrs that trickled across the lake from time to time

Surprisingly the fleet headed out for the second race, but, as it turned out, the wind filled in, was light but did hold. The short, simple triangle of a course worked well and safeguarded against the wind dying again

Saturday racing was held in somewhat variable winds. The fleet believed they were heading out for a gentle saunter around the course only to find that the wind came in in droves and then disappeared for a while. Of course the exciting bit was when the wind came in! Scumper and Zefer took advantage of one gust and were disappointed that the shoreline was coming up all too quickly!

Toggle is, of course, worthy of a mention for trying to take out his (capsized) opposition. Apparently Toggle was� bearing away on a gust but managed to catch Hugh’s mast and spin him round as he was righting the boat, throwing Hugh back in the water. It is suggested that Tog was causing havoc in three’s and should have done turns on those occasions too, but no doubt we’ll be updated with the alternate version of events!

Sunday’s racing started with a forecast of more wind than Saturday, but it has yet to materialise! At least the black cloud didn’t dump any rain.

In the GP fleet the race was over after the first mark, the lead had changed three times by then, but a procession ensued.

The afternoon turned out to be in better winds, and there was an occasional capsize, and a little bit of mayhem at one of the windward marks as the course caused boats to loop it!

The entertainment for the evening has started with a game of rounders. To date there’s been no casualties, but there’s time! This will be followed up by a quiz night.

Will tomorrow’s forecast of showers and lots of wind come to fruition?

Too piggin’ true it did! There was a great reticence to venture out on Monday following the high overnight winds, even though it had eased slightly. With no Flying 15s taking to the water Mike Moore opted to be OD and made sure the sailors got there monies worth of excitement. Shunty and Ruth were recalled for being over the line at the start (but Toggle went back too!). Scumper and Zefer took an early lead, but a capsize let Shunty back in on the action and he pulled out a big lead. When there was no shorten course after two laps William and Elaine opted to come ashore, and William then allowed(?) the boat to run Elaine over as she held it on the slipway. Despite having had several capsizes, William’s retirement caused Andy and Emma to continue for the rest of the race to help secure their position the series. Big E and Toggle battled on as well, having suffered several capsizes as well. Little did they know they’d be out there for almost 90mins! (They should sleep well tonight)

Although Shunty is a past king of the Enterprises, his lead was not sufficient to beat Mark Ninnim who sailed well to win the race on handicap.

After a long lunch break, the wind hasn’t eased and the fleet opted to forego the fourth and final race of the series

As Rhonwen takes leave from the club for a sabatical (well sort of – we think she’s really gone to keep Cecile company drinking pints of whatever they can lay their hands on in Paris) she’ll have some memories of her final race to take with her and haunt her. On a screaming reach, a gust of wind hit them and they were flattened instantly. It was to be another 20 mins before they were upright and limping home

Other casualties included Robin and Becky in the Vago – they didn’t make the start, but went out for some screaming planes, included several capsizes, including a final one within spitting distance of the jetty albeit too deep to stand up (comfortably!)

With another series complete, the championships have been updated and are posted below

That was the sound in the clubhouse as the fleets rounded the gybe mark outside the clubhouse. There were some near capsizes but they all actually survived the gybe.

The overnight winds had eased a little, though by the time the boats were being launched a squall made getting into the boats and away from the shore somewhat of a challenge.

The Catapults were one boat lighter this morning because of the high winds, but the wind is scheduled to ease in early afternoon. There’s always a chance the forecast could be right! However, just after writing the last bit the wind got up again, white horses everywhere, no gennakers to be seen, and some more hairy gybes.

At one stage T was washed out of the boat and Scumper had to haul him back in (not the first time that’s happened!). Robbie D flew his gennaker on the bottom reach to the leeward mark and took loads of ground off Andy and Toggle, however, the drop was not to be and the suffered their first capsize – another two followed later in the race.

Coming ashore was as hairy as the lunch. Andy capsized on to the jetty. Robbie D took refuge in the reed bed (sshhh don’t tell anyone), Shunty went for a jaunt waiting for a gap at the slip…..

Scumper won on handicap from Andy

Races 2 and 3 were sailed in equally heavy winds – Shunty ran aground with his gennaker up and promptly capsized, then retired. Andy Smith retired following Toggle pulling the jib fairlead out. Robbie D continued his capsize practice, one of which was caught on video -�Will they, won’t they?. As you will note the numbers dwindled as the sailors burned themselves (or their boats) out! Scumper being the only SAILOR to finish all three races (The 2nd race he sailed Toggle’s Vareo)

The Catapults were again being led by Roger Hodgkinson, though other places seem to be shared more evenly! Again, the blustery winds caused the occasional capsize!

It was one of those mornings. A good breeze (at times), with hollow patches in between, but did anyone really make the most of it all?

First Scumper and Robbie D only just made it to the start line on time, but as they crossed the line a recall signal was sounded so they ducked back just in case (turns out they weren’t over the line in any case!). They made up ground to be just 8 seconds behind Shunty and Ruth at the windward mark, and managed to pass them on the next leg only to capsize at the next gybe mark. Finally their main halyard snapped, fortunately it was just at the end of the race so they managed to finish.

William and Elaine didn’t realise they were one of the boats over the line, and were recalled by the rescue boat so they lost a couple of minutes by the time they restarted. Their gennaker had a bad habit of dropping out of the cleat on big gusts, much to Elaine’s disgust, and had to be rehoisted. The final blow was no sound signal aat the finish. It seems they had missed out YZ at the end of the first lap as they were too busy watching whether Toggle would survive a hairy plane – he did, but lost a lot of ground because he had borne away below the leeward mark so much.

Bean and Naomi’s only problem was that brother Tim sounded the recall signal and they had to return through the line. They were only a boat length over after all!

Tim Chittenden and Ian Macpherson took Tim’s FF out for the first time and were slowly getting to grips with the mass of ropes and the alternate location of all the control lines. One of their issues was gybing the spinnaker and it got in a bit of a tangle at the first gybe mark. It’s all a learning curve.

Andy T and Lucy in the Vago went for a swim on one beat, and that slowed them down somewhat

Shunty and Ruth seemed to survive the race, but tipped their boat over at the end to remove the remains of the slot gasket. No sailing in the RS for them this afternoon. Or so we thought – although they were going to borrow Mik’s FF, they ended up sailing Toppers

Thomas Bainbridge’s problem was tacking round at marks!

According to Herb, Mik sailed the race with his sails at half mast – perhaps an exaggeration but probably some truth in it.

Dave and Sarah’s biggest problem was that they had no-one to sail against! I only he’d waited as Stu and Debbie Spence had to sail in the handicap fleet in the afternoon as they had no-one to sail against. Co-ordination!

The afternoon race was held in stronger, and more exciting, winds. There were again some eager starters with Bean and Scumper being recalled. Certainly less eventful, but more exciting racing.

Series results were somewhat consistent – Bean and Naomi took the handicap series with four firsts, Mike and Eric had two firsts in the GP series, while Mik won all four Mirror races.