Light airs early morning caused a slight delay to the start of racing for the 37 sailors across three fleets.
Half the Solo fleet were OCS on their first start, but as none returned they headed in for an early lunch. The wind held for the first half hour of the race, but then eased for a while, before picking up at the end.
After the lunch break, the wind freshened throughout the afternoon with the help of the sea breeze, and created some good planing conditions, challenging gybe marks, and caused� numerous capsizes.
In the Lasers, Tim Keighley from West Riding won the first two races to secure the series trophy, with Greg Liggins from Derwent Reservoir 2nd, and our own Commodore Jon Denwood 3rd.
The Solo and Tera fleets each were dependant on the final race to determine overall winners. After some close racing in the Solos, Robbie D won the final race and the Open trophy, with John Reekie 2nd, and Tony King from Derwent Reservoir 3rd.
In the Teras, Katia Smith sailed well to win the 2nd and 3rd races, and the Open trophy, with Matthew Somerville 2nd and Henry Bullen 3rd.
We have just learned that on 24 May 2021 TREVOR BUTCHER died suddenly and without any suffering when he fell over in the garden. Having moved back to Cumbria recently with Diana he was enjoying time with his children and grandchildren and will be missed by all of his family.
Trevor has been a long standing member of the club. Having been very active on the council, and in the Flying Fifteen fleet, until he moved out of the area, he was made an honorary member.
Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
As the high pressure moved in across the country for the bank holiday weekend, the wind may have been squeezed out. The fading morning breeze gave way to a light sea breeze which lasted for most of the first race.
With a fleet of 12 Catapults competing in their National Championship, they were out in good time for their scheduled start time, however some of the club fleets totalling almost 40 boats were a bit more tardy, perhaps some not realising it was a single fleet start, and some were several minutes late for the start.
While a few of the stragglers were finishing, the wind eased and veered to the NW. The start line was moved to keep the course area within the light wind, but shortly after the starts, the breeze faded to near drifting conditions. Although nearly half the fleets retired, many persevered to complete the one and only lap. Stan had a fatal attraction to the leeward mark in the drifting conditions, and had to to do a turn. Last to finish was Thomas in a Tera, but he wasn’t last on handicap, finishing 10th in the race and 10th overall!
Overall, Robbie D’s 2nd and a 3rd won him the trophy, with Dave/Lyn 2nd, and Rob 3rd
Sunday started with a SW breeze, assumed to be a katabatic wind, so there was the risk that it would fade. A course was set, the races started, and the wind promptly started to veer as the katabatic wind effect eased. Within 20 minutes the wind had swung through 180 degrees! Fortunately there had been a dead run in the course as set which turned out to be the only short beat in the new wind direction.
There was a great turnout again, including many juniors. After lunch, there was a reliance on a sea breeze maintaining the westerly direction, but, as ever, nature had its own idea and there were big shifts to the NW every now and again.
For the final race of the series, the wind eased slightly and backed to the SW, the direction was steadier, but the strength was more variable.
The Catapults found the light winds challenging to tack in, and other fleets occasionally found one ‘parked’ on a mark!
Despite the variable conditions, there was consistency across all fleets in terms of race winners as Simon/Jon in the F15s, Robbie D in the Handicap, Dave/Lynn in the GPs, and Bean/Lucy in the Slow Handicap, all had three wins.
In the Catapults, John Terry and Gareth Ede continue to systematically swap 1st and 2nd places race by race.
Bank holiday Monday wind was significantly higher than forecast, and picking up as the morning progressed. It had some F15 sailors wondering should they/shouldn’t they race, but they took the chance and went out. The wind eased slightly, but remained the best sailing conditions of the weekend by far. Although a few near misses, there was only one capsize by Hannah who seemed very excited at having turtled her Tera!
The lead Catapult positions alternated yet again resulting Gareth Ede winning the championship, with John Terry 2nd.
Champagne sailing conditions were enjoyed by the sailors in the final club race of the weekend series. Andy/Phil were leading the F15s, and duly led the rest of the fleet around the leeward mark the wrong way! Most unwound correctly, but by the time Ian/Lezliann realised they hadn’t, they opted for an early finish.
Graham/Alan added three 2nds to their results tally, sufficient to win the Mellor Mug for F15s, with Simon/Jon 2nd. With� no GPs sailing Dave/Lynn won the Commodore’s prize, and Mike/Sally 2nd. Robbie D took 2nd in the final race to win the Isel Cup with Steve/Ruth 2nd, while Phil/Lucy had another 1st to win the Orsova Cup, with Katia 2nd.
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
The sunny weather continues, with light winds for another busy juniors and cadet training session. The light winds were forecast to continue but, unexpectedly, the wind freshened from the NE and held throughout the afternoon racing.
As ever, the wind swung back and forth, but overall the strength held giving rise to various capsizes, and some great planing conditions at times. Although Scumper in his RS100 led both races, he could not break away sufficiently to win either of them, taking a 5th and a 6th on handicap. It was John/Jack in a GP, and Dave in a Laser Radial, that battled it out each securing a 1st and a 2nd place, with Dave taking his win by just 1 sec on handicap. Bean, sailing with Lucy in their Mirror, took 3rd in the first race before calling it a day.
The Juniors were led by Matty who, unfortunately, sailed them around the wrong course in the first race! Perhaps, there’s a lesson to be learnt there?
Dave presently leads the series ahead of John/Jack.
Sunday morning had AJ on his prayer mat hoping that the early morning breeze spotted on the webcam would hold. Of course, that must have been the kiss of death as the wind fizzled out, only returning in patches every now and then.
Racing did get underway by 1230hrs but it remained light, and boats had some motion even in the mirror like conditions. One lap, and 30 minutes, was considered enough for the lead boat, especially as the tail enders would take twice as long. Despite their lead, Chris/Evie in their RS200 finished 4th on handicap behind Joan/Jack, and Paul B in a Solo.
Perhaps AJ’s efforts on the prayer mat had an effect as AJ/Sue won the GP race ahead of John/Jack and Val/Ken. AJ promised to have a drink on everyone’s behalf!
In the Slow handicap fleet all the competitors were Smiths! So no surprises that a Smith won, namely Phil/Lucy, ahead of Katia who kept herself company on the slow drift to the finish by singing Take a chance on me.
Though there was a couple of boats interested in having another race, most voted with their paddles. So the remaining race was cancelled.
After a wonderfully sunny day there seemed little chance of a decent wind for the 3rd race in the Night Jar series. Surprisingly competitors were greeted by a light but relatively steady Westerly.
In anticipation of the wind dying, which it did, the Race Officers set a short triangular course of 0, 9, B. Joan and Jack in their newly acquired Graduate led from start to finish from Neil in his Solo. Paul Bowmer, in his new Solo, forced Alan and Sue out on the finish line to pip them.
