A cloudy start to the day cleared offering mainly sunny spells throughout the afternoon.�With�no wind at home, several people who turned up were surprised by the strength of the wind as there was�some white horses. It again�blew from the NE though at 22C it was�warmer than recently, and warmer than many other areas of the country!

Although the F15s were competing at Kippford in the Scottish Championship, and no doubt looking forward to an evening sponsored by Loch Fyne, there were 17 boats racing for the first races in, inter alia, the Autumn Trophy! (Hopefully Summer is over just yet?). In the GPs, Val/Ken seemed to lose ground for a while (what wasn’t Ken doing that Val thought he should?!), and the first race was won by John/Nigel with a good lead. In the second race, Val/Ken found their form, holding off Joan/Jack though to the finish.

Jim in a�Hartley won both slow handicap races from John in a Pico. There were some consistent results in the fast handicap fleet, with Scumper winning both races in his 100, Tony had two 2nds in his Solo, Robbie D/Banter two 3rds in their 400, and Peter two retirements in his Solo!

Mike was sailing his Streaker, capsized over the Bates almost taking out Herb, the official starter, who said his eyesight was squiffy, then he realised his lens had been knocked out of his specs!

Latest results DW etc

Sunday’s forecast was for light airs, which may have put some sailors off, but the wind filled in suitably for the morning racing, and the sun continued to shine! Ian Hall won in his Solo ahead of Mike in his Streaker, while John/Jack took the honours in the GPs from Val/Ken. Jim C took another win in the slow handicap ahead of John in his Pico. Amber took to the helm of a Mirror, but someone hadn’t given her a full fighting chance as the mainsail was not fully raised…

Latest results BL etc

The wind disappeared totally over lunch but made a reappearance, and with a few remaining sailors prepared for the water a race was started in light airs that rapidly faded again. Jim had taken to his Supernova to tune it back up, not that the conditions were suitable for that, and took an early lead but the lack of wind worked against him and he subsequently retired. With the conditions not looking likely to improve the race was shortened at the first rounding of 0. With the threat of rain, after leading the fleet across the finish line, Val/Ken rushed ashore so Ken could�put the hood up on his open topped car! Fortunately, the rain held off at the club and attacked Binsey instead. Next across the line was Mike in his Streaker who, on handicap, secured 1st pace from Val by just two secs.

RNLI Pennant

Next weekend we host a multitude of open meetings viz Topper NW areas, Laser Travellers, Solo open alongside club racing in the form of a fleet challenge.

The start of half term, another Bank Holiday, and another camping weekend resulted in the unusual sight of a revision/homework table in the clubhouse on Friday night.

Saturday was delightfully sunny, and despite�a forecast for very light airs, the wind did fill in to get racing underway. However, it was neither steady in direction or strength, and there were various lulls for sailors to contend with, along with occasional planing conditions.

Dave/Lynn and Scumper/Zefer mastered the varying conditions and each secured two wins in their respective fleets. In the F15s, Mike/Kayla and Ian M each had a win, while Jim C won the only race in the slow handicap fleet

Latest results MG etc

A�communal barbeque on Saturday night proved very popular.

Blue skies were the order of the day for Sunday, with�slightly greater wind strength than Saturday, though just as shifty and inconsistent in strength! Another good turnout of 32 boats including, notably, six Mirrors with an abundance of junior crews. Ian P has been enjoying his exploits in a Mirror, but has a bit of tweaking to do to ensure his rudder stays attached to the hull! Could it be true that ‘interaction’ between a Mirror and some F15s led to some tearful kids?…

Ian/Elaine took the honours in the first F15 race, but Simon/Jon went on to win the next two. Dave/Lynn had a clean sweep in the GPs. Jim/Poppy won�the first race in the slow handicap fleet, while Andy took the next two in a Mirror. In the fast handicap fleet, results were a lot less consistent with Robbie D/Josh, Mark/Emma, and Scumper each winning a race.

The Hunter’s curry night was�a sellout success raising �500 in aid of charity Asha, and may have led to more�wind�on�Monday!

Monday turned out bright again, with a stronger, though still extremely variable, breeze from the NE for the final two races in the weekend series. Andy/Phil won both GP races, but Dave/Lynn 2nd was enough to win the series. In the F15s, Simon/Jon had a 1st and 2nd to take the series ahead of Neil/Rory. Scumper and Alex/Olivia both won a races, but Robbie D/Banter’s 2nd and 3rd won them the series, as did Jim/Poppy’s 1st in the slow handicap fleet.

AJ had some coaching from the F15 fleet over lunchtime and he moved up to 3rd in the last race. Perhaps he should have taken advice sooner?…

Final results MM etc

Overall an excellent bank holiday weekend.

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Saturday started with another well attended training session. The wind, though patchy initially, filled in from the north west and backed to the west as the afternoon went on.

There was a good mix of boats across the four fleets, together with some close racing. There was a few capsizes, mainly by Ethan getting to grips with his 600, and a couple of groundings by two F15s! The shifting winds turned broad reaches into close reaches and even beats, but it helped test the sailors skills.

Latest results MG etc

On Sunday, the Bass micro climate again�beat the forecast and, though lighter, the wind filled in from the north west, and after a short postponement, racing got underway. The breeze�was light and shifty and backed to the west, strengthening slightly in the afternoon for the Albert Bates Retirement Trophy, typically sailed around the lake, but contained in the bay due to the likelihood of the wind fading.

Robbie D/Erin in an RS400 led the fleet across the finish line but, on handicap, Steve/Ruth won in their Merlin ahead of Dave/Lynn and Mike/Eric in GPs.

Latest Results BL etc

Final results Albert Bates Retirement�Trophy

Latest results Sandra’s Salver

Next weekend we are taking part in the RYA Push the Boat Out campaign to get more people on the water, so encourage your friends and colleagues to�come down and take part and experience life on the water.