It was a grey chilly evening but, despite this, 21 boats took to the water including 7 from the Topper fleet. With a consistent F3 ENE wind the OD set an interesting course from 0 of 4-1-3-9-0 containing 2 beats.
The start was somewhat chaotic as most boats were early reaching the line and were forced to the port end. Joan & Jack Hardie were driven onto the pin and re-rounded. But a stint of hard sailing put them back into the lead group headed by Jim Christie in the Supernova.
Jim then left 1 to port rather than starboard and dropped back after re-rounding. By the end of the first lap Joan & Jack were leading from the GPs; Alan Jones / Sue Watson being right on the transom of Mike Fairlamb / Eric Smith.
The Toppers were finished at the end of the first lap. The experienced Harry Binns had a sizeable lead and he took 7th place overall on PH. He was followed across the line by Frankie Miller and close rivals Izzy Hunter and Hazel Newport.
Although Mike & Eric finished behind Joan & Jack on the water at the end of lap 2, the positions were reversed in the FH results.
A new winner emerged on PH with Julie Tomkinson taking an excellent first place in her Radial with its striking multi coloured sail. AJ & Sue were placed second ahead of Kath Davis / Glenys Kett, the latter pair�s consistency moving them up to second overall in the series just one point behind Mike & Eric.
Both Sunday races were for the Asymmetric Cup and the MJM trophies, Hugh Godfrey came to sail in his RS Vareo but no other Asymmetrics turned up, so no race for Hugh, he went for a blast anyway. The weather was sunny and warm, the wind however was very gusty and shifty which challenged the 5 boats in the MJM fleet. Mike and Kayla had a huge lead in the first race then lost it as they were passed by the GP of John Riley and Nigel Lewis, they then recovered and won comfortably in the end from John and Nigel, Stephen Lloyd in his Laser sailed well and finished third on corrected time.
The wind dropped slightly for the second race which tempted Graham and Elaine out in the FF, they were the only ones to spot mark A had been moved on the first beat and established a good lead, Mike and Kayla fought hard and overhauled them. However on corrected time John and Nigel won from Ethan in his Laser Radial and Alastair Richards in his Laser. The OD Mike Fairlamb discovered the birds nest in the cockpit of the Bates and the 3 chicks that had hatched despite Eric’s attempts to terrify them.
Saturday’s sailors were met with bright sunshine and a strong westerly wind for the Celebrity Glass Pursuit Race.
Mik Chappell rigged his Mirror but decided it was too windy so didn’t launch. The Topper sailors who had been to Scarness for a “Push the Boat Out” picnic in a Wayfarer and an Enterprise arrived back late so the OD delayed the start, one Topper ventured out but returned to shore before the start. This left seven boats, three F15s, three GPs and Jim Christie with his grandson in the Hartley 12. Phil Davenport, the OD, set an excellent course with 2 beats, 2 runs and a reach. Jim started first but decided to retire after the first beat as his grandson was cold. The GPs went next, Alan Jones sailing with Izzie Hunter getting the best start followed by the F15s where Chris and Julie Rolle got the better of Mike/Kayla and Graham/Elaine at the start. Mike Fairlamb and Eric capsized their GP and retired, Ken and Val went the wrong way around mark 3 and retired, Alan and Izzie found the conditions too strong and also retired. That left the three F15s, Mike won from Graham followed by Chris.
Only 2 F15s ventured out in the second race Mike/Kayla winning with Graham/Elaine in second.
Twenty four boats were tempted out on a superb evening with sun, warmth and a Force 2 westerly wind. The course was 0-A-B-4 which gave three off wind kite legs.
The line initially had some port bias but it switched to starboard at the last moment and Alan Jones / Sue Watson made a superb start. Mike Fairlamb / Eric Smith from the port end tacked only to be put about by AJ and they were trapped in the starboard m�l�e.
It was John Reekie who took the lead followed by Joan & Jack Hardie and Val & Ken Bell. This was the order at the end of lap 1 with Dave Lawson (Laser), Phil & Emma Davenport and Tog & Joan Cowan also in the mix. Kath Davis / Glenys Kett retired soon after as they were on supper duty and realised there would be more hungry sailors to cater for than they had envisaged!
Some of the Toppers were allowed to do two laps while the remainder were shortened for a single one. Frankie Millar was classified first in that fleet from Nikki Hutchman and Rosie Hogg.
Meanwhile, Mike & Eric had been hauling in Val & Ken but after some spirited tacking and covering they lost out by 6 seconds on the water.
On FH John beat Joan & Jack on corrected time by 2 seconds. But, on PH it was the Solos to the fore, Richard Broughton and Ian Hall sandwiching Joan & Jack in the podium positions.
It’s strange how rain puts us off sailing, but the weekend’s forecast was covered in blue dots as well as a reasonable wind. As it turned out, Saturday was somewhat changeable between sunny spells and drizzle, with a limited turnout in each fleet to enjoy the breeze.
Normally racing against each other, Harry joined forces with Izzy getting to grips with a Mirror for the day. Andy/Lily took an early lead but the cool weather didn’t suit Lily and they soon retired. In the F15s Ian/Lezli-Ann fought to recover from missing the shore lift on the main beat but, despite closing the gap, finished 2nd to Tim/Ian. They did hold it together in the 2nd race in which positions were reversed. Mike/Eric in their GP had two straight wins against AJ who was busily adjusting his toestraps at the end of racing (clearly a key aspect of his performance!). Although Hugh won both handicap races from David, only 14 secs separated them in the first race.
Sunday was more of the same ie more wind strength and more rain (than drizzle!). There were a few capsizes early on, but the wind did ease for some good racing with a stronger fleet of boats. Mik was keeping an eye on the BatesCam and was delighted at some of the shots (especially of Lezli-Ann!)
The two Ians battled it out in the F15s, with Ian/Tim taking the advantage on the final beat! It was Jim C’s turn to take the honours in the handicap fleet with Newcomer Ian Hall 2nd. After a bit of encouragement from the committee boat, David Rodger in a Topper moved closer to the start line, got the best start, and held on to be the only finisher despite a capsize just short of the finish line.
The afternoon pennant race was held as a fleet pursuit, with David in his Topper starting first. However, the onslaught of a heavy downpour (much to the dismay of those in the committee boat without waterproof over trousers!) zapped the wind of its energy as the shower passed through, and the course down to 10 seemed to be wishful thinking with many calm patches appearing. As the last boat started, the wind came back but it meant the distance between first and last boats was much less than it was planned to be. It wasn’t too long before Dave/Lynn took a lead that wouldn’t be given up, and won them the Albert Bates Retirement Trophy. Ian/Lezli-Ann took 2nd place
On a grey evening, initially with a SW Force 2 wind, a course of (4)-0-A-4 was posted. Sixteen boats took to the water including five from the Topper Fleet.
But the wind dropped away down the beat and there was virtually nothing by the time the lead boats reached the windward mark. There was clearly only going to be a single lap. Those successful on rounding and on the return legs included David Haselden in the Solo and Jim Christie in his Supernova. . They crossed the line in the leading group to be classified in the podium positions on Fleet Handicap behind the GP of Mike Fairlamb / Eric Smith who lead that series.
On Personal Handicap David took first place ahead of Mike/Eric with Paul Clark in his Laser third.
The Toppers had the most demanding time as it was dead calm at zero by the time most reached it. All retired except Louise Roger who was first around the mark and determined she was going to Finish. It took her a time of fifty eight minutes to do so but she gets full credit for determination.
During another excellent meal the heavens opened. All agreed that it could have been a lot more disagreeable if they had done so earlier.
Ne’er cast a clout till the May is out – so true! The forecast wall to wall sunshine was nowhere to be seen, and the light winds were cold.
With the Catapult fleet having their open meeting with us again, there was a great turnout of boats. The winds eased as the afternoon progressed.
Tog coaxed Joanie out in the RS200 again, and despite his frustrations seeping through, she was still smiling at the end! It was Robbie D that built up a good lead, but when the handicaps were applied, Banter, newcomer Ian Hall, and Alastair were hot on his heels finishing within 29secs of his corrected time. In the 2nd race, Robbie D again took the honours, with Jim C 2nd, and Mik, with no comps torus in the Mirror/Topper fleet, finishing a few secs later in 3rd place.
Mike/Kayla won the 1st F15 race but in the 2nd race, Ian/Lezli-Ann kept the wind to take the lead, and advantage of the shortened course (though they were hoping it would have been shortened earlier). Dave/Lynn won both GP races from Mike/Eric
There could be a bit of hot air this evening with entertainment comprising Chilli followed by a rules talk/discussion by Eddie Ramsden. Will everyone be fired up to protest on the water tomorrow?
Fatherhood – when needs mustClaire was treated to an early birthday celebration
Sunday offered slightly milder, but much stronger and gustier winds. Although there were various capsizes, and several near misses, the good reaching conditions and close racing made it an enjoyable race for many. For some reason sheep syndrome took over and several boats went around the leeward mark the wrong direction (consistently) and so were giving DNF.
Lucy was crewing for Alastair, but not amused that they capsized on their way ashore. Perhaps they’d let their guard down…
After lunch there were another two races that were certain to tire many out, especially as the wind continued to blow with some wild gusts at times.
Alastair/Lucy crossed the finish line only to be flattened by one of the gusts – did it blow Alastair’s hat off too?
Izzy (or is it Hazel?) and Harry put in gutsy performances in their Toppers coping with several capsizes, finishing two of the races, and retiring in the final one of the day. Despite some close racing, Harry took two firsts and currently leads the series.
Scumper/Zefer kept Robbie D/Banter at bay taking 3 wins and the overnight lead in the handicap fleet, while Paul is in 3rd place. Dave/Lynn recovered from their mark rounding mistake in the first race to win the next two races and overnight lead ahead of Alan/Sue.
The F15s had some close racing, sharing the wins between Mike/Kayla, Simon/Jon and Neil/Tog meaning everything was�to sail for on Monday for which the forecast was more of the same, though with the wind from the SSE. Indeed there was a good SSE wind on Monday, but it�wasn’t as gusty. The wind direction suited some courses that�made use of the southern end of the lake. Birthday boy Simon sailed with his sensible head to win both races and the F15 series with Mike/Sally and Neil/Tog each getting second to finish 2nd and 3rd overall respectively.
Despite some strengthening�competition from Val/Ken who are quickly getting to grips with their new boat, Dave/Lynn took another couple of firsts (and the Lyne Tankard), with Val and John each�taking a 2nd place, but AJ’s first on Sunday secured him 2nd overall ahead of Val.
Whether it was the less gusty conditions, or the longer beats, John Reekie�mastered his Musto Skiff to win both races in the handicap fleet. Robbie D and Shunty each had a second position, but Scumper’s 3rd place was more than enough to win him the May Holiday trophy when combined with his three wins from Sunday.
Commodore Andy sailed, and won,�one�race each with daughters Lily and Katia, �but it was Harry’s consistent performance over the two days that�earned him the Peel Pot ahead of Hazel.
There was more consistent results from Gareth Ede giving him a clear lead in the Catapult open, but some more close racing led to there being�only 3�points separating 2nd to 4th places, with�John Terry securing 2nd overall.
With white horses whipped up by the F5 Easterly wind an hour before the start it was not surprising that a good few prospective competitors selected not to launch. Only eight boats gathered in the starting area upwind of 0 to tackle the long beat to 4 and off wind legs 1 � A � 0.
There was some confusion when Code Flag 7 could not be found and the Flag Officer hoisted the AP Flag in its place (read your Racing Rules of Sailing if you don�t know the significance of this!). Several boats held back and Mike Fairlamb / Dave Lawson lost a significant amount of time.
John Reekie in the Skiff was enjoying the heavier conditions until he crashed in at the end of lap1. But he still let the fleet on righting the boat. It was good to see Phil and Emma Davenport back out together in their 400 and they were next through ahead of the GP of John Riley / Nigel Lewis.
The OD allowed the majority of boats to do three laps but shortened for Ethan Dawson�s Radial and Ian Hall�s Solo.
Results show John Riley / Nigel Lewis as race winners in both PH and FH categories. Ethan Dawson was second in the former and John Reekie in the latter.
After early morning showers 23 boats enjoyed sun and force 3/4 winds for the first day of the event
Generally the starts were clean and keen, with just one individual recall – shame that of all the boats that returned, the offending boat was not one of them!
Wind throughout the afternoon had its ups and downs, and swung from time to time leading to some one sided beats, but generally the conditions were good and challenging, enabling close racing.
Five races in, with some close racing, several capsizes, and tired sailors, and they’ll sleep well tonight!
Sunday’s weather remained dry, but with the breeze from the NE it was a little cooler. Unfortunately the wind was shifter too, but it didn’t stop progressing the final three races on time and getting them finished before lunch, after which there was a prize giving presented by the Commodore’s wife, Emma Smith.
One of the things that has survived the move to Chipping Norton is the Easter tradition of the egg dump.
Both Chris and Andrew and family were with us on Easter Sunday with children and my brothers family happily made 16.
I remembered that Ken Bell had told me that it would be easy to win the egg dump. All you had to do was bring your own “ringer” a free range egg which would have a stronger, thicker shell.
So off I went to Tesco to buy some cage eggs and up the road to buy some eggs from a guy in the village. The draw was rigged so all the children had free range eggs and all the grown ups cage eggs.
And the result – my 30 yr old niece won with a cage egg and there were tears !!
Peter
And just to show we’re still sailing, a week on Monday Toni & I are off for a 9 day sail in the Azores
Note from Pete Nuttall