Author: jollysailor

A great force 3 for the latest rounds of the Gillette and Junior Gillette series yesterday.

4 boats made it out for the Junior Gillette, with a nice short triangular course. Ilya (Topper 4.2) was first to the windward mark, followed by Alex (Optimist) & Lukie (Optimist).

There were several infringements and collision with marks, which led to positions frequently changing between Ilya & Alex. Ilya managed to get ahead on the final lap crossing the line first. Alex was second and Lukie 3rd.

On Handicap, Alex was first, with Ilya 2nd and Lukie 3rd.

A big thank you to Hugh and his team for organising the Junior race.

22 boats were out for the main Gillette race. Will S (ILCA7) was first to the windward mark, followed by Newton (Solo) & Hugh (ILCA7). Will S sailed clear and stayed ahead for the rest of the race. Newton and Hugh meanwhile were engaged in a battle with Emily (ILCA6) & Mark (Aero 7). Elsewhere in the race, the rest of the laser fleet, along with Richard G (Aero 5) & Aileen (Comet) were having a close battle in the midfleet.

Will S crossed the line first, followed by Newton then Hugh. On Handicap, Newton took the win, with Will S 2nd & Emily 3rd.

A big thank you to Alé and his team for running the racing last night.

After the race, there was Pasta Bake & Banoffee Pie, made by Hugh.

We’re back on Sunday for the next rounds of the Summer Series.

Sunday Afternoon marked the latest of our member practice sessions. Aimed at giving new members and recent trainees some much needed time on the water, all under the supervision of experienced sailors and safety boats.

A big thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their time to run the practice session.

Congratulations to Alé on passing his RYA assistant instructor course. After a gruelling assessment by Mark, our Training Principal, he is now signed off to assist our instructor team in delivering fantastic courses throughout the year.

Well done Alé & thank you for volunteering to be part of our amazing instructor team.

Very light winds for the Summer Series yesterday.

Just 9 boats made it out for the pursuit race. The Toppers of Lidia & Tatiana set of first. Tatiana stalled heading to the windward mark, but Lidia took advantage of what breeze there was and shot ahead, ending up two legs ahead of the rest of the fleet.

The rest of the fleet set off, with several boats stalling due to the lack of breeze. The wind filled in from behind, and most of the fleet overtook Lidia before starting their second lap.

Newton (Solo) finished first, with Hugh (ILCA7) 2nd & Chris H (Comet) 3rd.

There was a lot of action at the pin end of the Handicap race as the wind filled in.ost ended up with a good start, but wind shifts caught several boats out. Aileen (Comet) was first to the windward mark, followed by Hugh & Newton. Hugh overtook her at the following mark, but lost out on the subsequent leg. Newton overtook and stayed ahead for the remainder of the race, Hugh meanwhile managed to overtake Aileen again, finishing 2nd. Aileen & Chris H were having a close battle, although Aileen stayed ahead to finish 3rd.

On Handicap, Aileen finished first, with Chris H 2nd and Newton 3rd.

A big thank you to Peter Rose & his team for organising the racing yesterday.

After the race, there were Bacon Rolls, cooked by Ann.

We’re back on Wednesday for the next round of the Gillette & Junior Gillette Series’.

15 boats took to the water for the latest rounds of the Summer Series on Sunday.

A nice force 3 from the south west gave plenty of action during the races.

Ron set off first for the Pursuit Race, with the rest of the fleet following behind. Ron made it round the first lap in first place, with Chris H (Comet) and Newton (Solo) attempting to catch up. The other Solos or Ralph and Roland were having a close fight, whilst the doublehanders or Mike & Alé (470) and Steve & Rick (RS200) we’re making their way through the fleet.

At the finish gun, Newton was in 1st, with Roland S 2nd & Chris H 3rd.

The Handicap Race was very close over the first couple of laps, with the Solos and Double handers out in front. Newtown led the first lap, with the much faster boats struggling to get past. It wasn’t until halfway through the second lap the Mike & Alé broke through the Solo wall and took the lead. Newton meanwhile sailed clear of the rest of the fleet in 2nd place. Elsewhere in the midfleet, there was several trading of places, but Chris H managed to stay ahead at the finish.

Mike & Alé crossed the line first, with Newton 2nd & Ralph 3rd.

On Handicap, Newton was 1st, with Chris H 2nd & Ralph 3rd.

A big thank you to Karen and her team for running the racing on Sunday

A force 2 from the North West greeted the racers for the Gillette and Junior Gillette Series yesterday.

8 boats made it out for the start of the Junior race. Fergus (Optimist) was first round on lap one, with Molly (Topper 4.2) 2nd & Ilya (Topper 4.2) right on her stern in 3rd. Both Toppers overtook Fergus on the subsequent lap and remained extremely close for the rest of the race.

Elsewhere, Lukie (Optimist) had caught up with Fergus and were trading positions with each other. Ozzie & Elissa (Both Toppers) we’re also trading places in the midfleet.

Molly crossed the line 1st, with Ilya just 2 seconds behind in second place. Fergus was 3rd. The results remained unchanged once handicap was calculated.

A big thank you to Karen & her team for running the Junior racing.

17 boats subsequently made it out for the Gillette race. Newton (Solo) was first round, followed by a tightly packed field for the remaining podium places. Mark (Aero 7) and Steve & Rick (RS200) quickly caught up but failed to get past. James P (ILCA7) also caught up on the subsequent lap.

Newton crossed the line first, followed by Mark, then James P. On Handicap, Karen took the win, with Newton 2nd & Roland S (Solo) 3rd.

A big thank you to Adrian for running the racing yesterday.

After the race, there was Quiche & Salad, made by Karen.

We’re back on Wednesday for the next rounds of the Summer Series

Another great turnout of 21 boats for the next rounds of the Summer Series yesterday.

A nice force 2 from the northwest, Ron (Mirror) was off first in the Pursuit Race, with the rest of the fleet giving chase. Karen & Chris H (Both Comets) got ahead of Ron by the end of the first lap. Meanwhile, Newton (Solo) had passed Aileen (Comet), who was trying to stay ahead of the much faster boats coming from behind.

Elsewhere, there was a close battle between Richard, Rick & James P (All ILCA).

At the finish gun, Karen was 1st, followed by Newton & Chris H.

A very tight handicap race followed, with Newton & Darren (Solo) both getting ahead of the rest of the fleet. There was a very tight group that followed, with Chris K leading battle for 3rd, the next 4 boats of Rick, James, Rhys & Karen all finished their first lap with identical times.

By the end of the second lap, the fleet had spread out. Newton & Darren were still ahead but James P (ILCA) had emerged out the front of the rest of the ILCA fleet to settle in 3rd.

Newton crossed the line 1st, with Darren 2nd and Rick 3rd. On Handicap, Ron finished 1st, with Newton & Darren finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.

A big thank you to Peter and his team for organizing the racing yesterday.

We’re back on Wednesday for the next rounds of the Gillette and Junior Gillette Series.

Another batch of trainees have completed their RYA level 1 at Reading Sailing Club. Now it’s time to practice those skills.

Want to learn how to sail? You can find out more by going to https://www.readingsc.org.uk/training/ or by emailing training@readingsc.org.uk

A big thank you to Mark, Adrian, Gareth and the rest of the volunteer team for running the course

A lovely force 3 for the latest round of the Gillette Series.

18 boats took to the water, a port bias on the line for much of the race sequence, the wind suddenly shifted with a starboard end now the favoured start.

A close start amongst the boats led to Hugh (ILCA7) reaching the windward mark first, followed by Rhys (ILCA6), then Emily (ILCA6). Hugh was forced to retire due to a boat breakage.

Emily took the lead, but Mark (Aero caught up and passed her on the second lap, holding onto position for the rest of the race.

The wind dropped off after the second lap, and Rhys was overtaken by Joel (ILCA6),Roland S (Solo) & Steve and Rick (RS200).

Mark crossed the line 1st, with Emily 2nd & Joel 3rd.

On Handicap, Emily finished 1st, with Joel 2nd & Rhys 3rd.

A big thank you to Ralph and his team for running the racing on Wednesday.

After the race, there were chicken wraps, followed by cherry pie. Made by Ann & Sally.

We’re back on Sunday for the next rounds of the Summer Series