Author: jollysailor

It was another hot sunny day with a light wind about 5-6 mph from the SW. James used a flagpole start with a first beat to X (positioned about hallway between 5 and 6 on the buoy line) then 9, 6, 7 and back through the start.

Pursuit Race
There were 11 starters and even with the light wind nearly everyone managed to pass the start line twice before the gun went. At the end of the first lap Ron (Mirror) who started first was still leading with Hadey (Radial) in 2nd place, Mike A in 3rd and Mike Tr 4th. At the gun Hadey had just got past Ron to take the victory.
The final positions were –
1st Hadey; 2nd Ron; 3rd Karen; 4th Mike Tr; 5th Rick; 6th Mark B

Handicap Race
Dave I as usual decided to sit this one out so there were 10 starters. James changed the course to 6, 9, 5, 8 6, 7 and back through the start, which was repositioned.
At the end of the first lap Karen (Laser) was leading with Mike TR (Laser) not far behind with Hadey (Radial) about one minute further back in 3rd place. Next through the line was John W (Laser) only just ahead of Mark B (Laser) and Mike A (Lightning) then there was a small gap back to Paul H (Laser) and Peter R (Enterprise). Then over a minute and a half elapsed before Ron (Mirror) arrived just in front of Rick (Laser).

On the second lap the three leading boats maintained their positions, but Peter R moved up four places to 4th pushing John W down to 5th. Rick had gained four places to move up to 6th and everyone else lost ground. Mark retired on this lap probably frustrated by the vagaries of the wind which kept changing direction and strength.

The third and last lap saw Karen cross the line well ahead of Mike Tr in 2nd place. Peter R had gained another place to move to 3rd ahead of Hadey. Mike A gained two places to cross in 5th place with no other changes in order.

The final positions on the water were –
1st Karen; 2nd Mike Tr; 3rd Peter R; 4th Hadey; 5th Mike A; 6th John W

On Handicap, Ron will take victory, which makes it the second race in a row in which the last boat on the water has taken 1st place on Handicap! Karen drops down to 2nd place with Mike Tr 3rd, Mike A 4th, Hadey 5th and Peter R 6th.

Thanks to James and the OOD Team of Bea & Rhys P, Andrew & Thomas M, Jan & Paul H and Nick.

Gillette 12 – 4th July 2018

Another warm sunny evening with a SSW wind of about 6 – 8 mph and Curtis set the first beat to 4 then 9, 5, 8, 6, 7 and back through the start.

There were 18 starters and at the end of the first lap a stream of 11 Lasers came through, evenly spaced and fairly close together in the order Karen, Ralph, William, Mark, Alistair S, Mike Tr, Rick, Richard H, Hugh, Jeremy and Paul H. Then at last another boat, well nearly, it was Hadey in her Radial followed by yet another Laser in the form of Mike T (at least his sail is a different colour. Mike A (Lightning) was through in 14th closely followed by Sally & Stuart (Leader), Ron (Mirror), Dave I (Laser – come on Dave what are you doing down here with the variety acts!) and finally Nick on his own in the Vago (this may have been his first solo race without the handicap of Dean).

At the end of the second lap Karen had increased her lead and William had moved up to 2nd (this may also be a first as Will had abandoned his radial rig in favour of the full rig). There was no other change in position until you get down to Mike T in his multi coloured Laser who had gained a place to move up to 12th. Towards the rear of the fleet Ron and Dave I both gained a place by passing Sally & Stuart.

On the third lap the three leading boats maintained station, but Mike Tr passed Mark and Alistair to move up two places to 4th. Hugh passed Richard H to 7th and Hadey gained two places to move up to 9th. Rick had a disastrous lap dropping from 7th to 11th finishing up just ahead of Mike A and Paul H who had both gained a place. At the back of the fleet Nick had passed on the lantern rouge to Sally & Stuart, who finished at the end of this lap and effectively passed it back to Nick.

The fourth and last lap saw no change in the two leaders but Mike Tr had gained another place to take 3rd spot from Ralph. Hugh moved up to 6th by passing Alistair, who had a Lindsley lap dropping to 11th place. Hadey, Jeremy and Mike A all gained two places to finish 7th, 8th and 10th respectively and Ron gained a place getting past Mike T.

The final positions on the water were –
1st Karen; 2nd William; 3rd Mike Tr; 4th Ralph; 5th Mark; 6th Hugh

On handicap Ron comes zooming up to take 1st place with everyone shuffling down one place.

Well done to William in his full rig and to Nick, who now he has coped single handed with the multiple control lines of the Vago is considering whether crocheting might be the next move.

Thanks to Curtis and the OOD Team of Gill G, Phil M and Julian W (Nice to see you back Julian and hope you continue to recover from your nasty accident)

It was a warm sunny evening with a 9 mph wind from the ENE, but as usual veering round quite a bit. Steve S used a Tektona start with a first beat to X (middle of the lake just NW of No 8) then 5, 9, 4, 2, and back through the start.

There were 23 starters and at the end of the first lap the boats were still fairly close together and evenly spaced. First back through the line was Steve (Blaze) followed by the Lasers of Karen, Mark B and Ellen. Newton (Solo) was 5th just ahead of Curtis and Mike Tr in two more Lasers. Then Dave & Ann in the first of the two Leaders out tonight crossed the line in 8th place, followed by another trio of Lasers helmed by Hugh, Ben H and Rick. Monica (Europe) resplendent in pink was next through in 12th place just five seconds ahead of John H (Laser) who in turn was about 15 seconds ahead of Mike A (Lightning). Then there was a slight gap before the quartet of Bob (Solo), Sally & Stuart (Leader), Mike T (Laser) and Paul H (Laser) came through the line. Then two minutes later Jemima (Oppie) and Ron (Mirror) came through close together, some two and a half minutes ahead of Jeremy in his substantial Skipper (it was rumoured he was off on his holidays, but missed a turn at Sonning lock) and finally Thomas (Topper) and Chris & Carol (Sport 14) turned up.

The race lasted for five laps and Simon and Karen kept their 1st and 2nd places for the whole of the race, but Simon could not manage to pull away as he often does in stronger winds. At the end of the second lap Mark was still in 3rd place with Ellen 4th and this was another battle that continued through the race. Curtis had managed to pass Newton to move up to 5th and Rick, Monica and John H were all up three places to 8th,9th and 10th respectively. Further back Bob, Mike T and Paul H all gained a place and Ron had got past Jemima. Thomas retired at the end of this lap.

On the third lap the four leaders maintained their positions, but Newton regained 5th place from Curtis, who also lost a place to Mike Tr who moved up to 6th place. John H had got past Monica and Rick who crossed the line together in joint 9th place. Further back Mike A and Paul H both gained one place. Jeremy did not proceed further than three laps, but not sure if he retired or received an early finish gun or got back to Sonning Lock.

At the end of the fourth lap Ellen had passed Mark to move up to 3rd position and Newton and Mike Tr crossed the line dead level in joint 5th. Curtis was still 7th, but Rick had moved up to 8th with Monica 9th Hugh 10th and Ben 11th (putting one over the old man!). Dave & Ann had got past Mike A and they had been enjoying a close battle trading places throughout the race. There were no other changes in position (at least by the time the finish line was crossed!)
Monica, Sally & Stuart, Ron, Jemima and Chris & Carol all finished at the end of the fourth lap, but again not sure if they retired or received the finish gun.

At the end of the last lap Simon crossed the line in 1st place with Karen 2nd, but Mark had regained 3rd spot from Ellen and Newton had edged away from Mike Tr to take 5th. Curtis and Rick could not be separated at the line in the battle for 7th place. Hugh gained a place (as a result of Monica stopping a lap earlier) to finish in 9th and John H restored the family pecking order by getting past Ben. Further back Paul H gained two places by passing Bob and Mike T.

The final order on the water was –
1st Simon; 2nd Karen; 3rd Mark; 4th Ellen; 5th Newton; 6th Mike Tr

On Handicap Karen should take the win with Jemima up to 2nd,Newton up to 3rd, Mark down to 4th, Simon down to 5th and Ellen 6th.

So a good day for the Dads with all three – Newton, Curtis and John H beating their offspring – make the most of it lads it won’t last !!

Thanks to Steve S and the OOD Team of Al, Elaine W and Nick.

The wind was forecast 4-6 mph from the North, but in fact it kept changing direction and strength throughout the morning. Julian B opted for a Tektona start with the first mark as X (heading towards 5 on the buoy line), then 9, 1 and back through the start.

Pursuit Race
There were 11 starters and at the end of the first lap Chris H (Comet) was in the lead having just past first starter Ron (Mirror) with Mike Tr (Laser) in 3rd place. At the gun Chris was still in the lead, but Mike Tr had caught and passed Ron. The final positions were:
1st Chris H – Comet; 2nd Mike Tr – Laser; 3rd Ralph – Laser; 4th Ron – Mirror; 5th Jess – Radial; 6th Hadey – Radial.

Handicap Race
As usual Dave I decided to give this a miss and Julian extended the course slightly by substituting No 5 for X and adding No 2 after No1.

Even with a short course the race was only two laps as the wind was threatening to disappear completely. Mike Tr (Laser) was first back through the line followed by Ralph (Laser) and Adrian (Rooster) who was just ahead of James (Laser). After a short gap Hadey (Radial), Ron (Mirror) and Mike A (Lightning) came through close together. About 30 seconds later Jess (Radial) crossed the line over one minute ahead of Chris (Comet) and John W (Laser).

At the end of the last lap the first four boats retained their positions, but Jess had moved up three places to 5th with Mike A up one place to 6th and John W crossed the line just ahead of Chris.

The positions on the water were:
1st Mike Tr; 2nd Ralph; 3rd Adrian; 4th James; 5th Jess; 6th Mike A

On handicap Ron will take the victory and the final placings will be:
1st Ron; 2nd Mike Tr; 3rd Ralph; 4th Chris H; 5th Mike A ; 6th Jess

Thanks to Julian B and the OOD Team of Eva, Ferdinando, Mark D, Nick and Steve P

It was quite a reasonable wind tonight of about 12/13mph with some stronger gusts coming through, but it was coming directly from the West so it gave Chris H a bit of a problem setting a start line. In the end he settled for a flagpole start more or less straight out to X on the buoy line, then 8, 5, 9, 4, 6, 7 and back through the start. There was a new team out tonight in the form of Monica and Dave P in a National 12. In fact the National 12 was Dave’s many years ago and he recently saw it on sale and decide to buy it back, so two old friends were reunited – who said romance was dead. Monica had managed to get some pink colour on the transom and rudder so everyone would know that the Admiral was aboard !

17 starters tonight and Simon (Blaze) was about one minute ahead at the end of the first lap and being chased (some hope) by the Laser pack of Ellen, Karen, Mark B, Richard H, Mike Tr, then the Radials of Mike A and Ralph (although Ralph was on the full rig handicap). About 30 seconds later Dave & Ann (Leader) came through not far ahead of Chris A (Solo – nice to see you back on the water Chris), Curtis (Radial) and Dean & Nick (Vago), who were just ahead of Sally & Stuart (Leader) and Jeremy (Laser). Then bringing up the rear of the fleet were Jemima (Oppie), Chris & Carol (Sport 14) and Dave P & Monica (National 12) just doing their sea trials.

No change in the first four at the end of the second lap but Richard H must have had some trouble as he had been passed by Mike Tr, Mike A and Ralph. No change either in the middle of the fleet, but Sally & Stuart and Jeremy had moved up two places and Chris & Carol had passed Jemima.

The third lap saw no change in position with the first five boats but Richard had got going again and was up two places to 6th. There was no change from 7th to 10th, but Curtis was up two to 11th and there were no other upward movers. Jemima received the finish gun at the end of this lap and Dave P & Monica retired gracefully.

On the fourth lap the first six held their positions although Simon was now five minutes ahead of the second boat. Mike A pulled his Laser on top of him attempting a roll tack (there’s a first and last time for everything!) letting Ralph through to 7th and Dave & Ann to 8th. Curtis was up another place to 10th and Jeremy was up to 11th. Chris A retired on this lap. The latter half of the fleet received the gun at the end of this lap, although there was some confusion as to exactly who was receiving the gun!

At the end of the fifth lap and final lap there had been no further changes in position, so the finishing order was –
1st Simon; 2nd Ellen; 3rd Karen; 4th Mark B; 5th Mike Tr; 6th Richard H

On handicap the first three remain the same, but Jemima moves up to 4th pushing Mark B and Mike Tr down a place.

Thanks to Chris H and the OOD Team of Dave I, David M, Newton, Nigel, Philip M and Susanne.

With a South West wind of about 14mph, Richard S used a flagpole start with a first beat to 3 then 9, 5, 8, 6, 7 and back through the start.

Pursuit Race
18 starters this morning and the first man away, Ron in his Mirror, still led at the end of the first lap with Rhys (Topper) in 2nd place, Chris H (Comet) in 3rd and Dave & Ann (Leader) in 4th. The wind dropped during the race but at the gun Simon in his Blaze had come through to take 1st place with Karen up to 2nd. The final positions were –
1st Simon – Blaze; 2nd Karen – Laser; 3rd Newton & Ellen – RS200; 4th Ron – Mirror; 5th Chris H – Comet; 6th Dave & Ann – Leader.

Handicap Race
The wind had got back up a bit for the start of the second race and Rhys and John W decided to sit this one out, but Julie joined the fleet so there were 17 starters.

Simon (Blaze) was first back through the start with a good lead on the Lasers of Karen, James, Ralph, Mike Tr, Jamie H and Gareth. Ellen & Newton (RS200) came through in 8th place just ahead of Adrian (Rooster) and Alistair S (Laser) with Dean & Nick (Vago) and Frantz (Laser) not far behind. After a short gap Dave & Ann (Leader) and Milo (Radial) crossed the line not far apart with another short gap back to Chris H (Comet) and then a larger gap back to the Mirrors of Ron and Julie.

Simon had increased his lead by the end of the second lap, but Karen and James were still 2nd and 3rd. Mike Tr had moved up to 4th and Ellen & Newton were up to 5th place. Ralph was still in 6th and Adrian and Frantz had both moved up two places to 7th and 10th respectively. Everyone else maintained station or lost ground (well water!).

At the end of the final and third lap Simon crossed the line well ahead of the rest of the fleet and James just pipped Karen for 2nd place. Frantz gained another place and Alistair gained two places, but they were the only other movers (in the right direction).

The final positions on the water were –
1st, Simon; 2nd James; 3rd Karen; 4th Mike Tr; 5th Ellen & Newton; 6th Jamie H.

On handicap Simon will keep 1st place, but Ron moves up to 2nd with Karen, James, Mike Tr, Ellen & Newton and Jamie all down one place.

Thanks to Richard S and the OOD Team of Chris B, Chris M, Ferdinando, James C and Mike T.

It was a bit frisky tonight with a SW wind 13 – 15 mph with gusts of 19 coming through. There was a bit of discussion amongst the Laser sailors whether to opt for a full rig or use some discretion and drop to a Radial Rig. Chris H was able to use a flagpole start and set a long beat down to 3 then 2, 9, 5, 8, 6, 7 and back through the start, which gave two “nice” gybes at 5 and 6!

There were 21 starters, including Cecilia in her Radial who had not been out for a while and was very brave to go out in the tricky conditions. There were a couple of capsizes before the start (including Cecilia), but everyone did start. One of the outstanding images of the night was Paul standing up in his Aero completely stationery on the start line just waiting for the gun.

At the end of the first lap Karen (Laser) came through the line in 1st place just ahead of Mark and Mike Tr, both in Lasers. Paul despite capsizing near No 2 was in 4th place (he would probably say if you don’t capsize a few times you’re not trying). Hugh (Laser) was just 10 seconds behind him followed by his old man Curtis in a Radial. Another minute elapsed before Jamie H (Laser), Peter S (Byte), Mike A (Lightning), Rick (Laser) and Dave & Ann (Leader) came through close together and this group enjoyed a good battle throughout the race. Next through was Richard H (Laser) making up time after a capsize and then the trio of Jeremy and Paul H in Lasers and Dean & Nick (Vago) with Sally & Stuart (Leader) and Joe (Radial) not far behind them. About a minute later the two Mirrors came through with Ron leading Dave P and they were about two minutes ahead of Jemima in her Oppie.
Finally the brave Cecilia crossed the line despite another capsize.

By the end of the second lap Paul had come through to take the lead with Mark B still in 2nd place and Karen and Mike Tr crossed the line together. Hugh and Curtis were still 5th and 6th but Richard H had gained five places to move to 7th. Dave & Ann were up three places to 8th position and Dean & Nick had gained five places to move up to 10th. Sally & Stuart made up two places by passing Jeremy and Paul H, but Joe had passed all three of these boats to move up to 14th position. Cecilia decided to retire on this lap, but well done to her for giving it a go!

Paul still led on the third lap but Mike Tr had got past Mark and Hugh moved up to 4th with Karen dropping to 5th after a capsize. No change in the next three positions, but Peter S had gained two places to move up to 9th place. Jeremy and Paul H had repassed Sally & Stuart and Joe.
Sally & Stuart, Ron, Dave P and Jemima all received the finish gun at the end of this lap.

On the last lap there was no change in position for the first 10 boats, although Dean & Nick did try to change this by capsizing after rounding No 6 with the finish line in sight. However being highly trained athletes they got it back up without losing a place! Just behind them the only change was Rick gaining two places to move up to 11th.

The final order on the water was –
1st Paul; 2nd Mike Tr; 3rd Mark B; 4th Hugh; 5th Karen; 6th Curtis.

On handicap Jemima will zoom from last place on the water to 1st place on handicap – well done Jemima!
Nor sure if this happened before, but some of the seniors are thinking of buying an Oppie (they are of course forgetting the slight difference in body mass)
The only other change will be Curtis leapfrogging Karen for 6th spot.

Thanks to Chris H and the OOD Team Claire, Mike T, Monica, Richard Ho and Peter D

It was a warm pleasant day with a light wind about 7 – 8mph coming from the NE. The SOOD did not turn up so Brian stepped into the breach and used a Tektona start with the first mark as X (as usual with a NE wind), then 5, 9, 2, 3 and back through the start.

Pursuit Race
13 starters this morning and the man first away Ron in his Mirror was never caught. Chris H (Comet) hung on for 2nd place with last man away Adrian making his way up to 3rd. Young Shilo did well to persevere to the finish in his Topper. The final positions were –
1st Ron; 2nd Chris H; 3rd Adrian; 4th Karen; 5th Nev; 6th Mike Tr

Handicap Race
Paul H (Laser) and Shilo (Topper) sat the second race out, but as Jules (Mirror) and Bill J (K1) joined in, the fleet remained at 13. The wind had dropped slightly and Nev (Comet) rounded the first mark and then decided he had had enough and retired. In the light wind the race only lasted two laps and first back through the line was Karen (Laser) closely followed by Adrian (Rooster), Mike Tr (Laser), Bill J (K1) and Chris H (Comet). Alistair (Laser) crossed the line about 30 seconds later in 6th place just ahead of Peter S (Byte). Next Rick and Jeremy in Lasers crossed the line together about one minute ahead of Ron (Mirror) and Mike A in another Laser, then Jules in another Mirror.

At the end of the second lap the first three remained unchanged, but Chris H had moved up one place to 4th and Peter S up two places to 5th. The final places on the water were –
1st Karen; 2nd Adrian; 3rd Mike Tr; 4th Chris H; 5th Peter S; 6th Bill J

On Handicap there were quite a few changes with Chris H taking 1st, Karen down to 2nd, Peter S up to 3rd, Ron 4th Jules 5th and Mike Tr down to 6th.

On dragging his Laser up the slip Mike A discovered his Transom bung was missing, so watch out there are some bung “borrowers” about and remember to check your rear end before launching!

Thanks to Brian and the rest of the OOD Team, David H, Kate H and Natalie.

Remember to fill in the Declaration Sheet, printing your name clearly as the OOD Team are not Egyptologists!
Also remember to put down the class of boat which you want entered in the series results. For instance if you have been sailing a full Laser rig but decide to use a Radial rig because it is very windy then still enter your class as Laser. Otherwise it will be entered as a Radial and will be a separate entry into the series results.

It was quite pleasant this evening with a bit of sun and a light wind, about 8 mph from the NE. Roland S used an Island start with the first beat down to X (usual position in the middle of the lake roughly level with 8), then 5, 9, 3, 1 and back through the start.

First back through the line was Karen (Laser) then Peter R (Enterprise s/h) and the Lasers of Mark, Richard H and Mike Tr. Steve S (Solo) was next through followed by Curtis (Laser), Mike A (Lightning) Monica (Europe) and Dean & Nick (Vago). After a short gap Peter S (Byte) and Paul H (Laser) came along just ahead of Alistair in his newly acquired Laser (nice looking boat) then there was a slightly larger gap back to Sally & Stuart (Leader) and Ron (Mirror). Bringing up the rear were Bob (Solo), Rick (Laser) and the junior fleet of Jemima (Oppie) and Oppie 6490 (may have been Milo or Ed ?) and Thomas M in his Topper.

At the end of the second lap the two leading boats retained their position with Mark now a clear 3rd from Richard H in 4th and Mike Tr in 5th place. Steve S was still 6th with Curtis up two places to 7th.

On the third lap there was no change in position with the first four boats, but Steve S had passed Mike Tr to move up to 5th and Peter S and Dean & Nick had moved up two places to 8th and 10th respectively. Rick was up four places to 11th and Alistair up one to 12th, but there were no other changes (in the right direction!). Monica retired at the end of the lap and Ron, Jemima, 6490 and Thomas received the finish gun.

The fourth and last lap saw Karen cross the line well ahead of Peter R and Mark. Steve S gained another place to finish in 4th place and Dean & Nick gained another two places to cross in 7th. Paul H, Sally & Stuart and Bob all made up a place on this lap.

The final positions on the water were –
1st Karen; 2nd Peter R; 3rd Mark; 4th Steve S; 5th Richard H; 6th Mike Tr

On handicap this will be reshuffled to –
1st Karen; 2nd Jemima; 3rd Peter R; 4th Mark; 5th Oppie 6490; 6th Steve S

Apologies to Oppie 6490 for not getting your name, but a reminder to everyone to please sign the Declaration Sheet and print your name clearly – thank you.

Thanks to Roland S and the OOD Team of Graham K, Hugh, Mark, Ryan, Peter D and Simon Be.