Reading Sailing Club Members

Another pleasant sunny evening with a SSW wind starting off at about 8 mph but dropping later. Karen set the first mark as A (middle of the lake near Tektona), 9, B (up near the buoy line S of 5), 5, C (middle of the lake level with shore flagpole) and back through the start.

There were 18 starters tonight and first back across the line was Darren (Laser) then Emily & Newton (RS200) and Dave & Ann (Leader). About 20 seconds later Chris H (Comet) crossed in 4^th place just ahead of Mike C (Solo) and Will (Radial). Mike A (Lightning) was next through in 7^th place being chased by Rick & Steve S (in another RS200). Then came a trio of Lasers led by Mike T followed by Paul H and Mark. Ron (Mirror) was next across the line in 12^th place just ahead of Jamie (Laser 77646 – sail number included as we have another Jamie who also sails a Laser!). There was a slight gap back to Sally (Comet) and the Lasers of Jeremy and Nigel with Phoebe (out in a Topper instead of her usual Oppie) and Chris & Carole (Sport 14) bringing up the rear of the fleet with Alfie keeping watch from the shore.

On the second lap there was no change in the front three boats, but Mike C had moved up to 4^th. Rick & Steve, Paul H and Mike Tall gained a place by passing Mike A. Further back Jamie had got past Ron and Chris & Carol passed Phoebe. Jeremy retired, presumably a gear failure.

The third lap saw Mike C moving up to 2^nd place with Will up to 4^th with Emily & Newton down to 5^th and Chris H to 6^th. Rick & Steve were still in 7^th place with Steve providing a steady stream of advice (Rick – should I ram him or give way? Steve – better give way this time – I may have misheard that!). Mike T passed Paul H to move up to 8^th and Mark passed Mike A who crossed the line abreast of Jamie. Nigel gained two places passing Ron and Sally. Phoebe received the gun at the end of this lap.

At the end of the fourth lap Darren had increased his lead and Mike C was holding onto to 2^nd place and Dave & Ann to 3^rd. Emily & Newton and Rick & Steve had repassed Will and the two RS200s crossed the line together battling for 4^th place. Mike T had passed Chris to move up to 6^th spot. Mark had gained a place by passing Paul H to move up to 8^th and Jamie had drawn away from Mike A, who was also passed by Nigel who moved up to 11^th (I can see a pattern developing here). Chris & Carol received the gun at the end of the lap much to the relief of Alfie!

Darren crossed the line at the end of the last lap in 1^st place and Emily & Newton regained the 2^nd place they had held for the first two laps of the race, pushing Mike C down to 3^rd. Mike T crossed in 4^th place having passed Dave & Ann, Rick & Steve and Will.

The final order on the water was -1^st Darren; 2^nd Emily & Newton; 3^rd Mike C; 4^th Mike T; 5^th Dave & Ann; 6^th Rick & Steve.

On corrected time this becomes – 1^st Chris H; 2^nd Mike C; 3^rd Dave & Ann; 4^th Darren; 5^th Ron; 6^th Will.

Thanks to SOOD Karen and the race team of Nick H and Angus (the bare minimum but they managed very well)

A hot and sunny morning, but the wind was SSE veering all over the place and ranging from 5 mph to occasionally 10 mph!

The start was delayed somewhat because the start line outer pin was immovable! Sam and Tom A (both strapping lads manning the safety boat) wrestled with it for some time and tried dragging it clear using the power of the outboard, but had to abandon the attempt and fetch another buoy from the boat shed to use as a start line pin.

Mike A eventually set a course of 9, B (just SW of 8) then A (towards 6) and back through the start line (near 5).

Pursuit Race

There were 14 starters and most of them managed just over a lap before the 35 minute gun went signaling the end of the race.

Ron (Mirror) was first away and led for most of the race, but was caught and passed by Chris H (Comet) and Emily (4.7) just before the gun. Aileen in the second Comet just pipped Dave & Ann (Leader) for 4^th place and the first of the faster boats was the RS200 of Newton & Sam in 6^th place, despite having an argument with the safety boat at the end of the lap and having to do turns! 

Richard S was the first of the Lasers, but he did have a head start with a Radial rig and stayed in front of Mike T, Chris K, Jess, Karen (another Radial), Mark and Jamie, not a good wind for Lasers!

Handicap Race

Mark and Jamie could not stand any more excitement and opted to sit the second race out and the course was shortened with Buoy D being positioned short of 9 as the first mark. With the wind threatening to disappear and the sun still burning down, Mike A decided a one lap “sprint race” would suffice!

This time, as all the boats started at the same time and in the same wind, the Lasers fared slightly better.

The order at the end of the only lap was -1^st Mike T, 2^nd Newton & Sam; 3^rd Richard S; 4^th Aileen (Comet); 5^th Chris K and  6^th Chris H (Comet). Karen was 7^th in another Radial just ahead of Dave & Ann (Leader) then Emily(4.7), Jess (Laser) and Ron (Mirror).

On corrected time the result becomes – 1^st Mike T; 2^nd Richard S; 3^rd Aileen; 4^th Newton & Sam; 5^th Ron; 6^th Chris H.

Thanks to SOOD Mike A and the race team of Sally (again), Sam & Tom W and Tom A.

As a footnote Sam and Tom were not the only ones who could not shift the start line pin.

Following the morning races, Paul R was trying to set a course for the Junior Regatta and he could not shift it (and he has moved more marks than the Deutsche Bank)!   

I believe that on Monday, Brian M discovered the anchor weight had become entangled with a large sunken log and he managed to retrieve both log and anchor weight. Not sure how he managed that, but well done Brian.

It was a nice sunny evening for the first race of the 2021 Gillette Series with a SW wind varying from 5 to 10 mph. Chris H set a fist beat down to 4 then 2, 5, 7 and back through the start.

A good turn out tonight with 23 boats taking part and Karen (Laser) led back across the line followed closely by Mike T in another Laser. These two maintained their positions for all three laps of the race with Mike T keeping Karen honest but never quite managing to get past her. On the first lap Mark (Laser) was in 3^rd place, but this position was taken by Emily & Newton (RS200) from the second lap onwards.

Throughout the race there was a close battle for the next five positions between Mark, Darren, Jamie, Ralph and Rick all in Lasers and Dave & Ann in their Leader.

Behind these there was another group changing positions, initially led by Dean & Nick (Vago) with Richard H and John H both in Lasers and Mike C (Solo) getting past them by the end of the race with Will in a Radial chasing them all the way.

There was a gap in the fleet back to Paul H and Nigel in Lasers and Sally in her Comet, but they were having a good tussle for 15^th place. Behind them Rich F (Comet Duo), Ron (Mirror), Nick H (Laser), Aileen (Comet) and Chris & Carol (Sport 14) were enjoying a race of their own.

The final order on the water was – 1^st Karen; 2^nd Mike T; 3^rd Emily & Newton; 4^th Darren; 5^th Mark; 6^th Dave & Ann.

On corrected time the only change in position is Dave & Ann leapfrogging Mark to take 5^th place.

Thanks to SOOD Chris H and the race team of Monica, Sam W  and especially the Sue Js who stepped up to help out on the night.

With a light wind from the South, Mike T used a flagpole start with the first beat down to B then 9, 5, C and back through the start.

We had 13 starters tonight and it turned out to be a battle of the Solos for the race victory.

Newton was first back across the line followed closely by Mike C in another Solo then Chris H (Comet) in 3^rd place.  Emily & Paul R sailing a RS200 was next just ahead of Aileen (Comet) and Mark B (Laser). Then there was a gap of over two minutes before Sally (Comet) crossed the line being chased by Rick and Nigel in Lasers. The two Oppies helmed by Pippa and Phoebe were next through with Edward (Topper) and Adrian B (Crescent) enjoying their own battle at the back of the fleet.

On the second lap Mike C took the lead from Newton (and held it to the finish), but there was no change with the following two boats, boats but Mark passed Aileen to move up to 5^th and Rick passed Sally to move up to 7^th (a bit of Comet bashing going on!). Further back Adrian had gained a place by passing Edward but then was finished after two laps.

The third lap saw Emily & Paul R and Mark passing Chris H to move up to 3^rd and 4^th and further back Nigel passed Sally to move to 8^th. Pippa, Phoebe and Edward all received the gun at the end of the lap.

There was no change in the order of the leading seven boats on lap four, but Sally repassed Nigel and they and Rick who was just in front of them received the gun.

Last lap and the fleet was now down to six boats and it was an uneventful lap with no changes in position, so the final order on the water was – 1^st Mike C; 2^nd Newton; 3^rd Emily & Paul R; 4^th Mark; 5^th Chris H; 6^th Aileen.

On corrected time the order becomes – 1^st Mike C; 2^nd Newton; 3^rd Chris H; 4^th Aileen; 5^th Mark; 6^th Emily & Paul R.

Well sailed Mike C and he does have a limited number of signed photos available, but you will have to hurry if you want one!

Thanks to SOOD Mike T and the team of Chris B, Nick H and Nick J and Sam.

At last, we had a SW wind which made life a bit easier for the race team. Darren se the first beat to A (down near Tektona) then 9, 5 and B (just behind the start line heading towards7).

Pursuit Race

14 starters this morning and a light wind varying from 5 to 10 mph. It was good to see Roland S back on the water in his newly acquired Solo and to see that Rick & Lottie were persevering with their RS200.

At the end of the first lap Mike C (Solo) was leading from Chris H (Comet) being chased by Ralph (Laser) and Emily (4.7) was hanging in there in 4^th place. Unusually for the Pursuit race there were no dramatic changes in position throughout the rest of the race apart from Chris H heading towards the back of the fleet (which is also unusual!)

At the gun the final positions were – 1^st Mike C – Solo; 2^nd Ralph – Laser; 3^rd Newton & Sam – RS200; 4^th Dave & Ann – Leader; 5^th Mark – Laser; 6^th Karen – Radial

Another win for Mike C!

Handicap Race

This turned out to be a five lapper and Newton & Sam (RS200) were first back across the line closely followed by Karen (Radial), Dave & Ann (Leader) and Chris H (Comet).  Ralph (Laser)  was through 5^th place  with Mike C (Solo) 6^th and then the Lasers of Mike T and Chris K 7^th and 8^th just 10 seconds ahead of Roland S (Solo).  Rick & Lottie were not far behind Roland and then Mike A (Lightning), Aileen (Comet) and Emily (4.7) were bringing up the rear of the fleet.

On the second lap there was no change in the leading two, but Mike C had moved up to 3^rd and Ralph up to 4^th with no other movers.  There were only two changes in position on the third lap with Dave & Ann repassing Ralph for 4^th place and Mike A getting past Rick & Lottie.

By the end of the fourth lap Mike C had moved up another place to 2^nd by passing Karen. Ralph had repassed Dave & Ann in their continuing battle for 4^th place and Mike T passed Chris H to move up to 6^th spot.  Emily received the gun at the end of this lap.

On the last lap Newton & Sam retained their lead with Mike C still in 2^nd place, but Ralph had got past Karen to cross the line in 3^rd place and Dave & Ann were abreast of Karen in equal 4^th place . Further back Roland S pipped Chris K for 8^th place and Aileen had caught and passed Rick & Lottie.

The final order on the water was – 1^st Newton & Sam; 2^nd Mike C; 3^rd Ralph; 4^th Karen and Dave & Ann; 6^th Mike T.

On corrected time the order changes to 1^st Chris H; 2^nd Mike C; 3^rd Karen; 4^th Dave & Ann; 5^th Newton & Sam; 6^th Ralph.

Thanks to SOOD Darren and the race team of Issy, Sally, Patrick C and Tom A.  

There was a light wind from the NE, although the strength and direction kept changing during the morning. This presented SOOD Adrian with a few problems in setting a course and particularly the first beat. For the first race he opted for a start line more or less parallel to the buoy line with the first mark as A (just N of 8) then 9, 4, 3, 2, 5 and back through the start.

Pursuit Race

15 starters today and at the end of the first lap Karen (Radial) was leading from Mike C (Solo) and Mike T (Laser) and they were being chased by Newton & Sam (RS200), Jess (Laser) and Dave & Ann (Leader). The early starting Comets were next through with Chris H leading Sally. Further back the three girls, Maddie, Issy and Fin were enjoying themselves in a Topaz Duo!

At the gun the final order was – 1^st Newton & Sam; 2^nd Mike T; 3^rd Jess; 4^th Karen; 5^th Mike C; 6^th Dave & Ann.

Handicap Race

Adrian changed the course for the second race moving the start line through 90 degrees and setting the first mark as B (in the middle of the lake heading N) then 9, 4 and back through the start.

Jess (Laser) was first back through the line just five seconds ahead of Karen (Radial) in 2^nd, who was 30 seconds ahead of Newton & Sam (RS200). A minute later the Lasers of Mike T Nick T came through 20 seconds ahead of Dave & Ann (Leader) who were battling with Mike C (Solo) for 6^th place. Next there was a close group of four boats led by Emily (4.7) then Mike A (Lightning) and Sally and Chris H in Comets. Chris A (Laser) crossed 15 seconds later with Chris & Hilary (Wayfarer) and the jolly boatmen Paul W and Robin in the gaff rigged Morbic 12 bringing up the rear of the fleet.

At the end of the second lap Jess still led , but Newton & Sam had passed Karen to move up to 2^nd. Dave & Ann and Mike C had got past Nick T to cross in 5^th and 6^th places respectively. Mike A and Sally both gained two places to move to 7^th and 8^th with no further changes behind.

Newton & Sam took the lead on the third lap, but there were no changes behind them down to 6^th position. Nick T and Chris H had a good lap both moving up three places to 7^th and 8^th respectively. Chris A gained a place by passing Sally and behind them Chris & Hilary and the jolly boatmen sailed serenely on, although for the latter this was brought to an end when they received the gun at the end of the lap.

On the fourth lap the only change in the leading seven boats was Mike T overtaking Karen to push her down to 4^th.  Mike A gained a place by passing Chris H and Sally gained two by passing Emily and Chris A . Emily and Chris & Hilary received the gun at the end of this lap.

The only changes on the last lap were Mike C taking 5^th place from Dave & Ann and Chris H repassing Mike A.

The final order on the water was – 1^st Newton & Sam; 2^nd Jess B; 3^rd Mike T; 4^th Karen; 5^th Mike C; 6^th Dave & Ann.

On corrected time the order is 1^st Newton & Sam; 2^nd Jess; 3^rd Chris H; 4^th Karen; 5^th Mike C; 6^th Dave & Ann.

Thanks to SOOD Adrian and the team of Bob H and Gareth & Thomas D.

The wind tonight was coming from the NW about 10-12 mph and Steve s set the first mark as 5 then 4, 9, 1, A and back through the start.

There were 20 starters, the same number as last week. First back through the start was Karen (Laser) only two seconds ahead of Darren (Laser) followed closely by the four Lasers of Ellen, Ralph, Mark and Mike T. Then as a change, the Solo of Newton crossed in 7^th place with Will (Radial) in 8^th just ahead of the Leader of Dave & Ann. Next along was Chris A having abandoned his Solo in favour of a Laser with Sally (Comet) chasing him. Our Commodore, Nigel (Laser) was next across the line in 12^th place well ahead of Rick (Laser) in 13^th and he was followed by Ron (Mirror), Emily (4.7) and Richard H (Laser). Then along came the motley crew of Rich F (Comet Duo), Aileen and Chris in Comets (they must have been too busy class racing to notice Sally getting clean away) and last but not least Phoebe in her Oppie.

By the end of the second lap Darren had passed Karen to take the lead and Ralph had moved up to 3^rd. Further back Chris A, Richard H andAileen all gained two places. Rich F retired on this lap and Phoebe received the gun at the end of the lap.

On the third lap Ralph and Ellen passed Karen to move up to 2^nd and 3^rd respectively and Newton passed Mike T and Mark to move to 5^th. Dave & Ann moved up to 8^th position by repassing Chris A and getting past Will, as did Nigel gaining two places to 9^th. Ron and Emily received the gun at the end of this lap.

Darren crossed the line in 1^st place at the end of the fourth and last lap with Ralph still 2^nd. There was a split decision for 3^rd place with Ellen and Karen crossing the line abreast with Mike T only one second behind them in 5^th place. Chris A and Nigel also crossed line abreast battling for 10^th spot.

The order on the water was – 1^st Darren; 2^nd Ralph; 3^rd equal Ellen and Karen; 5^th Mike T; 6^th Newton.

On corrected time the order changes to – 1^st Darren; 2^nd Newton; 3^rd Ralph; 4^th Ron; 5^th equal Ellen and Karen; 6^th Mike T

Thanks to SOOD Steve S and the team of Monica, Mike C, Nick H, Nick J and Peter S.

It was quite a frisky wind this morning, blowing SW 15 -17 mph from the SW and a number of the Laser sailors opted to use a Radial rig.

Pursuit Race

There were 14 out today and at the end of the first lap the early starters Ron and Jewels in their Mirrors and Rhys (4.7) were still leading the fleet. Ralph (Laser) was 4^th, Paul R (Aero) 5^th with Karen (Radial) in 6^th place.  Chris H (Comet) came through the line in 7^th place trying to stay ahead of the Lasers of Mike T and Darren. Newton (RS200) crossed in 10^th place with new crew Rick learning the ropes and being shown how to keep out of the bushes! The Lasers of James, Hugh and Adrian were bringing up the rear of the fleet along with Dave & Ann (Leader).

At the gun Jewels was still ahead of everyone, but Paul had moved up to 2^nd with Ralph 3^rd, Darren 4^th and Karen up one place to 5^th. Rhys was still going well hanging on to 6^th place, Chris had retired and Hugh was up 7^th. 

Handicap Race

Chris and Dave & Ann decided to sit this one out and Hugh soon joined them when his rigging came adrift.

Paul (Aero) was first back through the line about 30 seconds ahead of the Lasers of Darren, James, Mike T and Ralph. Newton & Rick (RS200) crossed in 6^th place with Adrian (Laser) 7^th about a minute ahead of Karen (Radial) in 8^th.  Jewels (Mirror) was next along with Rhys (4.7) chasing her and Ron (don’t write me off Mirror) holding the lanterne rouge.

Second lap and no change in the first four, but Newton & Rick moved up to 5^th by passing Ralph and further back Rhys had got past Jewels.

By the end of the last lap Paul had increased his lead to nearly three minutes and Mike T had caught James to take 3^rd place, but there were no other changes in position.

The final order on the water was – 1^st Paul; 2^nd Darren; 3^rd Mike T; 4^th James; 5^th Newton & Rick; 6^th Ralph.

On corrected time this becomes – 1^st Paul; 2^nd Jewels; 3^rd Darren; 4^th Mike T; 5^th Ron; 6^th James.

Thanks to SOOD Mark and the team of Bill C, Gareth & Thomas D and Richard S.

After the race Karen and Hugh were presented with their well deserved RYA awards, but more about that in the next newsletter.

Another light wind tonight, around 10 mph but varying in strength throughout the evening.  It was coming from the WNW, which made setting the course a bit tricky. Steve S used A for the first mark up towards the buoy line, then 9, 5, 4, 8 and back through the start.

There were 20 starters and Karen (Laser) was first back through the line just ahead of Jess in another Laser. About one minute later Mike T (Laser) came through in 3^rd place followed by Dave & Ann (Leader) and Dean & Nick (Vago) with Mike C (Solo) another 30 seconds behind them. Ralph and Mark in Lasers were having a close battle for 7^th spot with Darren (Laser) not enjoying the light wind, one minute adrift of them. Aileen in her Comet was 10^th and showing fellow Comet sailor, Chris H, the way to sail in light wind! Rick was trying to shake off Ron in his Mirror who was in a Laser sandwich with Jeremy closing on him from behind. Sally in another Comet was trying to stay ahead of Hilary in her Laser with the boys in the back room, Nick, Paul H, Rich and Nigel trying to get a say!

With the lack of wind there was only one more lap and Jess enjoyed victory over Karen by about 10 seconds. Mike T hung on to 3^rd place, but the Jones boys dislodged team Lomas from fourth spot by only 2 seconds!  There was another close finish behind them with Ralph squeezing past Mike C to take 6^th. Darren nearly caught Mark crossing the line just four seconds behind him and Chris H, Rick and Jeremy all gained a place by passing Aileen.

Hilary pipped Sally who was also passed by Nick and Nigel. Some close battles all through the fleet.

The order on the water was -1^st Jess; 2^nd Karen; 3^rd Mike T; 4^th Dean & Nick; 5^th Dave & Ann; 6^th Ralph.

There were some significant changes on corrected time with Ron popping out of the smoke to take first place, the final order being – 1^st Ron; 2^nd Chris H; 3^rd Dave & Ann; 4^th Mike C; 5^th Jess; 6^th Aileen.

A WSW wind this morning which varied between 10 and 15 mph throughout the morning. Mike A set a first beat to 4 then 9, 5, 8, 6,7 and back through the start.

Just before the start there was a coming together between James and Chris & Hilary, but fortunately they managed to untangle themselves before the start gun!

Pursuit Race

Shortly after starting Mike T (Laser) had to return to shore to untangle his twisted main sheet. The wind picked up during the race but coming to the end of the first lap early starters Jewels & Talia (Mirror) still led with Papa Ron in another Mirror in 2^nd place. Unfortunately, Jewels missed out No 8 and subsequently retired.  Rhys (4.7) was 2^nd across the line followed by Karen and Richards S, both in Radials. Darren, Jon, and Mark (Lasers) were next through having caught and passed Chris H (Comet) and Dave & Ann (Leader). Aileen (Comet) prudently retied when the wind got a bit frisky.

At the gun, the order was – 1^st Darren; 2^nd Rhys; 3^rd Jon (who just passed Karen before the gun sounded!); 4^th Karen; 5^th James; 6^th Mark.

Handicap Race

The wind had eased a bit for the second race and Darren was first back across the line followed by Mark and Mike T (all in Lasers). Dave & Ann (Leader) and Ralph (Laser) crossed the line together battling for 4^th place with a slight gap back to James (Laser) in 6^th spot. Chris & Hilary (Wayfarer) were 7^th followed by Adrian (Laser) just ahead of the Radials of Karen and Richard S competing for 9^th.  Jon (Laser), missing the stronger wind, crossed in 11^th place just ahead of Chris H (Comet) and then Ron (Mirror) who was hanging on to minimize the gap. Bringing up the rear of the fleet were Gareth (Laser) and Rhys (4.7), who was also missing the stronger wind of the first race!

At the end of the second and last lap, Mike T took the victory with Mark still in 2^nd and Darren down to 3^rd.  Ralph had eased away from Dave & Ann to take 4^th place with James and Chris & Hilary still 6^th and 7^th respectively and managing to stay apart! Karen and Richard had passed Adrian, but Jon had passed all of them to take 8^th place. There were no other changes behind them.

The order on the water was – 1^st Mike T; 2^nd Mark; 3^rd Darren; 4^th Ralph; 5^th Dave & Ann; 6^th James.

On corrected time the final positions are – 1^st Ron (up from 13^th!); 2^nd Mike T; 3^rd Mark; 4^th Dave & Ann; 5^th Ralph; 6^th Chris H (up from 12^th).

Thanks to SOOD Mike A and Helen, Issy, Frantz, Peter R and Roland L (who stepped into the breech to accompany Issy when the wind got up).