Reading Sailing Club Members

Unfortunately, racing is cancelled again this Sunday as the lake is frozen solid, apart from a small area by the buoy line around 5.

SOOD Karen attempted to break the ice near the slipway on Friday and could not even make a crack, so there is absolutely no chance of it melting by Sunday morning. 

Sorry about this but Happy Christmas everyone. 

The forecast was for a SSW wind of 11 mph, but this was only occasionally correct and by the end of the race there was very little wind! Karen prudently set a nice figure of eight short course using B (on the way to 5), A (on the way to 8), 6, 7 and back through the start line.

There were 15 starters and at the end of the first lap Rhys/Laser was leading from Mark/Laser and Newton & Sam/RS200. About two minutes later Ron/Miracle and Steve/Solo came into view and they were a minute ahead of Emily/Radial and Mike A/Lightning. Next along in 8^th place was Jamie H/Laser followed by Alessandro & Matt/470. Nearly two minutes later Will P/Radial crossed the line and he was two minutes ahead of Hattie/Laser, Then another two minutes later Jess & Milo in a Feva came through and they were followed by Phoebe/Topper, Jorge & Theo/Marlin and Andrew & Molly/Mirror.

The positions on the water became quite confusing as the light faded as some only completed one lap, some two laps and others three laps.

It was evident that Newton & Sam had taken the lead by the end of the second lap with Rhys and Mark in 2^nd and 3^rd places. Ron was still in 4^th place, but Emily was up to 5^th ahead of Steve and Mike A.  Jamie H retired from 8^th place through lack of wind and Will P passed Alessandro & Matt.  Hattie, Jess & Milo, Phoebe and Jorge & Theo and Andrew & Molly received the hooter at the end of their second laps, but some of the leaders had actually finished their third laps by this time.

On the third lap Mark had passed Newton & Sam and finished about a minute ahead of them. It was getting quite difficult to see some of the marks in the gloom and Karen and Aileen must have been on the carrots to see the boats crossing the line. Alessandro & Matt retired somewhere on this last lap, but it was easier to spot them because of their magnificent display of lights.

The finishing order on the water was –

1^st Mark; 2^nd Newton & Sam; 3^rd Rhys; 4^th Ron; 5^th Mike A; 6^th Emily; 7^th Steve; 8^th Will P

On corrected time Ron moved up to 2^nd place, but the order of everyone else remains the same.

Alessandro & Matt and Jorge & Theo were stand outs in the contest for the best lit boat (well done lads). A close decision which just went to Alessandro & Matt.

Thanks to SOOD Karen and the race team of Aileen Moore, Leo Coppens, Nigel Lacey and Stuart Cook.

After the race had finished there was a torrential downpour, but fortunately everyone apart from Alessandro & Matt had managed to pack their gear away!

With a SSE wind about 11 mph Ron used a clubhouse bank start with a course of 2, 9, 3, 4, A (between 6 and 7) then 6 and through the start line.

Pursuit Race

There were 16 starters this morning and with the light wind and longish course it was more or less a one lap race before the 35 minutes elapsed. Jamie MF/Laser retired as his outhaul came loose and Chris K/Radial also retired (reason unknown), although there were a number of capsizes.

The final order was – 1^st Newton/Solo; 2^nd Chris H/Comet; 3^rd Mike T/Comet; 4^th Darren/Laser; 5^th Mark/Laser; 6^th Richard/4.7.

Handicap Race

Ron shortened the course to 2, 9, 5, 6, S.

There was some excitement just before the start when the fleet became very agitated, waving of arms and slapping of hulls. It turned out that a Blaze which was not racing had capsized near 4 and the mast had gone under the buoy line making it impossible for the helm to right the boat. The start sequence was already underway, but the SBs managed to extricate the Blaze before the fleet reached the capsize site!

First back across the line was Newton/Solo just ahead of Darren/Laser, James/Laser, Chris H/Comet, Jamie H/Laser, Mike T/Comet, Mark/Laser and Adrian/Rooster with all of these within one minute of each other. The just 30 seconds later Rick/Laser crossed in 9^th place just ahead of Jamie MF/Laser and Richard/4.7. Then it was over six minutes before the Sadler family flotilla came through with Becky/Pico leading Will and Frances in their Toppers. Frances received the finish hooter and Theo/Solo and Alessandro & Matt/470 retired on this lap.

On the second lap Darren took the lead with Newton in 2^nd place and Mark was up four places to 3^rd. Adrian was up two places to 6^th, Richard had passed Jamie MF and Will was just ahead of Becky and these three received the gun at the end of the lap.

At the end of the last lap Darren crossed the line in 1^st place with Mark passing Newton to take 2^nd place. James retained 4^th place, but Adrian gained another place to cross in 5^th with Chris H gaining two places to finish in 6^th place pushing Jamie H down to 7^th.   Mike T was steady in 8^th place with Rick and Richard finishing in 9^th and 10^th places.

After finishing Richard gave a very nice demonstration of a dry capsize (didn’t know he could still get his leg over so quickly!)

On corrected time the order becomes – 1^st Darren/Laser; 2^nd Chris H/Comet; 3^rd Newton/Solo; 4^th Mark/Laser; 5^th Mike T/Comet; 6^th James/Laser

Thanks to SOOD Ron Vass and the race team of Aileen Moore (still sitting out whilst her bottom is being reshaped), Ken Pope, Mike Arnott and Nigel Jenkins.

The wind this morning was a tricky ENE 8-11 mph. SOOD Dave L set a course of A, 5, 4, B and back thought the start.

Pursuit Race

There were 14 starters and we welcomed Theo Valmis in his Solo to the fleet.

At the end of the first lap the early starters were still well to the fore with Ron/Mirror leading from Will S/Topper, Newton/Solo, Chris K/Radial and Frances/Topper. Mark in 6^th position led the Laser pack of Darren, Richard, Nigel, Rick and Adrian followed by Becky/Pico with Theo/Solo and Mike T & Alessandro/Enterprise together at the rear of the fleet.

At the gun the final order was – 1^st Newton; 2^nd Chris K; 3^rd Darren; 4^th Mark; 5^th Richard; 6^th Ron.

Handicap Race

Frances and Theo opted out, but the fleet was joined by Christine in her Mirror.

At the end of the first lap the fleet was still quite bunched with only two minutes between the first and 9^th positions. Darren led from Richard, Newton, Mark, Rick, Nigel, Mike & Alessandro and Adrian. One minute later Ron crossed the line and then there was a gap back to Will S, Christine and Becky.

By the end of the second lap Newton and Mark had passed Richard to move up to 2^nd and 3^rd places and Adrian was up two places to 6^th. Christine and Becky received the hooter at the end if the lap.

The third lap saw Mark take the lead with Newton following him to 2^nd place pushing Darren down to 3^rd.  There were no other changes in position and Will received the hooter at the end of this lap.

On the fourth and last lap there was no change in position, so the final order on the water was – 1^st Mark; 2^nd Newton; 3^rd Darren; 4^th Richard; 5^th Rick; 6^th Adrian; 7^th Nigel; 8^th Mike & Alessandro; 9^th Ron.

On corrected time this changes to – 1^st Newton/Solo; 2^nd Mark/Laser; 3^rd Ron/Mirror; 4^th Darren/Laser; 5^th Richard/Laser; 6^th Rick/Laser

Thanks to SOOD Dave Lomas and the race team of Ann Lomas, Bill Coulter, Bob Hine and Ian Hall.

There were only four young sailors out tonight.

Alfred/Topper was first back across the line followed by the Oppies of Alex,  Rowan and Molly.

On the second lap Molly moved up to 2^nd place pushing Alex and Rowan down to 3^rd and 4^th.

There was no change in position on the third lap and just Alfred was sent round for another lap!

The final order was – 1^st Alfred; 2^nd Molly; 3^rd Alex; 4^th Rowan

Tonight there was a light and variable wind from the NW and we welcomed Alex in a Laser, Theo in a Solo and James M in a 4.7 to the racing fleet.

Newton & Emily/RS200 were first back across the line well ahead of Mike T/Comet, who was clear of the double handers of Alessandro & Matt/470 and Rick & Steve/RS200 who crossed the line together battling for 3^rd place. Just as well Mike was clear ahead or it would have been like getting caught by a tanker in the Channel! Some 30 seconds later Jamie H/Laser crossed in 5^th place closely followed by Chris K/Radial and Dave & Ann/Leader, then about one minute elapsed before Ron cam along in his Miracle. It was nearly three minutes before Jeremy/Laser and Sally/Comet crossed in 9^th and 10^th places and then another minute before Alex/Laser, Theo/Solo and Paul H/Laser came along with James M/4.7 bringing up the rear of the fleet.

On the second lap Rick & Steve moved up to 2^nd place, Chris K up to 5^th and Dave & Ann up to 6^th. Further back Alex passed Sally and Paul passed Theo to move up to 11^th and 12^th. Ron, Jeremy, Alex, Sally, Paul, Theo and James M all received the finish hooter.

At the end of the third and last lap Newton & Emily crossed the line in 1^st place well ahead of the rest of the fleet. Dave & Ann gained two places to finish in 4^th spot, which meant that the first four boats across the line were all double handers. It is a long time since this last happened!

The order on the water was – 1^st Newton & Emily; 2^nd Rick & Steve; 3^rd Alessandro & Matt; 4^th Dave 7 Ann; 5^th Chris K; 6^th Mike T; 7^th Jamie H

On corrected time the order becomes – 1^st Newton & Emily/RS200; 2^nd Mike T/Comet; 3^rd Dave & Ann/Leader; 4^th Chris K/Radial; 5^th Rick & Steve/RS200; 6^th Jamie H/Laser  

Thanks to SOOD Darren Ballard and the race team of Aileen Moore, Mark Buckle and Steve Mann

With a light wind from the SW, SOOD Sally set a short course of D, 8, 5, 6, 7 and back through the start.

There were 14 starters and first back across the line was Newton/RS200 followed 20 second later by Mike T/Comet then a gap back to Jess/Laser and Emily/Radial. Chris K in another Radial came through in 5^th place being chased by Alessandro & Matt/470 followed by a quartet of Lasers, Steve, Jeremy, Mark and Jamie H. Next along in 11^th place was Aileen in her Comet just 10 seconds ahead of Paul H/Laser and Ron/Miracle with Jorge & Mate bringing up the rear in his Marlin 33.

On the second lap there was no change in the first six, but Mark had passed Jeremy and Steve to move up to 7^th place. Further back Paul gained two places passing Jamie and Aileen and Ron had also got past Jamie who had a bad lap losing three places. Jorge received the hooter at the end of this lap.

By the end of the third lap Jess had taken 2^nd place from Mike T and the only other change was down to Steve retiring from 8^th place. Paul, Aileen, Jamie and Ron all received the hooter.

The movers on the last lap were Alessandro & Matt taking 3^rd place and Mark 5^th place by passing Emily and Chris K.

The final order on the water was – 1^st Newton &Sam; 2^nd Jess; 3^rd Alessandro & Matt;  4^th Mike T; 5^th Mark; 6^th Emily

On corrected time this becomes –   1^st Newton & Sam/RS200; 2^nd Mike T/Comet; 3^rd Jess/Laser; 4^th Emily/Radial; 5^th Chris K/Radial; 6^th Mark/Laser

Thanks to SOOD Sally Newlove and the race team of Dave Lomas, Mike Newlove and Stephen Morton. A small body of men but not as perfectly formed as the SOOD!  

Tonight there were four Toppers and six Oppies on the water.

At the end of the first lap Shiloh/Topper was leading followed closely by the Toppers of Phoebe, Alfred and Rohan. The first Oppie across the line was Oliver P in 5^th place just four seconds ahead of Alex. Molly came through in 7^th place followed by Harry, Rowan and Oliver R.

By the end of the second lap Phoebe had taken over at the front with Alfred and Rowan also getting past Shiloh to move up to 2^nd and 3^rd places. Behind them there was no change in the order of the Oppies who were now well spaced out.

There were no other changes in position for the rest of the race, but Rowan and Oliver R received the gun after three laps and Alex, Molly, and Harry were finished after four laps and Oliver P after five laps.

The four Toppers went on to do a sixth lap with no change in order.

After the times were corrected the final order was – 1st Phoebe/Topper; 2^nd Alfred/Topper; 3^rd Oliver P/Oppie; 4^th Rohan/Topper; 5^th Alex/Oppie; 6^th Shiloh/Topper

There were seven out tonight, three Oppies, three Toppers and a Topaz.

Archie/Topper finished first on the water and was first on corrected time. Lola/Topaz was second on the water followed by Emily and Rohan in Toppers, but on corrected time Emily leapfrogs Lola to take 2^nd place. These four completed four laps whilst behind them Oliver and Molly in Oppies completed three laps and Rowan completed two laps.

With a light SW wind, SOOD Steve S was able to use a bank start with a course of 4, 9, 3, 2, 5, 6, 7 and back through the start.

Pursuit Race

There were 17 starters and welcomed Lawrence & Miles in a Sport 14 to the fleet. In the light wind the 35 minute hooter went after most of the fleet had done just over a lap and the final order was – 1^st Chris K/Radial; 2^nd Chris H/Comet; 3^rd Ralph/Laser; 4^th Rhys/Laser; 5^th Rick/Laser/ 6^th James P/Laser.

Handicap Race

For the second race Steve shortened the course to 4, 2, 5, 6, 7, S.

Ralph/Laser was first back through the line followed 30 seconds later by Adrian/Rooster, then the Laser of James and Rhys battling for family honours. Chris K/Radial crossed in 5^th place about 30 seconds ahead of Chris H/Comet, who was only just in front of Dave & Ann/Leader. Another two Lasers were next along with Rick in 8^th place ahead of John W followed by Mike A/Lightning. Aileen/Comet, Ron/Mirror (having abandoned the Miracle and decide to stick to sailing on the water rather than walking), Sally/Comet and Alessandro/Aero were having a good battle of their own. Behind them came the Sadler family trio with William/Topper leading from Becky/Pico and Frances/ Topper and these three received the hooter at the end of the lap.

At the end of the second and last lap Ralph had increased his lead at the front with Rhys now up to 2^nd place ahead of James (making it a double over the old man!). Chris K was up one place to 4^th and Dave & Ann and Mike A were up two places to 5^th and 8^th respectively and Aileen and Sally both gained a place to move to 10^th and 12^th places.

The order on the water was – 1^st Ralph; 2^nd Rhys; 3^rd James; 4^th Chris K; 5^th Dave & Ann; 6^th Chris H.

On corrected time this changes to – 1^st Ron/Mirror (up from 13^th on the water); 2^nd Ralph/Laser; 3^rd Chris H/Comet; 4^th Aileen/Comet; 5^th Rhys/Laser; 6^th Sally/Comet.

So three Comets and two Lasers in the top 6^th, but the overall winner was a Mirror!

Thanks to SOOD Steve Sharp and the race team of Brian Moore, Frantz Callega (paying a flying visit from Perpignan) and Steve Mann (yet again).