Reading Sailing Club Members

It was virtually a repeat of last week, with a light SW wind of about 6 mph. Mike A set a first beat to 4 then 9, 5, 6, 7 and back through the start.

This week there were 12 starters including Katie S (a friend of Karen’s) in a Radial. Katie normally sails near Aberdeen so she would be used to a bit more of a blow up the kilt than we could offer her. In fact there may have been 13 starters, but no-one was quite sure whether Dave P & Monica were actually trying to cross the line. The same could be said of Mike T although he did eventually get going whereas Dave & Monica settled for pottering around.

Karen (Laser) was first back through the line with John H in another Laser not far behind her. Then there was a slight gap back to Mike Tr (Laser) who was about 20 seconds ahead of Paul H (Laser) who crossed the line just ahead of Mark B (Laser). Nearly a minute later Katie came through the line in 6th place but not far in front of Sally & Stuart (Leader) and Bob (Solo). Then there was another gap before Mike T (Laser) crossed in front of Ben (Radial) and Richard H (Laser) with Chris & Carol bringing up the rear in their 420.

At the end of the second lap the two leaders were unchanged, but Mark had moved up to 3rd pushing Paul and Mike Tr down a place. Further down the fleet Mike T, Ben, and Richard all gained one place.

On the third lap Mike Tr managed to pass Paul H to move up to 4th and Mike T (no holding him now) and Ben both gained another place to move up to 6th and 7th. Chris & Carol received the gun at the end of this lap.

At the end of the fourth and last lap Karen had increased her lead at the front and there was no change in the order of the next six boats, but Richard H gained a place by passing Sally & Stuart.

The final order on the water was –
1st Karen; 2nd John H; 3rd Mark B; 4th Mike Tr; 5th Paul H; 6th Mike T
(Katie actually crossed the line in 6th, but she is not competing in the series)

On handicap the first four remain the same, but Ben leapfrogs to 5th pushing Paul down to 6th.
(Sally & Stuart would move up to 7th)

Thanks to Mike A and the OOD Team of Andy B, Dean (ably assisted on the flags by his little apprentices), Phil M and Rick (who turned up despite swapping this duty with Mike!)

Yet another hot evening, although there were a few clouds about which did not amount to much, with a light SW wind of about 6 mph. Steve S set a first beat to 4 then X (near to 2), 9, 5, 8, 6, 7 and back through the start.

This week there were 19 starters and Mark B (Laser) was first back through the line followed by Newton (Solo) and then the Lasers of Ralph, Curtis, Jess and Mike Tr. Bob (Solo) came through in 7th place just ahead of Rick (Laser) and then 30 seconds later the dynamic duo Dave P & Monica (National 12) crossed the line just in front of another dynamic duo, Dean & Nick in the Vago. These were followed by another two Lasers in close company manned by John H and Paul H and then along came the more relaxed duo of Sally & Mike C in the Leader. Mike A (Lightning) and Ben H (Radial) were next across the line and they enjoyed a close battle throughout the race. Some 30 seconds later Ron turned up and he was about one minute ahead of Alistair J (Vago) and Luke D (Ttopper), who were just ahead of Paul in a Laser 2.

On the second lap the first three maintained position, but Jess and Mike Tr passed Curtis to move up to 4th and 5th places. John H and Paul H both gained four places to move up to 7th and 8th respectively. Mike A and Ben H both made up two places and Alistair passed Ron and Paul passed Luke. Alistair decided to retire at the end of this lap and Paul and Luke both received the finish gun.

At the end of the last lap Newton just pipped Mark across the line and Mike Tr had passed Jess and Ralph to take 3rd place. There were no other movers in the right direction apart from Ron who crossed the line just a whisker ahead of Sally & Mike C.

The final places on the water were –
1st Newton; 2nd Mark B; 3rd Mike Tr; 4th Jess; 5th Ralph; 6th Curtis.

On Handicap these positions should not change.

Thanks to Steve S and the OOD Team of Andy B, Graham K, Jill G and William I.

It was very similar to last Wednesday, hot and sunny with alight wind of about 6 – 8 mph.
The SOOD did not turn up so the OOD Team had to manage on theirown set the first beat to X then 5, 8, 4, and back through the start.

There were just nine starters (everyone else was watching England in the World Cup semi!) and the race lasted three laps with the first three, Karen, Hadey and John H retaining their leading positions for the whole of the race. Monica was 4th for the first two laps but then overtaken by Curtis and Ben on the last lap. Behind them the Lasers of Richard H, Paul H and Nigel were 7th, 8th and 9th throughout the race.

The final positions on the water were –
1st Karen – Laser; 2nd Hadey – Radial; 3rd John H – Laser; 4th Curtis – Laser; 5th Ben – Radial; 6th Monica – Europe.

On Handicap there should be no change in these positions.

Thanks to the OOD Team of Andy B, Ken P and Robin L and to anyone else who helped them out.

It was another hot sunny day with a light wind of only 5 mph coming from WSW veering SW and sometimes none at all! Mike A used a flagpole start with a first beat (nearly) to 5 then 9, 4, 8, 6, 7 and back through the start.

Pursuit Race
There were 8 starters and they managed a lap and a half before the allotted time. The early starters Ron (Mirror) and Rhys (Topper) suffered at the start because they had virtually no wind at all, but by the time Chris H (Comet) started the wind had picked up a little and continued to do so for the Lasers and RS200 that went off last.
The final order was –
1st Karen – Laser; 2nd Newton – RS200; 3rd Chris H – (Comet; 4th Mike Tr – Laser; 5th Mark B – Laser: 6th Ron – Mirror; 7th James – Laser; 8th Rhys – Topper.

Handicap Race
As the wind had veered to the SW , Mike changed and shortened the course to X, 9, 8, 6, 7; but not sure if this had much effect as the wind veered back any way and picked up slightly (t times). Julie joined the fleet in her Mirror, so there were 9 starters for the second race.

At the end of the first lap Karen had a lead of about 30 seconds over Newton, who was two minutes ahead of James in 3rd place. James came through in 4th some three minutes ahead of Chris in 5th place, who was just over a minute ahead of the Lasers of Mike Tr and Mark B. Then nearly five minutes passed before Rhys crossed the line ahead of the two Mirrors of Ron and Julie.

There was no change in order with the first six boats on the second lap although they had closed up slightly. At the back the Mirrors had managed to get past Rhys.

On the fourth lap, Newton had passed Karen to take the lead and Mark was just ahead of Mike by a lick of paint as they crossed the line. Ron, Julie and Rhys all received the gun at the end of this lap.

On the fourth and last lap the only change was Mike Tr passing Mark to regain 5th, so the finishing order on the water was –
1st Newton; 2nd Karen; 3rd James; 4th Chris; 5th Mike; 6th Mark

On handicap Chris leapfrogs the 3 boats above him to take victory, otherwise the order remains the same.

Thanks to Mike A and the OOD Team of Alistair J, Bob H, Doug H, Richard H and Tony R.

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.