Reading Sailing Club Members

April 1st, but no joke this morning as it was a very light wind coming from a Northerly direction, which made setting the start line a bit tricky. Rick rose to the occasion armed with his newly acquired knowledge from the recent race management course. First beat was to X, then 9, 2, 4, 5, 8 and back through the start.

Pursuit Race
There were 11 takers for the first race and early starter Chris H (Comet) was still ahead at the end of the lap, Fellow Comet sailor Nev was hanging on to 4th place having been caught and passed by Newton & Ellen (RS200) and Steve S (Aero). James (Laser) was just behind Nev, but being rapidly caught by last man away Simon B (Blaze). William (Radial) was still ahead of the Lasers of Jon, Dave I, Jeremy with Bill (K1) and Adrian (Vago) bringing up the rear of the fleet.
At the gun the order was –
1st Newton & Ellen; 2nd Simon; 3rd Chris H; 4th Steve S; 5th James; 6th Jon

Handicap Race
With the wind dropping further Rick wisely shortened the course by taking out 2 and 4. Chris H, James, William, Jon, and Dave I decided they would be better off sitting still on the bank rather than sitting still on the water! However Mark (Laser) decided to give it a go, so there were 8 starters for this race.
First back through the line was Simon B some way ahead of Ellen & Newton, who were only just ahead of Steve and James. Then there was quite a gap back to Bill and another gap back to Adrian and then further back Nev and Jeremy crossed the line virtually together.
The only change in position on the second lap was Jeremy getting past Nev and they both received the gun at the end of the lap.
So at the end of the third and last lap there were only five finishers as Simon had run out of puff and dropped out. These five had maintained station so the finishing order was –
1st Ellen & Newton; 2nd Steve S; 3rd Mark; 4th Bill; 5th Adrian

On handicap the order of the first four remains the same, but Nev and Jeremy move up to 5th and 6th.

Thanks to Rick and the small OOD Team of Alistair S, Hugh and Ian B.

Easter Cup 2018

The Easter Cup was contested over four races, two on Good Friday and two on Easter Monday, with the best three results to count.

Good Friday 30th March
With a fairly light wind of about 5 mph from the NE the OOD Team of Nev, Rick and Mike C used an Island Start with the first beat down to X, then 5, 9, 2, 4 and back through the start.

Race 1
There were 10 starters and first back through the line was Simon B (Blaze) followed by Ellen & Newton (RS200), Adrian (Rooster) and James (Laser). There was then a slight gap back to Will (Enterprise) leading a group consisting of Dave I (Laser), Dean & Nick (Vago), William (Radial) and Alistair (Laser), the latter two crossing the line together. Finally Rhys (Topper) the youngest competitor out today came through the line.
On the second lap, Dave I passed Will to move up to 5th place and Alistair gained two places getting past Dean & Nick and William. Rhys received the gun at the end of this lap.
On the third and last lap, the only change was Dean & Nick who passed both Will and Alistair to move up to 6th place.
The final positions on handicap were –
1st Ellen & Newton; 2nd Simon; 3rd James; 4th Adrian; 5thDave I; 6th Will

Race 2
Dave I dropped out, so the fleet was down to 9 for the second race.
Predictably Simon was first back through the line followed again by Ellen & Newton with James in 3rd place about a minute further back. The rest of the fleet was spaced evenly at about 30 seconds intervals with Adrian 4th followed by William, Will, Dean & Nick, Alistair and Rhys.
On the second lap the whole fleet maintained station with no changes in position at all, which is quite unusual!
On the third lap Adrian passed James to move to 3rd, but that was the only change and Rhys received the gun at the end of the lap.
Again on the final lap there were no changes in position and Simon crossed the line in 1st place about a minute ahead of Ellen & Newton who were about three minutes ahead of Adrian in 3rd place.
The final positions on handicap were –
1st Ellen & Newton; 2nd Simon; 3rd William 4th James; 5th Adrian; 6th Will

Thanks to the OOD Team of Nev, Rick and Mike C.

Easter Monday 17th April
There was a bit more wind today, about 12-13 mph from the SSE. Richard H was SOOD today and set a first beat to 2, then 9, 4, X, 5 and back through the start.

Race 3
There were a number of absentees from Good Friday, but Steve S Aero) had joined the fleet to make 7 starters and he was first back through the line closely followed by Simon and Ellen & Newton. Then there was quite a gap back to James, Adrian and Dean & Nick in 4th, 5th and 6th places with Rhys coming through in 7th place.
By the end of the second lap Simon and Ellen & Newton had passed Steve to move up to 1st and 2nd with Adrian up to 4th. Rhys received the gun at the end of this lap.
The only change on the last lap was James regaining 4th spot from Adrian. Simon crossed the line well ahead in 1st place, but Ellen & Newton took 2nd place only just ahead of Steve.
The final positions on handicap were –
1st Simon; 2nd Ellen & Newton; 3rd Steve; 4th James; 5th Dean & Nick; 6th Adrian

Race 4
At the end of the first lap, Simon had a good lead over Steve in 2nd and Ellen & Newton in 3rd places. Adrian was 4th with James breathing down his neck and Dean & Nick further back in 7th were some way ahead of Rhys, who was gamely battling on.
On the second lap there was no change in the first three boats, but James had passed Adrian (here they go again) to move up to 4th. Rhys received the gun at the end of the lap.
The final lap saw no changes in position so the final positions on handicap were –
1st Simon; 2nd Steve; 3rd Ellen & Newton; 4th James; 5th Adrian; 6th Rhys

Thanks to Richard H, Sophie, Ron and Fran? (not sure of name) for running these races.

Easter Cup Overall Positions
1st Simon; 2nd Ellen & Newton; 3rd James; 4th Adrian; 5th Steve; 6th Dean & Nick

In fact it was very close for the final victory and Simon and Ellen & Newton finished with the same number of points, but Simon was awarded the overall victory on the last race rule.

Dean & Nick and Rhys should probably be awarded 5th and 6th places on my arbitrary leader board as Steve only actually sailed two races!

The overall turnout was somewhat disappointing and only six boats competed in all four races. It could be well worth considering running all four races on the same day with two back to back in the morning and the same in the afternoon immediately after lunch.

Sunday 8th April racing is cancelled due to the flooding. Although the water level is dropping the lane is still well flooded and unlikely to clear before Sunday.

It was quite a pleasant morning with a bit of sun and a light wind mostly from the North about 8 mph, although this did vary through the morning. Mike A used an Island start with a first beat to X (middle of the lake about level with No 5), then 5p, 9s, 4p, 2p and back through the start.

Pursuit Race
Mike A apologises for the delayed start, but only one of the allocated OODs turned up!
Fortunately Sally, Roland L and Bob W came to the rescue and we eventually got under way about 10.45.
There were 16 starters and first back through the line was Ron & lad (Mirror) who were well ahead of Chris H (Comet). Unfortunately Ron had started early, which is a pity because he went well for the duration of the race. Nev in the second Comet came through in 3rd place with Hadey 4th and Peter R (Enterprise) 5th and Newton & Ellen (RS200) 6th. Then came a trio of Lasers, Richard S, Jon and Hugh being rapidly caught by last starter Simon B (Blaze) who had just got past Rick (Laser). By this time the wind had dropped and the last four boats, Steve S (Aero), Gareth (Laser), Dean (Laser) and Adrian (Vago) were struggling to cross the line.
Most of the fleet managed to complete another lap and when the gun went the leader Chris H was just about to be passed by Simon.
The final positions were –
1st Chris H; 2nd Simon B; 3rd Peter R; 4th Newton & Ellen; 5th Jon; 6th Richard S

Handicap Race
Dave I and Steve S did not start the second race so the fleet was down to 14 boats.
By the end of the first lap Simon B was already well ahead with Nev in 2nd place with 20 seconds back to Hugh and Rick in 3rd and 4th positions. Then Jon and Richard crossed the line together battling for 5th place. The next three boats Chris H, Peter R and Gareth were evenly spaced in 8th, 9th and 10th places. There was a slight gap back to Dean in 11th place and a bigger gap back to Ron & lad and Adrian. Ellen & Newton had disappeared from the fleet, not sure why, but there was a kerfuffle at the first mark which may have a bearing.

On the second lap there was no change in the position of the first 8 boats, but Gareth had managed to get past Peter to move up to 9th. Further back Adrian had passed Ron.

By the end of the third lap Rick, Jon and Richard all moved up two places to 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively. Peter also gained two places by passing Gareth and Chris. Adrian and Ron received the gun at the end of this lap.

The fourth lap was the last and Simon crossed the line well ahead of the rest of the fleet. Jon and Richard moved up to 2nd and 3rd by passing Rick. Peter moved up another three places to move up to 5th place.

The final places on the water were –
1st Simon; 2nd Jon; 3rd Richard S; 4th Rick; 5th Peter; 6th Hugh

On handicap there should be a bit of a shuffle resulting in the following places –
1st Nev; 2nd Simon; 3rd Jon; 4th Richard S; 5th Chris H; 6th Peter R

Thanks to Mike A and the OOD Team of Robbie and especially to Sally, Bob W and Roland L who stepped in to ensure the race took place.

It was a fairly light wind from the East this morning, which is not an ideal direction because of all the trees on the East side of the lake. Dave P used an Island start with the first beat to 8, then 5, 9, 4 and back through the start

Pursuit race
There were 13 starters and early starter Chris H (Comet) managed to hold the lead until the gun at 35 minutes. Simon B (Blaze) who was second from last to start nearly managed to catch Chris but had to settle for 2nd place. Jon was the leading Laser in 3rd place with Newton & William (RS200) 4th and then two more Lasers Richard S and James in 5th and 6th places.
It was good to see Richard H in his fast RS400 and Marczin (Laser) joining the fleet for this race.

Handicap Race
Marczin, Mark B and Simon decided to sit this one out, so the fleet was down to 10.
First back through the line was Richard H (RS400) followed about 30 seconds later by Newton & William (RS200), who were only just ahead of John W, Richard S, James, Jon and Ralph all in Lasers and Nev in his Comet. About a minute later Chris H in another Comet and Adrian single handed in his Vago came through the line.

At the end of the second lap Richard H was still leading, but Jon had moved up to 2nd place pushing Newton & William down to 3rd. The only other mover was Chris H who had caught and passed Nev in the battle of the Comets.

The third lap was the last and Jon had got past Richard H to cross the line in 1st place. Everyone else maintained their positions apart from Ralph who had overtaken John W to move up to 6th spot.

The final positions on the water were –
1st Jon; 2nd Richard H; 3rd Newton & William; 4th; Richard S; 5th James; 6th Ralph

On handicap Chris H (Comet) will replace Richard H (RS400) in 2nd position.

Thanks to Dave P and the small OOD Team of Julian B, Paul H and Bob.

Due to the forecast of adverse weather conditions on Sunday it has been decided to cancel the racing. The combination of very high winds of 20 – 38 mph and freezing temperatures would make it foolhardy to sail and would put a lot of responsibility on the OODs.

Spring Series 1 4th March 2018

The format was the same as last year, a 35 minute pursuit followed by a 45 minute handicap race.
With a light wind about 6 – 10 mph from the SE Peter R set the first beat to 1 then 4, 2, 3, 5 and back through the start.

Pursuit race
There were 8 starters and at the end of the first lap early starters Chris H (Comet) and Sally & Nev (Leader) were in the lead, but being rapidly caught by Simon B (Blaze).
At the gun Simon had taken the lead, but Chris and Sally & Nev were still in 2nd and 3rd places. Unusually all the boats behind them retained the same places as at the end of the first lap.
Final positions were –
1st Simon; 2nd Chris; 3rd Sally & Nev; 4th Newton & Ellen; 5th James; 6th William; 7th Rick; 8th Rhys.

Handicap Race
For the second race the course was changed to 1, 5, 9, 4 and back through the start.
Simon was first back through the line with Ellen & Newton (RS200) some 50 seconds back in 2nd place and Chris H coming through in 3rd about a minute ahead of Rick (Laser) in 4th place. James was about another minute back in 5th place. Then another minute elapsed before Sally & Nev crossed the line in 6th followed by brothers William (Radial) and Rhys (Topper) 7th and 8th.
It was a four lap race and the whole fleet remained in the same positions for the duration of the race!

On handicap the final positions should be –
1st Chris; 2nd Ellen & Newton; 3rd Simon; 4th Sally & Nev; 5th Rick; 6th James

Thanks to Peter R and the OOD Team of Simon B, Julian B and Simon R.

Spring is here! The spring series starts tomorrow Sunday 4th March.

The blows are back in town! It was an East wind of 13-15 mph with a bitterly cold edge. Dave P set the first beat to 8 then 6, 5, 2, 3 and back through the start.

There were only six starters this morning, not surprising considering the conditions. Simon B (Blaze) was first back through the line about one minute ahead of Steve S (Aero). Rick (Laser) was next through in 3rd place just ahead of Nev & Sally (Leader). Chris H (Comet) came through thirty seconds later with Marcin (Laser) another thirty seconds back.

On the second lap there were no changes in position, although Simon had stretched his lead over Steve. Rick was having a close battle with Nev & Sally and they crossed the line virtually together.

By the end of the third lap Nev & Sally had moved into 3rd place ahead of Rick, who must have had a moment or two as he had lost a minute and a half. There were no other changes in position and Marcin received the gun at the end of this lap.

No change in the leading three boats on the fourth lap, but Chris had managed to catch Rick to move up to 4th place. At the end of this lap Nev & Sally, Chris and Rick all received the finish gun. This left Simon and Steve to complete one more lap and finish the race.

Final position on the water were –
1st Simon; 2nd Steve; 3rd Nev & Sally; 4th Chris; 5th Rick; 6th Marcin

On handicap the only change in position will be Chris leapfrogging Nev & Sally to take 3rd place from them.

Thanks to Dave P and the OOD Team of Bill C and Chris & Carol M, who unfortunately had a cold morning. Not sure what happened to the rest of the team!

In contrast to the two previous weeks there was quite a light wind this morning. It was coming from the SE about 8-10 mph, although it went up and down during the race. Dave I used an Island Start with the first beat to 1, then 4, 8, 5 and back through the start.

There were 14 starters and first back though the line was Simon B (Blaze) with a good lead on Mark (Laser), who was closely followed by Newton (Solo), James (Laser) and Ken (Laser). Steve S (Aero) after a poor start (for him) was rapidly catching Ken. There was about 30 seconds back to Dave L (Laser) in 7th place with another 40 seconds back to Mike A (Lightning) who was about the same interval ahead of Rick(Laser). Then there was another gap back to William (Radial), Nick & Dean (Vago), and Jeremy and Alistair S both in Lasers with Marcin (Laser) bringing up the rear.

By the end of the second lap Simon had increased his lead and Newton had moved up to 2nd place with Steve moving up two places to 4th. The only other movers were Nick & Dean passing William to move up one place.

On the third lap Simon further increased his lead and Steve moved up to 3rd ahead of Mark and James and Dave L passed Ken to move up to 6th place. Nick & Dean gained another two places to move up to 8th and William passed Rick to move up to 10th. Further back Jeremy and Alistair were having a good scrap and Marcin and Alistair received the finish gun at the end of the lap. Not sure why Jeremy was not accorded this honour as well, perhaps the OOD Team missed him or he missed the gun or just decided to carry on anyway!

At the end of the fourth and last lap Simon crossed the line well ahead (we thought) of Newton in 2nd place with Steve still 3rd. James managed to just pip Mark for 4th place and the only other change was Rick repassing William.

Final positions on the water were –
1st, Simon; 2nd Newton; 3rd Steve; 4th James; 5th Mark; 6th Dave L

On handicap Newton will take the 1st spot with Simon in 2nd place and both James and Mark will leapfrog Steve pushing him down to 5th with Mike A beating Dave L by a whisker for 6th.

Thanks to Dave I and the OOD Team of Ellen, Andy B, Mike C and John H.