Frostbite 10 11th February 2018

It was very windy in fact even windier than the last time it was very windy. The wind direction was WSW about 12-14 mph, but with gusts at least twice as strong.

There were 13 starters which was definitely unlucky for some and it was surprising that so many went out. Everyone was down a rig except Newton as he does not have a smaller sail! Adrian was using standard Laser rig, which is one down for him!

Newton (Solo) decided to bail out just after the start and beat the rush. Rick (Laser) capsized at the start and parked in the bushes. Ellen (Laser) was going well in third just behind Jon (Laser) and Steve (Aero) when her mast broke just before the end of the first lap. More than half the fleet retired on the first lap so Ellen, Adrian, Curtis, Hugh, James, and Rick (all Lasers) disappeared, along with Newton in the only Solo.

At the end of the second lap Steve just led Jon across the line, then six minutes elapsed before William (Radial – flying a 4.7) came through in 3rd place. Two minutes later Dean & Nick (Vago) crossed the line a minute ahead of Chris H (Comet), who was about ten minutes ahead of Jemima in her Oppie. Jemima received the gun at the end of the lap (well done to her for going out in these conditions).

On the third lap Steve and Jon were still having a good battle before Jon capsized at No 1 and the cold and conditions got the better of him. This allowed William to move up to 2nd position with Dean & Nick now 3rd and Chris 4th.
Everyone received the gun at the end of this lap apart from Steve who had to do another lap before finishing (he was going so well it was a pity to finish him!).

Final positions on the water were – 1st Steve; 2nd William; 3rd Dean & Nick; 4th Chris H; 5th Jemima.

On handicap the first two retain their positions, but Jemima moves up to 3rd with Chris up to 4th

Thanks to SOOD Dave P and the OOD Team of Steve G, Paul H, Dave L and KMB + ANO?

4th February Frostbite Series Race 9

The conditions were similar to a couple of weeks ago with the wind from NE (from the club going down the lake) about 14 mph with much stronger and sudden gusts and occasional white horses. It did not start out that way and seemed quite reasonable before the start and in the shelter of the boat park; in fact all the Lasers and Steve were tempted out in full rigs.
Peter S used an island start with a first beat to X (up towards the clubhouse), then 5P, 3P, 4S, 2P and back through the start line.

There were just nine starters and Newton (Solo) managed to capsize just after rounding X for the first time and emerged in last place. Then on the run down to 3 the first of many big gusts came though and skittled over James (Laser) and Mark (Laser). At the end of the first lap Steve (Aero 7) came through the line about one minute ahead of Jon (Laser) who was closely followed by Adrian (Laser). Newton had recovered well to cross the line in 4th place and was about 30 seconds ahead of Dave L (Laser) in 5th place. Next were James and Mark in their Lasers recovering well from their early bath!
William (Radial) and Chris H (Comet) brought up the rear.

Remarkably although the leaders completed six laps there were no changes in position until the fourth lap of the race. Not strictly true as Dave stopped after two laps when lying 5th, as he could no longer feel his fingers because of the cold. Everyone behind him gained a place, but there was no actual overtaking until the fourth lap when Mark managed to pass James. Chris H received the gun at the end of this lap.

Jon was keeping in touch with Steve at the front until the 5th lap when he capsized and had difficulty getting it up and lost the best part of a lap which dropped him down to 5th place. Adrian and Newton moved up to 2nd and 3rd respectively and for their pains were sent round for a further lap. Everyone else received the finish gun.

The final positions on the water were –
1st Steve; 2nd Adrian; 3rd Newton; 4th Mark; 5th Jon; 6th James; 7th William: 8th Chris H

On handicap Steve still takes the victory but Newton leapfrogs to 2nd pushing Adrian down to 3rd and the only other change in the order is Chris snatching 7th from William.

Thanks to Peter S and the OOD Team of Simon B, Tony R, James T, Fraser W and Bob W.

 

28th January 2018 Frostbite Series Race 8

It was a windy morning again stronger than forecast with some white horses before the race and strong gusts sweeping through.
There were 11 starters and everyone apart from Newton and Adrian went down a rig, and Ellen went down two to a 4.7. Richard H though better of it and did not launch his RS400. Rick and Newton capsized just before the start. Jon and Steve had a good battle out front as did Ellen and James a little way back battling for 3rd place.
 
At the end of the first lap Jon (Laser) was 1st through the line closely followed by Steve (Aero), then 30 seconds back came the trio of James, Ellen and Adrian (nominally all in Lasers). A minute later William (Radial but flying a 4.7) came through, and in turn he was a minute ahead of Chris H (Comet), Newton (Solo) and Gareth (Laser) followed at some distance by Dean & Nick (Vago) and Rick (Laser).
 
No change in the first six at the end of the second lap, but Gareth had passed Newton and Chris to move up to 7th place and Rick had caught and passed Dean & Nick.
 
On the third lap Ellen had moved up to 3rd by passing James, but there were no other changes in position.
 
On the fourth and last lap Jon had stretched his lead over Steve to cross the line comfortably in 1st place (although in these conditions comfortably is the wrong word to use, perhaps thankfully might be a better descriptor!). There were no other changes apart from Rick and Dean & Nick passing Chris H to give him the coveted lantern rouge.
 
The final positions on the water were –
1st Jon; 2nd; Steve; 3rd Ellen; 4th James; 5th Adrian; 6th William
 
On handicap the first three should keep their positions, but William will move up to 4th with James down to 5th just ahead of Newton who will move up to 6th.
 
Thanks to SOOD Sylvia and the OOD team of Alex, Mark, Ralph, Richard H, Peter S and especially to Brian and Richard who turned up to help Sylvia knowing that she was likely to be short-handed.
 

Frostbite Race 7 21st January 2018

It was snowing quite heavily this morning with a light wind about  7 mph from the NE. Peter S set a short course with a start line from No 8 with the pin towards No 6, then X, 5, 4 and back though the start.
 
There were 7 starters, which was actually one more than last week and was surprising given the snow, although the snow did turn to heavy drizzle just after the start which was a great improvement!!
Newton (Solo) was first back through the line followed closely by Mark (Laser), Chris H (Comet) and Ellen (Laser), then there was a gap back to Rick (Laser), Mike A (Lightning) and Nick & Dean (Vago).
 
On the second lap there was no change in position for the first four boats, but Nick & Dean had gained two places crossing the line just ahead of Mike and Rick.
 
At the end of the third lap Newton and Mark were still ahead, but Ellen had moved up to 3rd with Rick up to 4th pushing Chris down to 5th and Nick & Dean had passed Mike to move up to 6th.
 
The only change on the fourth lap was Mike repassing Nick & Dean.
 
At the end of the fifth and last lap Newton crossed the line in 1st place and the only other change in position was Ellen crossing just ahead of Mark to take 2nd place.
 
The final positions on the water were –
1st Newton; 2nd Ellen; 3rd Mark; 4th Rick; 5th Chris H; 6th Mike A; 7th Nick & Dean
 
On handicap Newton will keep his 1st place, but Chris H will move up to 2nd pushing Ellen down to 3rd and Mark to 4th . Mike A should leapfrog Rick to take 5th spot.
 
Thanks to Peter S and the OOD Team of Ferdinando, James T, Gary W and Richard M, who had some pretty horrible weather to sit out in. Thanks also to Ann & Dave Lomas for laying on the soup and rolls.
 
 

Frostbite Race 6 14th January 2018

It was completely different this week from last Sunday with a very light wind 2-4 mph from the ENE. Peter S wisely decided upon a short course with a start line parallel to the shore heading out to X on the buoy line then 5p, 8p and back through the line.
 
Only six starters this morning, which was not surprising considering the lack of wind and Richard S (Laser) got a flying start (well a faster drift than everyone else!).
At the end of the lap he was a minute ahead of James (Laser) in 2nd place with Newton (Solo) 3rd, Mike A (Lightning) 4th and Chris H (Comet) 5th. Nev & Sally in the Leader had trouble even getting across the line to start, it was obviously the heaviest boat out and we won’t mention Christmas pudding!
 
On the second lap everyone bunched up on the way down to 5 and at the line it was quite a close finish with Newton crossing the line first just ahead of Chris.
 
The final positions on the water were –
1st Newton; 2nd Chris H; 3rd James; 4th Mike A; 5th Richard S; 6th Nev & Sally (one lap down)
  
On handicap Chris will take the victory with Newton 2nd, Mike 3rd and then James and Richard.
 
Thanks to Peter S and the OOD Team of Cliff, Jerry C, Jeremy T and Nick T and to Sylvia who provided soup and rolls.
 

Frostbite 5 Race 7th January 2018

It was really windy this morning with a cold East wind about 15 mph, but with stronger gusts of 30 mph coming through. James used an Island start with a first beat to X (up towards the clubhouse), then 5, 8, 4, 3, 2 and back through the start.
 
There were 14 starters, but only 8 finishers and nearly everyone capsized, most more than once!
Steve S (Aero 7) was the first to go in at the jybe round No 3 on the first lap and it was clearly going to be a bit of a survival race.
Newton (Solo) was first back through the line followed by Jon (Laser) then Nev & Mike (Leader), Franz (Laser) and Hadey (4.7). Dean & Nick (Vago) were next across the line in 6th place some 40 seconds ahead of Gareth (Laser), William (Radial) and Ellen (Laser). Then there was quite a gap back to a recovering Steve S who came through in 10th place with Chris H (Comet) not far behind him.
Rick (Laser) came through 6 minutes later, so he had obviously had a torrid time on the first lap, but perhaps not quite as bad as Mark B (Laser) and Hugh (Laser) who retired before completing the lap.
 
On the second lap, Newton and Jon both went over when they needed to jybe in the middle of an almighty gust that had already taken out several others behind them! Nev & Mike and Ellen retired on this lap and Hadey moved up from 5th place to cross the line in the lead just ahead of Franz. Jon had got going again to come through in 3rd spot with Steve up six places to 4th. Gareth had managed to pass Dean & Nick to move up to 5th place. A partially recovered Newton) was next across the line in 7th place. Chris H had gained three places by passing William and the retirees and Rick brought up the rear,  but he had recovered two minutes.
 
On the third lap Newton went in again and decided to retire as he could no longer feel his hands!
Hadey was still in the lead, but Jon had regained 2nd place by passing Franz. There was no change in the 4th, 5th and 6th places, but William gained two places due to Newton’s retirement and repassing Chris.  Rick was still going in 9th place and had made up another minute on the boats ahead of him as he received the finish gun at the end of the lap.
 
On the fourth lap and last lap Hadey maintained her lead to cross the line in 1st place, but Jon retired after further capsizes letting Steve, who had already passed Franz, up to 2nd. Gareth had also got past Franz to take 3rd spot, but there were no further changes in position.
 
The final positions on the water were –
1st Hadey; 2nd Steve; 3rd Gareth; 4th Franz; 5th Dean & Nick; 6th William; 7th Chris  and 8th Rick
 
On handicap Hadey in her 4.7 (good choice of sail today) will obviously take the overall victory, but Gareth will leapfrog Steve to take 2nd place with Steve 3rd, Franz still 4th, with Chris H moving up to 5th and Dean & Nick down to 6th spot.
 
Thanks to James and the OOD Team of Sophie F, Stewart H, Paul H and Bea and Rhys P, who had a very busy morning.
 
Well done to all the competitors for braving the challenging conditions.
 
 

31st December Frostbite Series Race 4

It was a similar wind to last week about 10-12 mph from the SW. Mike A set the first beat to 4, then 2, 8, 5, 6, 7 and back through the start line.
 
Only 8 starters this morning and Newton was the early leader with a good start from the port end of the line. Steve S (Aero 7) had taken the lead as they came back down the lake, but after rounding 8 he set off for No 6 instead of No 5, so the first boat back through the start was Jon (Laser) with Newton (Solo) not far behind him. Then came the Lasers of Ellen and Ken just in front of Steve who had found his way back on course. Franz and Rick came through close together in their Lasers,  (although Rick was flying a Radial rig) and bringing up the rear was Chris H in his Comet.
 
On the second lap Jon was still in the lead as he came down towards 8 but then he capsized and Steve S who had passed the four boats in front of him came through the line in 1st place. Ellen had passed Newton to come up to 2nd and Ken was still 4th, with a recovered Jon in 5th place. Rick had got past Franz to move up to 7th place.
 
The only change in position on the third lap was Chris moving up one place as Franz had to retire with a broken traveller, although Ken had closed up on Newton and they crossed the line virtually together.
 
The fourth and last lap saw no further changes in position but the battle between Newton and Ken continued to the line.
 
The final positions on the water were –
1st Steve; 2nd Ellen; 3rd Newton; 4th Ken; 5th Jon; 6th Rick; 7th Chris.
 
On handicap the positions will be –
1st Newton; 2nd Ellen; 3rd Steve; 4th Ken; 5th Jon; 6th Chris; 7th Rick
 
Thanks to Mike A and the OOD Team of Tony R, Paul R, John W and Hugh (who stepped in to assist on the rescue boat) 
 

Boxing Day Cup Race 2017

It was quite a pleasant morning with a hint of sun, but a cold edge to the wind, which was similar to the Christmas Eve race. There was no designated SOOD on the rota, but Colin H kindly took this on.
 
There were 11 starters and all of them finished with Steve S (Aero 7) leading from start to finish, but being pushed all the way by Jon (Laser) who was never far behind him. James (Laser) was 3rd across the line at the end of the first lap followed by Newton (Solo) and Hugh (Laser) then came Hadey and William in Radials and Nev & Mike (Leader). Curtis was next through in another Radial followed by Dean & Nick (Vago) with Rhys (Topper) behind them.
 
At the end of the second lap the two leaders were well ahead and Newton had passed James to move up to 3rd place. The other movers on this lap were Curtis up three places and Dean & Nick up two.   
 
On the third lap James repassed Newton to move back into 3rd place, Hugh and Hadey both gained a place to move up to 5th and 6th and Dean & Nick also gained a place and moved up to 7th.
 
The fourth lap saw no changes in position for the first six boats, but Curtis and Nev & Mike managed to pass Dean & Nick to move up to 7th and 8th. Rhys, who had battled away gamely at the back of the fleet, received the finish gun at the end of this lap.
 
The fifth lap was the last lap of the race and Steve crossed the line still in 1st place on the water. Hugh and Curtis both managed to get past Hadey to finish 5th and 6th pushing her down to 7th. William also gained a place by passing Nev & Mike to finish in 8th place.
 
The final order on the water was –
1st Steve S; 2nd Jon; 3rd James; 4th Newton; 5th Hugh; 6th Curtis
 
On handicap Newton will take the victory with Jon in 2nd place, Steve 3rd and James 4th. Curtis and Hadey in Radials will leapfrog Hugh (Laser full rig) to take 5th and 6th.
 
Thanks to Colin H and the OOD Team of Brian M, Mark and Monica R, Roland L and Sally, especially the latter three who were not on the rota but volunteered to help out.
 
 

24th December Frosbite Series 3

As you may know Frostbite Series 2 race did not take place as the lake was frozen over. Nev & Mike did actually take to the water/ice in their Leader to demonstrate that racing would have been possible.
As they scrunched through the ice they were accompanied by winces and shouts of “Would you like some Gel Coat for Christmas!) from the assembled spectators on shore.

A week later and conditions were better and with a SW wind of 10-12mph, David C set the first beat to 4, then X (beyond Tektona as the other alternative No 3 had gone for a trip down the lake and was sheltering in the bushes!), 54, 8, 6, 7 and back through the start.
 
There were 17 starters including a new member Simon B (welcome Simon) who turned out in a Blaze, a fast racy boat and he soon disappeared out front. In fact he led from start to finish gradually increasing his lead on each lap. In 2nd place on the first lap was Steve S (Aero 7) closely followed by Curtis (Radial) who had got a good start in his first race for a while (welcome back to the fray Curtis). Newton (Solo) came through in 4th place just ahead of Ellen, James, Ralph, Ken, Hugh, Alistair and Dave L all in Lasers. Hadey (Radial) was next across the line in 12th place about 10 seconds ahead of Nev & Mike (Leader) and Chris H (Comet) who crossed the line together with William (Radial) about another 10 seconds further back. Mike C (Wanderer) was next through and bringing up the rear was Dave P in his Mirror.
 
At the end of the second lap there was no change at the front, but Ellen, Ralph and Ken had moved up to 3rd, 4th and 5th places respectively. Dave L had moved up three places to 9th and everyone behind gained a place as Alistair retired.
 
On the third lap the first five boats retained their positions, but James had moved up to 6th place by getting past Newton. There were no other positional changes on this lap, but Hugh, Mike C and Dave P all retired.
 
At the end of the fourth lap Simon and Steve were still way ahead, but Ralph had passed Ellen to move up to 3rd. Curtis had gained a place by passing Newton to move up to 7th.
 
The fifth lap was the last lap for most of the fleet, but David decided to send Simon and Steve round another lap as penance for being so far ahead!
Newton repassed Curtis on this lap as did Dave L and they moved to 7th and 8th places. Further back William gained a place by passing Chris H.
 
The final positions on the water were –
1st Simon B; 2nd Steve S; 3rd Ralph; 4th Ellen; 5th Ken; 6th James
 
On handicap the first four will retain their places, but Newton will move up to 5th place.
 
Thanks to SOOD David C and the OOD Team of Jon, Roland L and Rick L. Roland and Rick were not actually due to be on duty, so special thanks to them as they stepped in as the other four members on the rota did not show!
 

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