6th August Summer Series 9

With A WSW wind of about 10 mph Paul R set the first beat to 4, then 9s, 3p, Xp, 5s, 6s, 7s and back though the start.
 
Pursuit Race
There were 14 starters and Chris A (Solo) was first back through the line followed by Karen (Laser) then early starter Ron (Mirror). At the gun Karen was in 1st place with Chris A in 2nd and Ellen & Newton up to 3rd.
The top six were – 1st Karen (Laser); 2nd Chris A )Solo); 3rd Ellen & Newton (RS200); 4th Hugh (Laser); 5th Steve S (Solo); 6th Adrian (Rooster)
 
Handicap Race
Adele and Sally decided not to sail the second race so the fleet was down to 12 boats and in the light wind the race was a two lapper.
First back through the line were Newton & Ellen (RS200), just 8 seconds ahead of Steve & Lyn (505 – nice to see the Galleon back on the water, as long as you are not in its wind shadow!) and in 3rd position was Karen(Laser) followed by Adrian (Rooster), Hugh (Laser), Steve S (Solo) and Gareth (Laser).  30 seconds later Nev crossed the line in his Comet with Chris A (Solo) close behind him), then there was a gap back to Jeremy (Laser) and Mike C & Sally (Wanderer – so she did do the second race but not in her Comet!) and bringing up te rear was Ron in his Mirror.
At the end of the second lap there was no change in the order of the first three boats, but Hugh, Steve and Gareth had all moved up one place and the only other cahge was Chris getting past Nev.
 
The final positions on the water were –
1st Newton & Ellen; 2nd Steve & Lynn P; 3rd Karen;  4th Hugh; 5th Steve S; 6th Gareth.
 
On handicap there should be quite a few changes with Newton & Ellen still in 1st place, but Nev should move up to 2nd place with Karen in 3rd, Steve S 4th, Chris A 5th and Hugh 6th.    
 
Thanks to Paul R and the OOD Team of Jerry C, Gary W, Julian W and John W.
 

2nd August Gillette Series Race 16

With a strong SSW wind of 13-15 mph and persistent drizzle, so not a particularly pleasant evening,  Chris A set the first beat to X, then 1s, 4s, 9p, 6s, 7s and back through the start.
 
Not surprisingly there were only 8 starters tonight and first back through the line was Newton in his Solo, just ahead of the four Lasers of Ellen, Hugh, Richard H and Rick. Although Sally & Stuart (Leader and the only double hander out tonight) did cross the line level with Rick and they were followed 20 seconds later by Alistair (Laser) and Paul H (Supernova).
 
By the end of the second lap Ellen and Hugh had both got past Newton and further back Alistair and Paul had got past Sally & Stuart.
On the third lap the first four boats maintained their positions, but Paul had passed Alistair and crossed the line level with Rick in 5th place. Sally & Stuart had also passed Alistair to regain a place.
No change in the first four boats on the final fourth lap, but Rick had just eased away from Paul and Alistair had regained the place he lost on the previous lap.
 
The final positions on the water were –
1st Ellen; 2nd Hugh; 3rd Newton; 4th Richard H; 5th Rick; 6th Paul H; 7th Alistair; 8th Sally & Stuart
 
On handicap Newton will take 1st place and Sally & Stuart will move up to 6th.
 
Thanks to Chris A and the OOD Team of Ian S, Karen and Dean.  
 

Leader Open 29th & 30th July

We hosted a Leader Open meeting on the weekend of 29th/30th July and the fleet was not huge, but it was friendly! There were 9 boats competing, six from RSC and three visitors, with three races on Saturday and three on Sunday.
 
On Saturday the wind was fairly light, about 10 mph from WSW and dropped off slightly during the day. The first race was a three lap affair and first back through the line on the first lap were Dave & Ann, but they were being chased down by the hot favourites Chris & Jane, who crossed the line in 1st place at the end of the three laps. Dave & Ann managed to hang on to 2nd place with Karen & Milo (both new to Leaders and using Tracey T’s boat) coming in 3rd place.  Veteran Leader sailors Nev & Mike just beat Newton & Bob for 4th place with Sally & Stuart just behind them in 6th. Dave & Adele (a RSC Junior and big thanks to her for stepping up to crew) were 7th. Dean M from Ostend (sailing solo) and Hugh & Dean were having their own battle at the back of the fleet.
After the first race there was some frantic tuning going on with Newton & Bo changing their sail and Hugh & Dean raking their mast!
 
Newton & Bob’s sail change obviously had an effect as they won the second race with Chris & Jane coming 2nd after a race long battle. Dave & Ann had another good race taking 3rd place and Dave & Adele went one better in this race finishing in 6th place.
There was more frantic tuning by Hugh and Dean before the start of the third race and unfortunately Sally injured her back and could not take part in this race. Adele had to leave, so Dave was left solo for this last race of the day. There was a right melee at No 6 towards the end of the first lap and several boats had to re-round the mark which caused a drastic change in the order.  In the end Dave (without Adele) took the victory with Newton & Bob in 2nd place and Karen & Milo 3rd.
 
On Sunday the wind was stronger, about 13 mph from the SW, and Dave was glad to have his mate Paul (from Milton Keynes)  crewing for him. Dean also managed to find a crew, in this case Will S from RCS (who usually sails an Enterprise).
The stronger wind seemed to suit Chris and Jane and they won all three races. The 2nd place was keenly contested with Newton & Bob taking two 2nd places and Karen & Milo taking the other. Dave & Paul were going well with 4th place in the first two races and were 4th at the end of the first lap of the third race, but this position was eventually taken by Nev & Mike. Dean & Will had mixed fortune finishing the first race in 7th place, but capsizing in the second. Will decided that was enough for him and he was replaced with Franz (another RSC sailor !)  
 
It was interesting to note that the Leaders sailed with the club racers in the morning races and would have taken the first three places in the handicap race!
 
Overall Positions
Name
Race
1
Race
2
Race
 3
Race
4
Race
5
Race
6
Overall
Position
Chris & Jane
1
2
6
1
1
1
1
Newton & Bob
5
1
2
2
3
2
2
Karen & Milo
3
4
3
6
2
3
3
Dave & Ann
2
3
4
5
5
5
4
Dave & Adele/Paul
7
6
1
4
4
6
5
Nev & Mike
4
5
5
3
6
4
6
Sally & Stuart
6
7
DNS
DNS
7
7
7
Dean & Will/Franz
8
8
7
7
DNF
8
8
Hugh & Dean
9
9
8
8
8
DNF
9
 
Well done to all the competitors, particularly the overall winners Chris & Jane, but also including the most consistent team of the day Hugh & Dean (who also did the most tuning between races)
 
An enjoyable  weekend with six races, lots of food and a great Barbecue on Saturday night.
Thanks to everyone who helped with the event, especially Sally who did all the organising and Geesje and Sue for sorting out the food.
 

30th July Summer Series 9

There was a reasonable SW wind about 12 mph, which increased throughout the morning.
Today was a race within a race as eleven club racers were joined by nine Leaders competing in an open meeting which had started with three races on Saturday and continued with another three races today. This report covers the club racers and the Leaders will be covered separately.
 
Pursuit Race
At the finish gun the positions were –
1st Jon (Laser); 2nd Peter S (Byte); 3rd Adrian (Rooster); 4th Sylvia(Radial) 5th Mark (Laser); 6th Richard S (Laser)
 
Handicap Race
Jamie sat the second race out, so the club fleet was down to 10 and first back through the line on the first of three laps was Jon (Laser) just ahead of Mark (Laser) who was 30 seconds ahead of Richard S (Laser) in 3rd place and it was interesting to note that the first Leader actually crossed the line not far behind Mark. Adrian (Rooster) and Rick (Laser) came through close together in 4th and 5th places with Jess B (Radial) 30 seconds behind them in 6th. Sylvia (Radial) and Peter |S (Byte) came through close together (as you might expect) followed by Alistair (Laser) and finally Dave P (Mirror).
 
There was little change in position on the second lap or the final lap apart from Sylvia gaining two places to move up to 5th.
 
The final positions on the water were –
1st Jon; 2nd Mark; 3rd Richard S; 4th Adrian; 5th Sylvia; 6th Rick
 
On handicap Jon should keep 1st place, but Sylvia should move up to 2nd with Mark and Richard down to 3rd and 4th places and Jess and Peter S up to 5th and 6th.
 
However if the Leaders had been included in the handicap race positions they would have finished in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places!
 
Thanks to SOOD Chris A and the OOD Team of Mike C, Bill C, Katrina R, Chris S and Tony R’s replacement (sorry your name was not recorded on the race sheet) 
 

26th July Gillette series Race 15

Tonight there was quite a frisky westerly, about 13 – 15 mph, with stronger gusts coming through.
 
Karen, Ellen, Sylvia, Paula, Mike T and Cecilia all decided to go for Radial rigs, which was probably the right move in the conditions.
 
Ellen got a good start and led from start to finish with Karen never far behind. Mark who was lying 3rd capsized on his way to the first mark on the second lap. After recovering he had passed Karen and was almost up with Ellen when he capsized again. His mast came out of the boat and he retired.
Newton in his Solo had a close battle with Sylvia just managing to stay ahead of her throughout the race.
Jamie (Laser) was going well moving up from 8th on the first lap to finish 5th on the water and he had a good battle with Dave & Ann (Leader) and Peter S (Byte) who finished just behind him in 6th and 7th places.
Not far behind these there was another good battle between Paul H (Supernova), Sally & Stuart (Leader) and Dean & Nick (Vago) and they eventually finished in 8th, 9th and 10th places respectively with Paula (Radial) a little way behind them in 11th place.
Hugh & Hadey (Leader), Mike T (Laser), Angela & Crew (Comet Duo) and Chris & Carol (Sport 14) all finished one lap early.
Cecilia (Radial) unfortunately missed a mark and retired after the first lap.  
 
The final positions on the water were –
1st Ellen; 2nd Karen; 3rd Newton; 4th Sylvia; 5th Jamie; 6th Dave & Ann
 
On handicap Newton should take the victory and Sylvia, who was sailing on the Radial handicap figure,  will move up to 2nd place past Ellen and Karen, who although using Radial rigs were sailing on the full Laser handicap. Peter S should move up to 5th with Dave & Ann retaining 6th place.
 
Thanks to SOOD Steve S and the OOD Team of Monica, Mark and Patrick
 

Leaders at Reading SC

On Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th July the Leaders will be racing at Reading SC.
There will be three races on each day and any help with running these races on either day would be appreciated.
Please let Sally Newlove know if you can help out or just turn up on the day.
 
 

23rd July Summer Seris 8

With a SW wind of about 10 mph (eventually going up to about 15 mph), the OOD Team (there was no designated SOOD!) set a first beat to 4, then 2, 6, 7, and back through the start.
 
Pursuit Race
There were 17 starters and we had a mini fleet of Comets this morning with Sally and Nev abandoning their Leaders and joining Chris H. At the end of the first lap the early starters were still ahead with Dave P (Mirror) in 1st place followed by the Comets of Chris H and Nev, but ominously Jon and Karen in Lasers were fast approaching having just got past Dave & Ann (Leader).  Will S in his Enterprise was DSQ, presumably he sailed the wrong course, but not sure of this.
At the gun the final positions were –
1st Jon; 2nd Nev; 3rd Karen; 4th Newton & Ellen; 5th Chris H; 6th Sylvia
  
Handicap Race
The wind had increased considerably for the start and in fact continued to increase throughout the race. Will, Sally and Peter S decided to sit this one out so the fleet was down to 14 starters.
First back through the line was Karen (Laser) followed 30 seconds later by Jon and Richard S both in Lasers, who crossed together. Another 30 seconds elapsed before Sylvia (Laser) came along with Hadey (Radial) not far behind her. Then along came a tight pack led by Chris A (Solo) consisting of Dave & Ann (Leader), Mike A (Laser), Dean & Nick (Vago) and this pack was just ahead of the Comet battle between Nev and Chris H. Behind them Rick (Laser) was ploughing a lonely furrow or should that be a wake and then further back Dave P had his Mirror surfing.
 
At the end of the second lap the same four boats led with Karen and Jon very close and Richard S and Sylvia well-spaced out (must have had a good Saturday night!). Mike A had gained three places to move up to 5th just ahead of Hadey and everyone else maintained position, apart from Rick who seeking company had caught and passed Chris H. Dean & Nick and Nev meanwhile were in very close company and could not be separated as they crossed the line in a “man age de trois?”
 
On the third lap the first three remained the same, but Mike A had passed Sylvia to move up one place to 4th. Hadey, Chris A and Dave & Ann continued on in 6th, 7th and 8th places as they had been for most of the race. Nev had come to an amicable separation by pulling out a 20 second lead on the dynamic duo J Boys and two minutes behind them Rick and Chris H were battling on together.
Dave P’s race came to a premature end when he was given the gun at the end of the lap.
 
As the wind got up then Jon (as usual) got going and turned a 10 second deficit on the previous lap to a one minute lead at the end of the race. Richard S (taking over Rick’s solitary role) crossed the line in 3rd some three minutes behind them but two minutes ahead of Sylvia, who had regained 4th place from Mike A and this was the only change in position throughout the fleet.
 
Final positions on the water were – 1st Jon; 2nd Karen; 3rd Richard S; 4th Sylvia; 5th Mike A; 6th Hadey.
 
On handicap the first three should be safe, but Nev should zoom up the placings to 4th with Hadey 5th and Sylvia 6th.
 
Thanks to the OOD Team of Jan & Paul H, David P and Tony R, who coped admirably in the absence of the SOOD.
 

19th July Gillette Series Race 14

The SW wind got quite frisky before the race but dropped down to about 14 mph at the start and continued to drop throughout the race. David C (fresh from the Triathlon circuits, if fresh is the right descriptor for someone doing triathlons!) set the first beat to 4 then 2, 9, X (which was in the middle of the lake just further up from Tektona), 5, 8, 6, 7 and back through the start.
 
There were 23 starters and first back through the start was Mark (Laser) followed by Curtis (Radial) and Richard H (Laser). Then there was a slight gap back to Ellen (Laser) who was just ahead of the two Solos of Newton and Steve S and then another gap back to Joe (4.7). Some 30 seconds later Dean & Nick (Vago) crossed the line in 8th place just ahead of Rick (Laser), William (Radial) and Nev & Mike (Leader). Next along were Mike A (Lightning), Dave & Ann (Leader) and Paul H (Supernova) who all crossed the line together. Chasing these was Alistair S (Laser) who was followed by another close group consisting of Jeremy (Laser), Sally & Suzi (Leader) and Ed (Topper). Then a minute and a half behind Ed came Paula & Angela (Comet Duo) who were comfortably clear of a Mirror battle between Ron V and Dave P. Then two more minutes back there was another great tussle between the Oppies of Jemima and Rhys.
 
At the end of the second lap there was no change in the order of the first six boats, but William had gained three places to move up to 7th place with Joe slipping down to 8th. Paul H gained two places to move up to 12th position and Sally & Suzi moved up three places to 14th with Jeremy gaining one place to move up to 15th. Further back Paula & Angela gained two places up to 19th and Rhys had passed Jemima in the Oppie battle.
Rhys and Jemima received the finish gun at the end of this lap.
 
At the end of the final lap Mark had increases his lead at the front and Richard H had got past Curtis to take 2nd place on the water, but that was the only change in the top seven boats. Mike A gained five places to move up to 8th and Nev & Mike and Paul H gained one place to move up to 10th and 11th. Jeremy and Paula & Angela gained two places to 13th and 15th respectively and Dave P took the honours in the Mirror battle finishing just ahead of Ron.
 
The final positions on the water were –
1st; Mark; 2nd Richard H; 3rd Curtis; 4th Ellen; 5th Newton; 6th Steve S
 
On handicap the position becomes less clear as there is some talk of splitting the Juniors’ results away from the Seniors so that they have their own series within the Summer Series, as last year.
 
In a combined fleet Mark should hold onto 1st place, but Rhys should be 2nd with Curtis 3rd, Richard H 4th, Jemima 5th and Newton 6th
 
In a Seniors only fleet the positions should be –
1st Mark; 2nd Curtis; 3rd Richard H; 4th Newton; 5th Steve S; 6th William (if William is now a Senior not a Junior !) or Ellen
 
In a Juniors only fleet the positions would be –
1st Rhys; 2nd Jemima; 3rd William (if he is still a Junior); 4th Joe; 5th Ed
 
Thanks to David C and the OOD Team of Hugh, Bob, Cliff, Lynne and Julian W.

16th July Summer Series 7

With quite a strong SW wind Richard S set the first beat to 4 then 2, 9, 5, 8, 6, 7 and back through the start.
 
Pursuit Race
There were 18 starters the same as last week, but not exactly the same set of sailors!
Early starters Chris H (Comet) and Dave P (Mirror) were 1st and 2nd at the end of the first lap with Hadey sailing a Radial next through in 3rd place. Then came the first of the chasing pack with Jon (Laser) already up to 4th having just caught and passed Steve S (Solo). Next through were the three Lasers of Mark, Rick and Ken being rapidly caught by Paul R (Aero) who had just passed James and Ralph (both in Lasers) and Nev (Comet). William (4.7) was next through followed by Ellen & Newton (RS200) who were lagging behind (for them at any rate!) and they were followed by Dean & Nick (Vago), Alistair S (Laser), Adrian (Rooster and last to start) and Jeremy(Laser).
At the finish gun it was Jon who had come to the fore with Paul behind him and Hadey still hanging on to 3rd place. 
Final positions were –
1st Jon; 2nd Paul R; 3rd Hadey; 4th Steve S; 5th Ken; 6th Ellen & Newton.
  
Handicap Race
There were no drop outs, but Al E joined the fleet in a Buzz (first time out in a race this year for this combination)
First back through the line was Paul R with a good lead on Jon in 2nd place. The next pack crossed the line in close order led by Newton & Ellen just ahead of James, Adrian, Mark, Al, Steve S, Hadey, Ken and Rick (a bit of a nightmare for the OOD team to get the order and times sorted). Then there was a 30 second gap back to Chris H, who was clear of Alistair S, Dean & Nick, Nev, Jeremy and William who were all evenly spaced out, with Dave P bringing up the rear.  
Ralph retired before the end of the lap, but reason unknown.
 
At the end of the second lap the three leaders were the same, but Adrian had moved up to 4th place and Al up to 5th. Mark was still 6th but Ken had Rick both gained three places to move to 7th and 8th. Further back Jeremy had moved up a place by passing Nev.
 
Again on the third lap the three leaders remained in the same positions, but they had stretched out a bit. Al had passed both Adrian and Mark to move up to 4th position. Hadey and Steve S both regained one place to move back up a bit to 9th and 10th places. Dean & Nick were the only other movers and they gained two places.
 
At the end of the fourth and last lap Paul crossed the line well ahead of Jon who in turn was well clear of Newton & Ellen in 3rd place. Al kept his 4th place and Mark gained a place to take 5th spot with Ken also moving up one place to 6th. Rick and Chris H both regained one place, but there were no other changes in an upward direction.
 
Final positions on the water were –
1st Paul; 2nd Jon; 3rd Newton & Ellen; 4th Al; 5th Mark; 6th Ken
 
On Handicap the first three should retain their positions, but Mark and Ken should move up one place to 4th and 5th with Al down to6th.
 
Thanks to Richard S and the OOD Team of Phil M, Ferdinando M, David P, Paula S and Chris S.  
 
 
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