8th February Frostbite 12

A nice breeze and the sun was shining, it could almost be Spring apart from the ice on the lake ! Despite the ice there were 19 starters.
John W and team used a Tektona start and the bottom end of the lake to avoid the ice near the clubhouse. First mark was No 5, then down to 2, across to 3, along the buoy line to 4, down to No 1 and back through the start line.
David C (Laser) was leading at the end of the first lap followed by Jon (Laser), Steve P (505), Paul R(Aero) and then Adrian in another Laser. The middle of the fleet was a closely contested Laser pack with Mark B, Dave L, Rod B, Sylvia and James P all within 50 seconds of one another. Hugh in his Byte came next with Mike & Sally (Leader) a little further back in close company with Peter R in the Enterprise. Mike C (Solo) and Hadey (4.7) were very close together  being chased by Alistair S (Laser), Peter S (Byte) and William in his Topper.
Steve P had taken the lead on the second lap with Paul up to 2nd pushing David and Jon down to 3rd and 4th. Rod B had moved through the Lasers from 9th up to 5th with Sylvia also going well moving up three places to 7th. Peter R had also moved up three places passing Mike & Sally, Hugh and James P. Peter S moved up two places by passing Hadey and Alistair.
Another new leader at the end of the third lap as Paul came through the line in 1st place followed by David 2nd, Jon 3rd and Steve 4th. Rod had retained 5th spot but Sylvia had moved up another place to 6th.
David C had regained the lead on the fourth lap and the Laser pack battle continued with Mark B coming through to 5th pushing Rod and Sylvia back to 6th and 7th. Peter R and Mike & Sally had moved up another place and Hugh and Hadey were now alongside one another, not sure if they were battling it out or simply having a good chat!.
On the last lap David missed his toe strap and capsized which let Paul through to 1st and Jon to 2nd with David just managing to pip Steve for 3rd place. Mark had managed to hang on to 5th with Sylvia coming through to 6th. The other movers on the last lap were Alistair and Peter S who both moved up two places by passing Hugh and Hadey who crossed the line virtually together.
The final positions on the water were 1st Paul, 2nd Jon, 3rd David, but on handicap both Jon and David should leapfrog Paul.

Work Party 7th February 2015

Subject to Weather Conditions

1) Clean Slipways

2) Boat Compound Rows S & T —- move boats, strim and Lay/peg down black sheeting

3) Abandoned Enterprise Dinghy – Clean down / Jet wash to see if suitable to sell.

5) Cut back branches & twigs along access road

6) Check Tectona

7) Clean Clubhouse internal & external + gutters

8) Other jobs on the day

01 February Frostbite 11

A cutting 20 mph N to NW wind reduced the number of starters to 13, but in such conditions it was a tribute to their enthusiasm and bravery that they started at all !
Bob L and team had set the first beat up to 6 then down to 9 back up to 5 on the buoy line, down to 3 and then down to 2, up round the island to 8 and back through the start line.
David C (Laser) decided to give everyone a chance by capsizing 10 seconds before the start gun and Steve P (Laser) capsized three times and took a mouthful of water before the first mark ! This focussed his mind considerably and he finished the race without further mishap.
First back through the start line was Jon (Laser) followed by David who had recovered quickly from his pre-start spill to work his way up to 2nd.  Newton & Ellen (Laser 2000) came through in 3rd with Steve S (Laser) 4th. Then the Lasers of Curtis, James and Adrian came through locked together with Sylvia and Hadey close together a little further back . Next through was Peter S in his Byte and then there was quite a gap back to Steve P trying to make up ground after his three early capsizes and he was followed by William (Topper) who had done well to complete the lap despite four capsizes on his way round. Ian C had impaled the mast of his Supernova and did not make it back through the start line.
Steve S decided to call it a day as he had tweaked his back and William also decided that was enough swimming for one day. Sylvia came to grief rounding 6 and also impaled her mast in the mud so that was the end of her day.
At the end of the second lap the first three were in the same order but Curtis had suffered a couple of capsizes letting James and Adrian through to 4th and 5th respectively. Hadey had moved up two places to 7th with Peter S 8th and Steve P 9th.  
There was an interesting diversion when the orange buoy line came adrift. The rescue boat fixed it once but it came adrift again and at one time it looked as if it would cut off No 5 from the course !
On the third lap Curtis capsized again injuring his arm which forced him to retire.
Jon was still leading David at the end of the lap but Newton & Ellen had dropped back slightly but they were some way ahead of James and Adrian who were having a terrific battle for 4th place. Hadey was going well in 6th place but being gradually caught by Steve P who had got past Peter S, who had suffered a number of capsizes.
By the end of the fourth lap David had managed to pass Jon with Newton & Ellen still in 3rd. Adrian crossed the line just ahead of James and then promptly capsized on the way up to 6. Steve P had managed to get past Hadey  and they were given the gun at the end of their fourth lap along with Peter.
At the end of the final lap none of the positions had changed, but Adrian was back ahead of James who presumably had capsized to let him through again.
The final positions on the water were 1st David C, 2nd Jon, 3rd Newton & Ellen, 4th Adrian, 5th James, 6th Steve P, 7th Hadey, 8th Peter S .
The only change on handicap will probably be Hadey taking 6th from Steve.
 
The only finishers not to capsize were Jon and Newton & Ellen, although David’s capsize was before the start gun !
Top of the Capsize League was Peter with 5, including two double capsizes, then William with 4 wet capsizes and James with 4 dry capsizes. Curtis and Steve had 3 each and Adrian had 2, one of which was a double.
Well done to all who sailed !!


25th January Frostbite 10

With an 8 mph South West wind, Phil M surprisingly used a Tektona start with a short one tack beat to 2, up to 4 then a run down to 8, across to 6 and back up the lake to 5 then down to 9 and back through the start.

There were 20 starters of which 12 were Lasers, but the first boat back through the start line was Steve P in his 505 followed by Ian C in the Supernova, then the first Laser was Steve S but he was followed by Newton & Ellen in their Laser 2000. The next seven boats were Lasers then came the Leaders of Neville in 12th and Hugh 14th sandwiching Sylvia in her Laser. Mike C (Solo) and Peter S (Byte) were having a close battle just ahead of Hadey in her 4.7 and bringing up the rear were Alistair S (Laser) and William in his Topper.
At the end of the 2nd lap the leaders were still the same, but Steve P did not come back through the start line and was disqualified (not that he knew this until the end of the race !).
David and Jon C had managed to slip past Mark B to take 4th and 5th spots respectively and Curtis and Adrian had moved past Mike A to 7th and 8th. Peter S and Mike C continued their battle with Peter crossing the line just ahead of Mike C.
Ian C was still leading at the end of the third lap in company with the disqualified 505 with Steve S 2nd and Jon C up to 3rd. Curtis and Adrian were still very close together in 7th and 8th places. Rod B had gained a place moving up to 9th and Sylvia had escaped the clutches of the Leaders moving up two places to 10th. James P had also passed the Leaders and gained two places to 12th. This time round Mike C was just in front of Peter S. At the end of this lap young William received the gun.
At the finish the first two had held their positions, but David C managed to pip Jon to take 3rd, but Newton & Ellen were ominously close in 5th place with Mark B 6th. Adrian managed to nip past Curtis to take 7th.  Further back James P had gained one more place and Peter S had retaken Mike C.
The final positions on the water were 1st Ian C, 2nd Steve S, 3rd David C, but on handicap it is likely that Newton & Ellen will take the second spot from Steve S. Neville, Hugh, Mike C and particularly Hadey should move up quite a few places as they were not far from the back of the Laser pack.
Bad luck for Steve P who sailed the whole of the race, only to find that he was disqualified, but well done to Hugh sailing the Leader single handed and to William who got another finish under his belt in the Topper.

18th January Frostbite 9

 With a North wind about 8 mph, Peter R and team set a first beat up to 6, then down to 2, up to 4 then 5 down to 9 and back through the start. It was a tricky choice which end of the line to choose, the far pin had more wind, but the bank end was probably nearer to 6 in a straight line.

19 boats started and it looked like the far pin was the better choice, although Newton & Ellen (Laser 2000) did well starting from the middle of the line.

There was a certain amount of turmoil as a large number of boats attempted to round 2 at the same time but they seemed to sort themselves out on the way up to 4 !

First back through the line were David C then Mark B in Lasers. It was good to see Mark back on the water after a little break. Newton& Ellen came through in 3rd, very closely followed by the Lasers of Adrian and Jon then Ian C (Supernova).  Sylvia (Laser) was next, going well just in front of Steve S (Laser) and Steve P (505). Rod B (Laser) and Neville (Leader) came through together in 10th and 11th with Curtis (Laser) in close attendance in 12th place. There was then a slight gap to James P (Laser), Mike C (Solo) and Andy B (Laser) followed by Mike A (Laser) who had suffered a slight problem rounding 9 when he discovered his tiller was no longer attached to his rudder!   Not far behind Mike were Hadey (4.7), Alistair (Laser) and William in his Topper.

At the end of the second lap the two leaders were the same but Ian had moved up to 3rd. Steve P had moved up from 9th to 6th, Curtis had got past Neville, Andy B had got past Mike C, Mike A had moved up from 16th to 13th and Alistair had passed Hadey. All the other boats maintained station.

The end of the third and last lap saw David cross the line in 1st place; Ian was now 2nd and Steve P 3rd. Others gaining places on this last lap were Jon C moving up from 7th to 5th, Neville who had repassed Curtis and James who had repassed Mike A on the run down to 9.

The final positions on the water were 1st David C, 2nd Ian C and 3rd Steve P; on handicap the first two are safe but Steve P will lose his 3rd place to Mark B.

The other movers on handicap will be Newton & Ellen who should take 4th, Neville who should get 7th, Hadey 8th and Mike C 9th.


Flood alert

The river Thames just beyond the club now has a flood alert warning, with the forecast for more rain over the next few days levels will continue to rise. Please visit the club this weekend and ensure your boat is secure and tethered so it doesn't take a trip down stream.

Video Of Last Sundays Race

Ellen has edited footage from last Sundays race, if you want to see it follow the link below. We got a bit spread out so but most boats come into view at some point. The camera was on the end of the boom and there is a nice under water shot when the end of the boom went into the water. It all looks a bit more under controlled than I remember, I am sure there was more wind on the day.
Newton

11th January Frostbite 8

Bright and cold with a 16 mph SW wind and quite gusty made a change from last week.
All the Laser sailors decided to go for Radials apart from Adrian who came down to a full sail from his Rooster booster! Steve P abandoned his 505 and joined the Laser Radials and Hugh and Sally got together in Hugh’s new Leader, as Hadey had gone for her 4.7. The only other boat out was young William who bravely ventured forth in his Topper.
Roland S set a beat down to 4 then 3, back to 2 and across to 5 with a run down to 6 and back through the start. In the gusty conditions 3, 2 and 6 were interesting gybe marks!
14 Boats started and the leaders away from the line were David and Jon C and Steve S, all in Lasers, closely followed by Ian C (Supernova) and Newton & Ellen (Laser 2000). Slightly further back came Hugh & Sally (Leader) then James P, Adrian and Mike A (Lasers) with Curtis in another Laser still further back followed by Steve P and Dave L (Lasers) then Hadey 4.7 and William in his Topper.  
On the first lap Ian came to grief and got his mast stuck in the mud and was passed by most of the fleet as he tried to free himself. At the front of the fleet the first four boats were having terrific battle with David C leading the way. James P dry capsized, which allowed Adrian and Mike to slip past him.
On the second lap Dave L suffered a double capsize and disappeared from view eventually retiring on the third lap. Steve P had a few capsizes but kept plugging on. 
By the third lap Adrian had pulled away from Mike who was being caught by James, but these Lasers had managed to get past Hugh & Sally. The four leaders were still locked together at the front of the fleet. Hadey had suffered a number of capsizes and managed to dredge a considerable amount of mud from the bottom of the lake! William was given the gun at the end of his third lap.
There was little change in position on the fourth and fifth laps, but the racing was still tight. The leg from 2 to 5 was a really exciting high speed plane. Hadey was given the gun at the end of her fourth lap and Hugh & Sally and Steve P were finished at the end of their fifth lap.  
Hugh & Sally had survived a near capsize and managed to fill the Leader with water up to the gunwales.
At the end of the sixth and final lap Steve S won the battle of the leaders crossing the line in first place with Jon 2nd, David 3rd and Newton & Ellen 4th. Adrian finished slightly behind this group in 5th and James who has passed Mike the previous lap just managed to hold him off on the last run to take 6th.
The final positions on the water were 1st Steve S, 2nd Jon C, 3rd David C, but on handicap it looks like Newton & Ellen will take all three Lasers for the eventual honours.
The Capsize League was in operation for this race and Steve P was the clear winner with five, followed by Hadey with three and a double, Ian C claimed three, Dave L had at least one double and James had one dry capsize. Hugh & Sally and probably others had near capsizes and there were numerous instances of trailing booms
An invigorating Sunday morning !  


4th January Frost Bite 7

A frosty dull morning with light SE wind reduced the starters to only 7 boats, but did see the first outing for Hugh and Hadey in their new Leader.

Richard S took the wise precaution of setting a short course, in case the wind disappeared completely, with a first beat to 5 then down to X (just North of Tektona), back to 9 and across to 6 and back through the start line.
Steve S (Solo) led at the first mark with Mike A (Laser) next followed by Steve P in the 505 and this was the order at the end of the first lap. Newton & Roz (Laser 2000) were 4th, Curtis (Laser) 5th, Hugh & Hadey (Leader) 6th and Alistair S (Laser) 7th.
On the second lap Steve P passed Mike, who in turn had passed Steve S, to come through the line in the lead. The positions behind these three remained unchanged.
At the end of the third and final lap Mike A crossed the line in 1st place with Steve P in 2nd and Steve S in 3rd, however on handicap Steve S will take the honours with Newton & Roz 2nd and Mike 3rd with Hugh & Hadey pipping Curtis for 4th.


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