14th September Cobley Pursuit 3

 

Nice to see Mark back on the water, but let’s hope we see him next in his Laser rather than in the Safety Boat. There was quite a good wind, 10-11 mph but it was in a slightly tricky ENE direction and Mark opted for a Tektona start coming down to X, then back up to 5, 1, 4 and 3.
There were 16 boats under starter’s orders and first away was young William P in his Topper followed 9 min later by Hadey in the 4.7, then 3 min after Hadey, Mike C (Solo) and Bob & Roland (Leader) set forth. Then 2 min later it was the turn of Newton & Ellen (Laser 2000) and Issy (Radial). Great to see Issy back on the water, another prodigal returning to us. Peter R & Colin H (Enterprise) started soon after followed by the Laser pack, with Paul H (Supernova) 1 min later.  Adrian had to wait another minute before he could get away in his Vago and marking time for another 10 min were Steve & Lynn in the 505. Another welcome back, this time to Lynn who has had to stay away through an injury. It seemed to be a day for returning sailors !
After one lap Newton & Ellen had passed the boats ahead of them and came through in 1st place, Hadey was still hanging onto 2nd, but the Laser of David C was already ominously close in 3rd with Peter & Colin 4th, then the Lasers of Karen, Dave P, Curtis and James P closing in on the Enterprise. Obviously a good day to be in a Laser ! Mike C came through in 9th chased by Issy, Adrian and Paul H.  Adrian was flying his kite when he could, but the runs were not long enough to make a significant difference, still it looked great. Next came the last starter, the 505, which had passed Bob & Roland, Mike T (Laser) and William P.
Newton & Ellen still led at two laps, but David C had moved to 2nd with Peter &Colin 3rd and the Lasers of Karen, Curtis, James P and Dave P in the next four places. The highest mover on this lap was Paul H who had gained three places.
At the end of the third lap David C and Karen had passed Newton &Ellen to take 1st and 2nd places respectively. James P had passed Curtis to move up to 5th and the other movers (upwards!) were Mike C and Paul H who each gained one place and Steve & Lynn who had gained two places.
On the final lap Curtis broke his tiller extension and had to retire before the finish gun.
At the gun the first three were the same, but the main mover was Dave P who had passed Peter & Colin and James P to take 4th place. Well done to William who persevered in his Topper to the end.
The final podium was 1st David C, 2nd Karen, 3rd Newton & Ellen 


7th September Cobley Pursuit Race 2

 

7th September 2014 Cobley Pursuit Series Race 2
 
With a light North wind, which was veering considerably, Jon M set a first leg down to 5, across to 9 then down to 3 and back up the lake.
Another good turn out with 23 boats led off by William P in his Topper followed by John C in the Topaz and then Hugh in a Byte.
At the end of the first lap John C had passed William but he was still in 2nd place. Monica had passed Hugh to take 3rd, Mike A (Lightning) and Chris A (Solo) were next but the Laser pack was making ground with Karen moving up to 7th, closely followed by David C, Curtis, Dave L and Andy Burr. The next boat along was the RS Feva of the Page family, the first Feva to sail in any series so far this year.  They were followed by the three Lasers of James P, Dave I and John W, who were being chased by Adrian in his Vago who had caught and passed Phil A in another Laser. Then there were the three Radials, Sylvia, Jess and Paul who were being caught by the last boat to start, the 505 of Steve P, who had already passed Eddie and Chris M in Lasers who had started out 11 minutes ahead of Steve.
Monica led at the end of the second lap and was being chased by David C who had managed to break clear of the other Lasers. Mike A was now 3rd, but the Lasers of Dave L, Karen and Curtis were breathing down his neck. Hugh had slipped down to 7th with John C 8th and Chris A 9th.  Steve P was flying and had moved up from 20th place to 12th place. 
As many of the boats approached No 6 on the last lap with the race end in sight there was a complete change of fortune as the wind dropped away completely for a while and then came up again in a slightly different direction.  This scuppered Monica’s chances and she retired just before the end gun. Some other boats lost out badly and other gained ground (or should that be water !)
At the finish gun David C was in the lead with Steve P 2nd and Dave I who was in the right place at the right time snatched 3rd from the rest of the Lasers. 


3rd September Gillette Series Race 20

 
This was the final race of the Gillette Series and Ian C had already got the series in the bag. There was a light East wind which forced Mike A to set a Tektona start line coming down towards the clubhouse to X on the first beat.
25 boats started including the Toppers of Edward, Joe and Grace, our future champions !
Ian came through in 1st place followed by Newton (Laser), Steve P (505) and Curtis (Laser).
David C and Karen both in Lasers came next in very close company, then there was a slight gap to the Lasers of Dave I and Dave L. The next three boats were double handers led by Nev & Mike (Leader) then Angela & Paula (Comet Duo) followed by Sally & Stuart in another Leader with Bob L, who is often in his Leader but on this occasion was in a Laser chased by another Leader crewed by Tracey & Carol. (talk about follow my leader !). There was another gap until Mike T (Laser) crossed the line, closely followed by Paul H (Supernova), Sylvia (Radial), Hugh & Hadey (Sport 14) and Alistair J (Laser). Quite a bit further back came Dean (Laser) and Monica in her Europe, who is usually much further up the fleet until the last lap when she often retires to give everyone else a chance ! Towards the back Jess (Radial) was battling with Nick J  (Laser),  followed by the three intrepid Toppers.
By the end of the second lap Steve P had forged to the front pushing Ian down to 2nd and Newton to 3rd. Karen had squeezed past David C and Dave L had got past Dave I. The boats in the middle of the fleet were holding station, but Mike T had moved up two places from 14th to 12th and Hugh and Hadey had got past Sylvia.
Only one more lap as the wind was dropping fast and the first three across the line were the same as the previous lap. Karen had moved up one more place pushing Curtis down to 5th.
David C deliberately sailed round the outer pin to retire, moving Daves L and I, Nev & Mike and Angela & Paula up a place.
The final positions on the water were 1st Steve P, 2nd Ian C, 3rd Newton, however it is likely that Steve in his galleon will be pushed down the order on handicap with Ian taking the final race and the series.

Work Party Saturday 6 September

Remember, it’s not just back to school this week, but Saturday sees all the fun of the fair with a club work party!  Please turn up and do your duty to help out at the club, there will be plenty of jobs both inside and out.
For those of you who are enthusiastic DIYers then please bring some tools with you e.g. hammers, screwdrivers, sockets to help with the jobs (a list can be found below).

The Jolly sailor looks forwards to welcoming you all along and will ensure that the kettle is on with tea and coffee flowing.

1) Access Road – Cutting back vegetation & branches

2) Cleaning Slipways

3) General – Grass & Nettles cutting in Boat Park & Car Park adjacent to river

4) Fill in Potholes in access road (note materials will arrive later in the morning)

5) Tidy up/clear area above ceiling (top of stairs) and remove rubbish

6) Cleaning Clubhouse & Windows inside & out

7) Clearing area between clubhouse and old sheds (any experts at removing trees with tools welcome)

8) Sweep out Red Shed
9) Burn some of the old prunings (small fire please)
For those using strimmers, mowers etc the club advises that long clothing and strong boots are worn, visors & ear protection are available.

Please print your name on the Work Party Sheet, this will be in the club entrance area

31 August 2014 Cobley Pursuit Series Race 1

With a light W wind about 8 – 10 mph, Rod B and team were able to set a start from the bank with a beat down to No 4.
Unfortunately there does not appear to be any lap by lap record or perhaps that should be fortunately !  It may be that for the uninvolved a record of positions lap by lap is about as exciting as watching paint dry or the England team playing test cricket !
The full positions will appear on the website in the results section in due course, so click on that link if you are interested.
The leading positions at the gun were 1st Ian C, 2nd David C, 3rd Curtis, 4th Dave L, 5th Dave I, 6th Peter S. It’s a good job Curtis is not called David or it would have been four Daves in a row in four Lasers. Peter S was sailing a Byte so he would have thankfully broken the sequence anyway !
 
                                                 ˂-/-            1 P
                                           ˂-/-   2 P
                                          ˂-/-   3 P
X                                                                                              ˂—-  Wind direction
                                              ˂–   4 S
                                         ˂–   5 S
 
The above hieroglyphics represent an interesting situation that occurred during the race.
Boats 1, 2 and 3 were approaching the mark X on port tack with the wind roughly behind them. Boat 3 is the windward boat so has to give room to Boat 2 and likewise Boat 2 has to give room to Boat 1 within the limits of sailing a proper course to the mark.
Meanwhile Boats 4 and 5 are approaching the same mark on starboard, Boat 4 has to give room to Boat 5 being the windward boat on this tack, but both these boats have rights over the three port tack boats.
So Boat 3 was getting pushed towards Boat 4  and at the same time Boat 4 was also getting pushed towards Boat 3. What happened was that Boats 2, 3 and 4 gradually converged as none of the boats realised the situation that was developing until it was too late to avoid a collision.
Apparently what should have happened,  bearing in mind that this crude diagram is not to scale,  was that with the appropriate calls Boats 1, 2 and 3 should have come round the back of the two starboard boats giving them right of way.
Looking at the diagram it would also be possible for Boats 1,2 and 3 to gybe away from the mark.
I guess the moral of the story is to try and look ahead and make sure that you communicate as early as possible with the boats around you, at least before you collide !


 

Sunday Racing Cobley Pursuit

This Sunday is the start of the Cobley Pursuit Series. The start is staggered with boats starting at different times depending upon handicap. The slowest – the Mirrors start at 10.30. This is the ideal time for those new to racing to start with a less busy start line. The weather is looking great for sailing, the weed problem is much improved, so come down.

27 August Gillette Series Race 19

There was a SE wind varying between 6 – 10 mph, depending upon which part of the lake you were on. Steve B and team used a Tektona start going down to a blue buoy, roughly where No 1 used to be.  Not sure where 1 was !
21 boats started and it was quite busy round the first mark and Dave L added to the fun by capsizing just in front of the mark.
Steve P (505) got away well and was leading at the end of the first lap from Newton (Laser), Ian C (Supernova), Curtis (Laser), then there was a slight gap to Dave L, Dave I, Andy B and Dave P, all in Lasers. Paula & Angela (Comet Duo) were next across the line in 9th place, closely pursued by Nev & Bob (Leader) then Julian and Chris A in Solos and Sally & Laura in the other Leader. Paul H was very close to the girls (who can blame him !) and behind Paul were the T ladies, Tracey (Comet) just ahead of Amy (Europe). A little further back were Dean & Nick (Laser 2) followed by Chris M (420), Grace J (Topper) and Alistair S (Radial).
At the end of the second lap, there was no change in the positions of the first eight boats, which is quite unusual. Julian had moved up two places to 9th, Nev & Bob were still in 10th, Chris A moved up one place to 11th and Mike A three places to 12th. Tracey was still leading Amy, but they had both moved up one place.
After three laps Steve P was still ahead, but Ian had passed Newton to move up to 2nd and Dave P and Julian had passed Andy B to move to 7th and 8th. Tracey had moved up one place, putting Sally & Laura between her and Amy. Grace did well to complete three laps and finished on that lap along with another 10 boats.
The fourth and final lap saw no change in the positions of the first nine boats, which must be a first for this year in any series.
The final positions on the water were 1st Steve P, 2nd, Ian C, 3rd Newton, but on handicap it is likely that the three boats behind Steve will place before him, giving Curtis 3rd and Steve 4th.


25 August Bank Holiday Monday Lex Cup

This year it was decided to hold two short races. The first was to be a 50 minute pursuit race followed by a short handicap race of approximately 45 minutes.

It was difficult to tell which direction (if any) the wind was coming from and Keith R had a difficult job of setting any course in these conditions. The rain was pouring down and only a hardy few had turned up or should that be only a foolhardy few turned up. Sally & Mike, David C and Mike C decided they were wet enough as it was, without going out on the water at all, so only nine amphibians ventured forth.
In fact there has been a proposal to rename the Lex Cup to St Crispin’s Cup –
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers – for he today that soaks his boat with me shall be my brother, he ne’er so wet this day shall fiddle his position and gentlemen in England now a-bed shall think themselves preserved they were not here and fold their mack hoods neat while any speaks that floats with us upon St Crispin’s Day.   
 
Hadey had the unenviable task of starting first in her 4.7, which gave everyone else the advantage of seeing where the wind was not coming from !
At the end of the first lap Mike A (Lightning) crossed the line first, but Ian C (Supernova) who had started out last was nearly on him with Newton & Roz (Laser 2000) close behind. Hadey was in 4th with Curtis 5th, Dean 6th both in Lasers and Alistair S (Radial) 7th. Halfway through the lap it absolutely threw it down and Julian suddenly came to his senses and thought “What am I doing sitting in the middle of a lake, hardly moving and getting soaking wet” and wisely retired!
Halfway through the second lap the allotted time expired with Ian leading and Newton & Roz second. Curtis was just about to pass Mike for third place when he was foiled by the hooter. Dean finished fifth with Hadey sixth and Alistair seventh.
 
So immediately on to the second race which was a handicap, in more ways than one, with hardly any wind and visibility so poor in the driving rain that most took  the start gun to be a fog horn!
Dean and Alistair thought “S** this for a game of soldiers” and declined to start.
Ian C crept away at the front, followed slowly by Mike A then Curtis, Newton & Roz and Hadey.
Keith thankfully brought this to an end after one lap with no change in the positions.
 
The final outcome is likely to be 1st Ian, 2nd Mike, 3rd Newton & Roz and double pneumonia all round !
 


24 August Summer Series Race 11

 

With a light fickle wind, Phil M and team had set a short beat to No 8 then up to 5 and across to 2 to 3 and then a long, long run to No 6.
Before the start Newton & Roz had to return to shore as Roz insisted that their stowaway, a Grasshopper, be safely returned to terra firma. (Good on you Roz). Newton reluctantly agreed as he did not want to chance being penalised for a jump start !
Dave I decided to create a bit of mayhem up at the pin end by crossing the line early then coming straight back round hitting Amy pushing her into Mike and rafting the three boats together just as the gun went (not really what you want at the start).  At the end of the first lap, Ian C (Supernova) came through 1st, (now there’s a change !),followed by Curtis (Laser), Peter R single handed in his Enterprise and then Dave L (Laser). Julian (Solo) was in 5th place, but then there was a line of boats only separated from one another by seconds. This flotilla was led by Newton & Roz (Laser 2000), Mike C (Solo), and then the four Lasers of Mike A, John W, James P and Dave I, followed by the two Leaders of Nev & Paul and Sally & Mike. Eddie B was on his own in 14th place with a gap back to Tracey (Comet) and Amy (Europe) who as usual were stuck together, but interesting to see Amy out in Paul R’s Europe. Not sure if this is a permanent change of craft or a try it and see. Behind them Jess (Radial) and Hadey (4.7) were having a good battle with Paul W (Radial) trying to catch them. Good to see Paul D (Radial) out again and the Toppers of William and Rhys P gamely bringing up the rear of the fleet.
The second lap saw the four leaders cross the line in the same places, but Newton & Roz and Mike A had slipped past Julian. John W, James P and Dave I were having a terrific scrap in their Lasers in midfield. Sally & Mike and Eddie B had got past Nev & Paul and behind them Amy had passed Tracey, but only just! Paul W and Hadey had both managed to get past Jess, with Paul D, William and Rhys still in the same order at the back.
Third lap and the first five remained the same but Julian had got back in front of Mike A, and Nev & Paul had moved up three places by passing Sally & Mike, Mike C and Dave I. Eddie B had moved past Amy and Tracey, who were still stuck very close together and Hadey had passed and pulled a gap on Paul W with Paul D closing up.  The Topper lads William and Rhys did not come round for the third lap having been finished early the lap before, but well done boys !
Again at the end of lap four the leading five boats were in the same order but Ian was pulling a significant lead out at the front. Mike A had passed Julian again and these two were trading places every lap and between. John W and James P were very close together and had slightly pulled away from Dave I and Mike C who were both just behind Nev & Paul. A little further back Sally & Mike were sailing in isolation and behind them Amy had opened up a slight lead on Tracey.  Paul W had a good fourth lap and repassed Hadey who was now having to fend off Paul D with Jess a little further back.
The fifth and last lap saw some dramatic changes as the wind fell away, but Ian was still well away at the front with Curtis now some way behind him, but still in 2nd. Dave L and Newton & Roz had both managed to take Peter and push him down to 5th.  Julian had passed Mike A and managed to drop him on the run down to No 6. Then John W and James P also passed Mike and Dave I made up ground to join this battle. At one point there were four Lasers line abreast running down to No 6. By staying out on the buoy line Mike managed to round 6 in front of the other three Lasers who all came round together with Dave I managing to pip the other two right on the line. James P was obviously overcome with excitement and took a dip immediately after or even in the act of crossing the line.
The final positions on the water were 1st Ian , 2nd Curtis, 3rd Dave L, but Newton & Roz will probably squeeze into 2nd on handicap.


1 … 73 74 75 76 77 … 106