Wednesday Evening Series 2008
Final Series Results
End of Series Fun Race - the Graham and Bradley show
Because frankly there was never anyone else in the race... A bit of a disappointing finale with rain and a rather inconsistent breeze, that kept looking as if it was going to be fun but never really stuck around long enough...
Race wise the Hughes embarrassed the rest of us quite comprehensively, and won easily and deservedly. As for the rest of us, well for me, they say you should learn something new every day, and today I learned firstly about the ldap get attribute function and secondly that there's a great big patch of weed a suprisingly long way out from the bank between marks and and seven, and its just thin enough that you think, as you slide in, that the boat has somehow got out of the groove upwind, until you realise that its got quite thick enough to comprehensively halt a Canoe and its time to pull the foils up and drift out sideways...
I hope that folk have seen and maybe even enjoyed these write ups- feel free to catch me in the club house or drop me an email and say so if you did - let me know if I'm not just typing for myself, because the webstats aren't that encouraging...
Week 16 - Very Very Windy
We had 5 starters for the final race of the series, held in a force 4-6 wind. The wind had moderated considerably from the force 8, 35 knot gusts that had been going through 45 minutes before the start. We had a single start for the two Solos, RS300, RS400 and Laser EPS on a course that promised to have a bit of everything, including the longest beat on the lake from 2 to 7. Unfortunately, the wind shifted a fraction and the run only needed to be gybed by the asymmetric kite on the first lap and the hoped for screaming reach became a bit broader.
Peter Curtis started from the pin end, having spotted the port shift in the last couple of minutes and got away well. All others got away cleanly and half way up the beat the eventual finish places had already been settled, Mike Curtis arriving at 7 ten seconds or so ahead of his brother, and Gareth in his new Solo just behind Mike Storey in the EPS. Peter Halliday brought up the rear, but was never completely left behind. The key here, of course, was making up the time for the handicaps. Relative positions tended to depend on whether you got a wind lane on the run, so Mike Storey had a good one on the first run and halved the deficit to Peter. Peter, however, had a tremendous gust on the second lap that carried him most of the way from 7 all the way to 3. It was definitely one of those "sit absolutely still and hope the wind doesn't get even stronger" rides. This made important ground on the 400 and carried out of sight of the EPS.
The light was fading rapidly when the race officer called a halt to proceedings - 45 minutes for the first boat, and the Solos were packing away in the dark. Who made up the time? Well, the 300, thanks to that tremendous run, managed to pip the 400 by a full 2 seconds. Gareth was third, Mike Storey fourth and Peter H fifth.
The overall series results were Carl and Julie Mayhew first in an RS400, Peter Curtis second in an RS300 and Mike Curtis and Julie third in another RS400.
Thanks to Peter Curtis for the write up.
Week 15 - Getting light later in August??
It has to be said it was a real drifter tonight - 45 to 50 minutes to do one lap, admittedly of a good sized course. When we got to the club the weather looked quite decent, a force two quite easily I should think, but it got progressively lighter until from just after the Laser start onwards there was just enough air drifting across the reservoir to maintain steerage way... Curiously it was suprisingly steady and constant - normally in those conditions you expect random gusts from anywhere, but by and large you could just set the sails and go...
There was a strong Solo turnout, the highlight of which was, I guess, Gareth Griffiths' new (to him) and very sparkly boat. Gareth took an early lead, and kept it, although the fleet condensed considerably on the last leg. Amongst the fast fleet the leading entertainment was, I fear, your scribe. Getting the Canoe to go deep in the light involves getting the weight as far forward as possible, a reasonable angle of heel, and holding the boom out. With the weight just behind the mast what is immersed is the roundy bow sections, not the flatter stern ones. Add to that an angle of heel that gets all the flat bits clear of the water anyway and what's left is tippy. And you're holding the boom out with a suitable limb, steering etc etc. Yes, you've guessed it, down the last leg the balance let me down and over I went. Fortunately to leeward, and I reckon that all that was lost capsizing was gained on the recovery as the water streamed aft off the mainsail!
Results wise it was a considerable Solo benefit as one might expect. In fact conversation in the fast fleet before our start suggested that the Solo was going to be the weapon of choice, at least in the absence of the Hughes and their Graduate. Gareth won the race by an margin of close to a minute. Second was the very mature Frank Beanland, somehow contriving to sail his boat faster than the others but apparently not moving a muscle. Very neat. Peter Cotterell, Arthur Phillips and Mervyn Cinnamond followed him over the line during the next 30 seconds. 6th, and first non-Solo went to Fiona and Rob Fardon, in spite of the fact that they kept the kite firmly in the chute after establishing very quickly that it was not going to aid progress at all...
Series status - well look at the link to the standings. I reckon the first four places are settled now with one race to go, but feel free to contradict me...
Week 14 (July 30th) Now that's a typical Wednesday evening race, Rob...
We've been kidding Rob Fardon for a while that, with the last two summers having been predominantly windy, he's never experienced a typical Wednesday evening race... Well we had it in spades tonight...
Before we got onto that though, thanks to Tessa Groves and Jamie Scott, who agreed with no notice whatsoever to run the racing for us tonight. Rigging time we had a nice southerly, I suppose F2ish, and they set a straightforward quadrilateral course. I remember seeing Graham & Bradley Hughes take an early lead from the Solo start, but frankly that was the last I saw of them.. They were followed by Messrs Cotterell and Cinnamond in Solos. There was just one Laser, but a sprinkling of boats at the last start in spite of several club members being absent for the annual Studland beach week... Carl and Julie took an early lead from the fast fleet, and got away being able to fly the kite on all three downwind legs. The race proceeded in a fairly standard way until lap three. At this point I believe the Hughes were a mile in front, being chased by Carl and Julie with the Solos next, and then a short gap to the rest. As the shorten course went for the Hughes the Solos were about at the end of the top reach, and the chasing bunch starting it. At this point a blanket of no wind popped over the windward wall of the reservoir and made its way downwind. Just like the "good" old days...
Graham & Bradley finished handily in front of Carl and Julie, and Peter Cotterell and Mervyn Cinnamond slipped across the line in the last of the wind. As for the rest of us... well, it was twenty minutes before another boat finished!
So Graham & Bradley Hughes wo very eaily in their Graduate - over 5 corrected minutes clear of Carl and Julie. Those two don't often have to look at that sort of margin, so great performance guys. Third was Peter Cotterell, and 4th Mervyn Cinnamond. Then the becalmed group, of which Fiona and Rob Fardon came out best, just ahead of John Smith...
Week 13 (July 23rd) Another light one...
Well, rigging time was enlivened by your scribe trying a new approach to rigging the Canoe. Putting the foils on with the boat upside down at the jetty worked well enough, but comments from the spectators makes my think my radical new technique will be slow to gain global acceptance... Also not having a good start to the evening were the race team, what with a timepiece malfunction and a flag halyard breaking the start sequences were unusual too. Still we all got away on our right starts, and the Solo folk even had a practice start when the aforementioned halyard gave way on their two minute gun!
Race wise Graham and Bradley Hughes were, as they say, seen leaving in the Graduate from the slow boat start, and Carl and Julie Mayhew did a similar job from their start six minutes later... The rest of us had a more eventful race, with a fair bit of place changing and general action. I remember without much joy, for example, a run in which the two hundred yards of clear water I'd built up over the previous half lap or so almost completely evaporated in a single gust from behind as I sat in a personal calm patch...
When the sums were done Carl and Julie won from Graham and Bradley, with Mike Curtis and Julie Harrison 3rd, Mike Storey 4th in the EPS, John Magrath 5th in a Laser and Peter Cotterell 6th in his Solo.
As far as the series is concerned Carl and Julie Mayhew will now be very hard to catch indeed. Peter Curtis still has a mathematical chance, but only, I think, if Carl and Julie clock up a couple of substantially down the pan results to drop their average (duty) points. Mike Curtis isn't looking bad for third, but its open yet, with both Gareth Griffiths and Mike Storey in easy reach if they get the right results.
Week 12 (July 16th) - a more traditional evening...
Yep, tonights weather was a more traditional lighter airs affair, although there was always a good racing breeze - no calm patches. The course was a q - beat, two shy reaches and a run back to the start, which is a good lively course. The reaches were fairly shy, but no great problem for the spinnaker boats most of the time.
There was good racing right round the fleets. The Solos especially had a lively race with plenty of place changing, and Graham and Bradley Hughes in their Graduate were also in there at the start, but took off ahead of the Solos after lap one which is not what's supposed to happen according to the handicap...
Amongst the fast fleet Peter Curtis and Mike Storey were having a good battle until Peter finally got away on the last lap or two. Indeed on the last couple of laps virtually the whole fleet was condensed into a single leg of the course, with only Mike Curtis and Julie Harrison in their 400 and my Canoe clear of the pack. There ought to be more to write about what was happening with so much going on, but suffice to say it was a damn good evening's racing, and a perfect antidote to all the worries at work prepping for this weekend's major upgrade:-). No doubt others were escaping similar pressures...
Anyway results wise Mike & Julie's clear air got them a good race win: their second in three weeks. Graham and Bradley Hughes got a well deserved second place with the Grad, having beaten several theoretically faster boats on the water. Fiona and Rob Fardon (Rob especially chuffed that they got ahead of the RS300 on the first run) took third place, Peter Curtis 4th in the RS300, and Mike Storey 5th. Gareth Griffiths took sixth and was first of the Solos: others in the fleet claim they let him through as it was his last race in 3385 before he upgrades to a new boat. Hmmm with extra mmmm is my comment on that proposition!
Week 11 (July 9th) - Wet and Windy
With the Moth Worlds at Weymouth being blown off all week I was expecting serious wind tonight. Fortunately it seems to have diminished some on the journey up from Dorset and we got a F4ish evening with loads of cold drizzle and some big guists. Turnout was, predictably, diminished...
I was working late and missed the start, but by the time I got there the faster boats had already cut through the Lasers, with Carl Mayhew leading, in his RS600 tonight, with what looked like a reasonable lead over Mike Curtis and Julie Harrison in their 400, but with Peter Curtis tailing Mike rather too closely for Carl's comfort I thought...
Course wise it was beat, shy reach, more or less run, shorter beat broad reach. This didn't look bad for singlehanders to me... I was ducking in out of the rain rather than really watching: that did seem to be the story of the race, Carl a good way clear but Peter very close to Mike. When it came to finishing time the race box stopped the fleet after Carl Mike and Peter had gone through, so those three had an extra lap. Carl really seemed to hit the turbo button for that one, and hurled round it what seemed to be a quite unfeasible lap time...
Results wise Peter got it by a whole 2 seconds from Carl. Mike and Julie took third place, with Fiona and Rob Fardon (who seemed to have had quite a quiet steady race) 4th from Mike Storey in the EPS. 6th went to Jamie Scott as first Laser.
Week Ten (July 2nd) - Wimbledonitis?
A very depleted turnout, though why you Brits have such enthusiasm for watching your countryman get knocked out beats me... Anyway this was more of a typical Wednesday evening, sunny with cloudy patches, and a breeze that frankly never looked like the F3 that the anenometer sometimes claimed...
From the start Gareth Griffiths took took an early lead in the Solos, and John Magrath headed the Lasers. The course was another more complex one, beat, long broad "need to gybe" reach, beat, another broad reach and a short shy reach back to the start. The RS400s, with Carl and Julie Mayhew leading Mike Curtis and Julie Harrison, were very soon amongst the slow boats. It was just the conditions for the RS400s, with their reasonably generous sail area and slippery low wetted area hulls really paying - they never really got to stall in the lightest patches unlike everyone else.
The three Solos, Peter Cotterell and Mervyn Cinnamond joining Gareth, were having a notably close battle round the first lap with Peter slipping through to take the lead on the first beat of the second lap. Carl/Julie and Mike/Julie were also having a pretty close race, with Mike almost getting ahead at the end of the second lap. The RS400s were sufficiently far ahead to be sent round for a third lap whilst everyone one else did two, and the last lap concluded in a very exciting approach to the penultimate mark where Mike just slipped past Carl and then held on to the consequent lead to the gun.
Handicap wise the 400s won by a mile - seven minutes on handicap, with Mike pipping Carl of course. Mike and Julie went home well satisfied:-) Peter, Gareth and Mervyn were 3rd 4th and 5th with the Solos, and Peeter Curtis rounded off the top 6.
Week Nine (June 25th) - Glorious Sailing Weather
Actually, to be fair, it was pretty d*** windy at launching time (again!) and some of our more mature sailors elected to stay on the beach. On the other hand the fast fleet was very well populated with as good a turnout as we've had this seaon, in spite of two of the fast fleet regulars being on the committee boat...Course wise, with just about the longest evening of the series and plenty of wind we elected to do something a little different. So it was a long beat, a shy reach, a long run back to the bottom of the lake, a shorter beat, then a shy reach acrops the lake and a "not quite a run" back to the start. That's not very clear is it? Oh well. We ope there was a leg for pretty much everyone...
The first two starts did not, as you might say, "push the envelope"but the fast fleet start was well contested with the gold star going to Mike Storey in the EPS. Weather at this stage was I guess F5ish, somewhat gusty, but without some of the vicious shifts we've had the last couple of weekends... The earlier starters seemed to find most of the wrong shifts up the first beat and maybe didn't get as much of a lead as they'd have liked in the conditions. The fast fleet was well condensed, although Carl Mayhew showed ahead early, tonight sailing in his RS600. A very tight race was also evident between Fiona and Rob in their RS200, the two elder Groves Tessa and Andy) in their Scorpion (which has a very similar yardstick to the 200), and the two younger Groves (Nicola and Alex)in another RS200. Fiona and Rob were ahead at this stage...the wind then tended to lighten somewhat.
On lap two, aided by an aqueous adventure from Mike Curtis and Julie Harrison, which put them back with the RS200s and Scorpion Carl started to build a lead. Amongst the Lasers John Smith had built up a bit of a lead and was making good progress, and Nicola and Alex had cleared the other two of their three way battle. Mike Storey was looking pretty well placed too until a rather extended capsize cost him several minutes. Looking at the race situation on Lap three we decided that the wind was dropping, and it was going to be best to finish everyone at the windward mark on lap 4, so we took a quick confort break before headed back out with the S flag. At ths point of course the wind piped up a bit, and we had a quite a struggle to get to the commitee boat in time to hoise a flag and give the sound signal in tie for Carl, and then an even bigger struggle to get the anchor up and motorup the windward mark in time to finish him!
Results wise Carl took the race by a narrowish margin from Nicola and Alex. Nicola claims this was her first race steering a boat for several years, so was pretty pleased, but of course in the mean time the Groves siblings have collected plenty of glassware and better in their regular craft, so the rest of us were expecting that sort of result:-) I have a feeling this may have been the first time Carl has won a wednesday evening race in his 600 (although loads in the 400 of course) so he should be pleased too. John Smith was a very competetive third in a Laser, Tessa and Andy 4th in the Scorp, Fiana and Rob only 4 corrected seconds behind for 5th, and Mike and Julie 6th.
Week Eight (June 18th) Windy and Gusty
Well, I dunno, what happened to week after week of hot sun and light airs dying as the evening goes on? Like last year the Wednesday series seems to be notably windy. This one was greeted with at least F3, often F4 with plenty of Force 5 and more gusts. Southerly win, not as dramatically shifty as at the weekend, but still pretty nasty at times...
With a straight onshore wind at the clubhouse area launching was fun for many... We invented a new way of launching for Matt Stiles' International Moth after more conventional techniques failed. I call this the "off pontoon waterstart". You take the moth to the end of the Pontoon on her side, and the assistant holds the boat by the rig, heeled about 45 degrees to windward and roughly on a close reach. The sailor jumps in the water, positions himself in the toe straps and takes mainsheet and rudder. At the crucial moment he sheets in and the helper throws the rig up, and the Moth joins the race very handily.
We had a beach start fairly close to the bank and leeward shore, so starting could be a bit fraught for those of us who are less masters of our chosen boats than others are... Stay upwind and duck downwind on the 2 minute seemed to be a common choice... Those who were well in control found this a bit irritating I think... The best end, for those who were thinking about such subtleties, was changing frequently, varying from mildly right end to (when I started) quite challenging to get across the line at all on starboard whilst avoiding right of way and perfectly under control Scorpions...
Race wise... Well, I confess I ran through my capsize/energy reserve fairly soon, and didn't pay a great deal of attention. There were one or two quite unaccustomed swimmers between those of us with thin blue boats who are a bit more used to unscheduled visits into the water. My excuse is I would have been fine in XXX hadn't capsized just where I was planning to tack for the windward mark. Yeah right... Carl and Julie Mayhew's RS 400 were seen disappearing into the distance in much spray, although they reported having trouble holding the boat down upwind. Ha. You should worry! I remember seeing Mike Storey going very fast down one reach in his EPS on a big gust, Gareth Griffiths leading the Solos from quite early on, Alex and Tessa Groves looking good in their very good looking Scorpion...
Results wise Carl and Julie took the race by over a minute from Peter Curtis in his RS300. Gareth took third with the Solo. That's also the current series top three! Mike Storey took 4th, Alex and Tessa 5th, and Arthur Phillips rounded off the top 6, also in a Solo.
Series wise I guess we're about half way and its looking very close between Carl/Julie Mayhew and Peter Curtis. They've been swapping wins and overall lead regularly. After them I think its anyone's game between Gareth, Mike Curtis/Julie Harrison, Mike Storey and Arthur Phillips. Game on!
Week Seven (June 11th) - Lighter and variable
There were some ominous clouds about, but the rain held off. Although it looked pretty windy when folk were at work it was really force twoish at rigging time, and so it proved for the race. The Solos (plus Graham Potter's Albacore) got away on probably the best of the wind, but all the starts had enough to be interesting. The course was vaguely what I think of as a Bruce Banks course - if you're familiar with their sailmakers badge maybe you know what I mean - consisting of a beat, starboard hand rounding at the windward mark, a reach, then a starboard rounding gybe mark for another reach which crosses the line of the beat, and then two port roundings with a reach in between to get back to the beat. The wind was swinging some and tended to go round during the evening, making the beat increasingly one sided.
The wind tended to come through in bands, leading to a lot of compression on the runs. Down the first run, which for the fast fleet was an exceedingly light affair, Peter Curtis looked at the Solos in the distance and remarked that it looked like a Solo night. That seemed to be the story for the fast fleet, going down the runs in very light stuff watching the clock ticking away...
The Solos were having a good old race in fact - they never seemed to be very far away from each other, and all four finished within a minute of each other. Results wise Peter's prediction proved true - the Solos took 1st to 4th, in order Gareth Griffiths, Mervyn Cinnamond, Peter Cottrell and Arthur Phillips, with John Magrath 5th in his Laser the only one to disturb the Slow start racers domination of the evening. Graham Potter, having a rare outing in his Albacore took sixth, but the real highlight of Graham's race was the last leg, where a low beam of sunshine came under the louring clouds and lit up his boat like a spotlight...
Week Six (June 4th) - Sun, yes and some breeze too...
Arriving at the club it looked pretty light, and one of those evenings where the wind will dwindle too. And the wind certainly dogged out later last night when we were doing the training. So the team set a shortish course, beat, reach, run, reach. At least that was the plan...
It was still fairly quiet as the Solos got away, with Arthur Phillips taking the lead, but Will Harris looking usfully placed in spite of lightish conditions. The Lasers too had a quietish start, but soon after the fast fleet started the wind started to build a bit. As a result what had been a short course started to look very short. And then the wind swung round, enough initially to make the beat very one sided. And then the laps started to get very short - indeed the word frenetic sprang readily to mind. The wind actually built to around F3 I would guess, and eventually swung enough to make the beat and eventually even the first reach close to being fetches. You'd normally think this would make for something of a processional race, but it didn't seem to work like that. I think the sheer freneticity (is that a word? It is now!) rather made up for the lack of a beat, at least at the end of my plank. consequently I don't have that much of a picture of what else was going on...
The front of the fast fleet, consisting of Peter Curtis (RS300) Mike Curtis and Julie Harrison (RS400) and even self in the Canoe rather hurtled into the pack in front of us with a lot of place changing amongst ourselves. Well place changing on the water anyway, handicap was a different matter I fear! One bit I particularly remember was on the bottom reach, which was just about right for the RS400 on this leg. Consequently, as 400s do, it was towing quite a wave system. Peter in the 300 was surfing down this system trying to get out a a blanketing bunch of Lasers and Solos. The Canoe, on the other hand, was revelling in it, having gone low, and was surfing up the other side of this wave system and catching the 400 fast. So yes, you've guessed it, as we neared the 400 transom Peter and I found ourselves fighting for the same spot on the same wave... Fortunately a mark came along and we had to desist before there could be too much "discussion" of who had rights to take what proper course!
By about lap 3 or 4 the top reach was very shy, and windy enough to give quite a choice of angles. Will Harris was defending the high option in his 4.7, always the best bet if you've got the smallest sail, and John Magrath who was leading the full rig Lasers had considerable trouble breaking through. Arthur Phillips was well clear of the bunch in his Solo, but the fast boats were powering through, and the first two sailed the last lap in quite a procession. Could I get past Mike?: could I ****!
Anyway when I worked out the results Peter was first by a good margin, Arthur 2nd, Mike/Julie 3rd, Gareth Giffiths 4th in another Solo, John Magrath 5th and Will dead heated for 6th with Peter Cotterell's Solo.
Series wise its starting to take shape. Peter Curtis and Carl/Julie Mayhew share the lead counting 3 wins each (one was a dead heat), with Mike Curtis, Arthur Phillips and Mike Storey all within .3 of a point of each other in 3rd place.
Week Five - Some Serious Breeze
Something of a light turnout this week, partially holidays, partly a pretty intimidating forecast. It was pretty gusty in the end, often F4, a good bit of F5 and some bursts of F6 to shake any cobwebs out. The wind was southerly, normally a bit steadier than the North easterlies we've had the last couple of weeks, but I don't know that it was really *that* different.
The course was a quadrilateral, beat, reach, run reach, and in the breeze the reaches were looking something on the shy side for the spinnaker boats. First away were Gareth Griffiths in a Solo and Will Harris in his Laser 4.7. Will was looking pretty usefully placed right from the start, ahead of the Solo (which gives time to the 4.7!)
The main Laser start was a bit uneventful, but the fast fleet had Peter Curtis in an RS200 with Julie Harrison having a good old battle with Fiona and Rob Fardon up the first beat, although first round the mark was my Canoe, coming in from the horizon at a predictable velocity... Sadly (for me) my race didn't last very long as I managed the cunning trick of stepping off the back of the in a gybe - one of those manouvers only really likely in a Canoe - and which left me a long swim to catch up with the boat... It really complicated Fiona's gybe for the mark though as she had to allow for both boat and sailor in different parts of the lake:-)
Peter and Julie had the best of the RS200 match as Fiona and Rob had a bad evening for kite snags, but the evening most definitely belonged to Will Harris who sailed a skilled and measured race to win by nearly a minute on handicap. Peter and Julie got second, Gareth third, Mike Storey 4th in the EPS. Jamie Scott was 6th and first "normal" Laser.
Week Four - Yes, Sun and Wind again:-)
Probably F4 much of the time, easterly come north easterly and not very warm, but a nice racing breeze. Another P course - or strictly a q course as it was port hand rounding, with the middle reach probably the tightest. The turnout was very severely depleted - apparently there was some soccer event on. I wouldn't know...
The Lasers and Solos had the worst turnouts - only one eachof the front of fleet bopats, although that was partly because three Solos were running the evening. The fast fleet was pretty much at full strength aand enjoyed some pretty intense racing. All were in the bunch for the top mark, with your scribe's Canoe just in front of Carl and Julie Mayhew, but no real chance of holding them off on the reaches. Mike Curtis/Julie Harrison and Peter Curtis were a little bit back with Mike Storey. The first two got a very light first reach though, and the fleet condensed some. Carl/Julie did seem to break away from the rest early, but unsusually never got very far away, whilst Peter and Mike/Julie were scrapping for position. Mike eventually got away from Peter on a bit of a private gust, but not nearly far enough to save his time. It always seemed to be lighter downwind for the singlehanders in this race, but maybe that was because the 400s were often struggling to make the marks on the reaches in the bigger gusts.
On the laptop Peter won by a good 25 seconds from Carl/Julie, with Mike/Julie a little further back. The next four places were all within seconds of each other, but Mike Storey claimed 4th with his EPS, Arthur Phillips 5th, and Fiona and Rob Fardon 6th after what must have been a pretty lonely race...
Week Three - Sun and Breeze again
Force three again, but roughly north easterly, and as usual with more gusts and unsteadiness than the prevailing south westerlies. I say force three, but some of the gusts came in pretty fast and furious, and it could be challenging at times - well challenged me anyway! Course wise we had a P course of beat, a fairly shy reach under the reservoir bank, a nice fast reach back to the middle, and then a run back to the start. This is one of my favourite course configurations, with plenty of interest, and, with an apposite late course change, was nicely set by the duty team.
As I actually went sailing this week the notes are necessarily a bit ragged, but I remember a tight looking Laser start, and I think John Leheup was first to the windward mark from Rob Pettit. At the fast fleet start we saw Mike Curtis back in a 400 again, with Julie Harrison at the sharp end, and they started very evenly with Carl and Julie Mayhew (400) Peter Curtis (300) and Fiona and Rob there too. The two leading 4OOs were swapping places up the beat, with Peter not far behind. It was pretty nadgery at the top mark under the bank, and Peter and I looked in some disgust at the sight of the 400s disappearing on a gust we never saw... Peter got back some yards though as being the first of our fleet to have read the course change board properly...
The 400s went on to have a good old race from where I was perched: although Carl/Julie got through to a small lead it was never comfortable, and Mike/Julie were never far away. Peter, aided by a nice true run, was always looking competitive. The 400s could fly kites on all three reaches, but looked to be struggling in some of the wilder gusts under the clubhouse. There was some pretty wild ones too... It always seemed to be famine or feast up there: either cursing in no breeze or struggling with a nasty gust onslaught and no water to windward to let you spot it coming. John L, Rob and John Smith were having a good old battle in the Lasers too, punctuated by a bit of swimming on Mr Leheup's part... By the look of the figures Gareth Griffiths and Arthur Phillips were having a bit of a battle at the front of the Solo fleet too.
Results were close again. Carl/Julie took the race by a whole seven seconds from Peter, with Mike/Julie 14 seconds behind Peter. 4th, 5th and 6th were Rob Pettit, Fiona/Mike and Gareth, so one from each start, and no more than 6 corrected seconds separating the three of them. There was plenty of opportunities for errors out there, and places hanging on the smallest errors: I guess that (apart from, of course, talking it over accompanied by a beer and chips afterwards) is why we do it...
Week Two - That's more like it...
Yep, warm, force 3, sunshine, and the red globe of the sun sinking slowly in the west as the race progresses. That's more what we wanted to see on the tin. The course was moderate length beat, fast reach, shortish beat, run, shy reach, so there should have been a bit for most folk. The startline looked somewhat starboard biased to your scribe, but not everyone agreed... The slow fleet was spaced along the line somewhat, with Will Harris in the 4.7 showing well early on. The Lasers were pretty bunched at the right end, Clare James (Radial) and John Magrath showing early. The fast start also showed a starboard preference, with Carl and Julie Mayhew (400) and Peter Curtis (300) looking good, whilst Matt Stiles elected to start from the other end in his Moth and take everyones transoms for clear air and the right. Right looked good to us on the bank too, and Mike Curtis (400) went right early to pick up what looked like a good shift to get right back up with Carl.
In the race Carl did something of a job on the rest of the fast fleet, taking a generous lead that was getting on for a leg at the finish. Peter Curtis didn't look too far back for the handicap though. The 4.7 was looking good value, ahead of the Solos for a lot of the race, whilst among the Solos Graham Potter was doing well until he elected to wash the sail...
It looked a pretty good race all round from the bank, although I didn't spot any exciting enough incidents to be worth a comment. Results wise it was something of a fast fleet benefit. Carl/Julie and Peter Curtis dead heated for first place on handicap. This leads to the bizarre series position where they are in an unbreakable tie for first in the series, Carl & Julie having two wins, and Peter a win for this week and an average points first place for his turn at race management last week! Mike Curtis took third and Fiona/Rob Fardon 4th after a quietish race in the 200, demonstrating that starting, as they do, with the fast fleet this year doesn't really make much difference. Mervyn Cinnamond took 5th in his Solo, and John Magrath 6th in a Laser.
Week One - Dank, Dark and D**** Uncomortable
The Wednesday evening series kicked of this year on what was frankly a pretty unpleasant evening. Persistent drizzle with some wetter and some dry bands coming through. When the team arrived at the club the wind was a bit south of west and a reasonable force 3. There were clouds about though, so swings and things were always possible. As people started to rig and we started to set up a course the wind went round to south west and dropped to 1-2ish, with a few glassy patches appearing. There was also a big black cloud that looked ominous. We figured that with the available light a 40 minute race was all we could hope for, and set a course that we planned to be beat, reach, run, tight reach, broader reach back to the start.
When we got on the committee boat to set up the start the wind dropped more and went South more, so we set a different beat and left the rest unchanged, expecting the wind to maybe swing back, and set the line with plenty of port end.
A rather small fleet joined us on the water, and frankly who can blame them... It was very light for the Solo/slow handicap start, and Gareth Griffiths and Arthur Phillips duelled some at the port end and took a light/middle course up the beat with the others in much the same area. In the Lasers Rob Petit and John Smith took the port end, but Mike Curtis took, suprisingly, a rather unfavoured looking middle to right end of the line and headed determinedly right, tacking off a fair way up when it looked rocky ahead... The fast start was a quiet affair with Mike Storey (EPS) and Carl/Julie Mayhew (RS400) both taking the port end. Just after their start the wind came in quite a bit and went a bit towards the west. The fast boats stormed up the beat with the extra breeze, soon taking out all the lead the slower boats had established during their six minutes start. Frankly that was pretty much the race over. The angles on the reaches came just right for Carl and Julie, who sailed their normal measured and controlled race to win at a canter. Mike Storey sailed a nice neat race to be a good second, an the rest fought for the scraps from their table, with Arthur Phillips getting the last podium spot. Mike Curtis took 4th, and his mid line start seemed to have been the right choice. Still coffee was warm, beer cool, fish and chips freshly cooked: there have been worse evenings in my life!
IBRSC Results Archive
Use this link for a partial archive of IBRSC results over the last few years.
