by Adam Hilton
Tamar 7
Nathan Pollard emerged from a bunch of boats crowding the start line, led the long beat into the
Northwest winds to West White buoy and powered on to end the three laps with a two minute lead over second-placed Bob Sampson in the other full-sailed Laser. This was a day of violent and short-lived gusts of wind which the successful helm had to turn into speed rather than merely spill in order to survive. There were two Bosuns in the race. John Dabbs, with Linda Spiller crewing, led with Brian Pollard, Penny Abbott as crew, following. Between them, on the first lap, was Adam Hilton’s Solo which then managed to get past and sail on in clean air. Behind, but not very far behind, were Jane Anderson and Vicki Duncalf in Toppers. With only ten minutes between first and last at the finish the handicaps were bound to make a substantial difference to the results. And they did; Vicki Duncalf went from last to third; Adam Hilton from third to last!
- Jane Anderson (Topper)
- Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
- Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
- John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
- Brian Pollard and Penny Abbott (Bosun)
- Bob Sampson (Laser Full)
- Adam Hilton (Solo)
Tamar 8
Jane Anderson and Adam Hilton, at the pontoon end of the start line, were abandoned by the wind and faced a long struggle to get back on terms with the fleet because those to leeward had taken off on a gust and were well into the middle of the Lake. The two Lasers again led, with Nathan Pollard ahead of Bob Sampson, but not by much until the end of the second lap when he managed to pull away and ended the race with a couple of minutes lead. There were now three Bosuns in the fleet with Roger Heasman, crewed by Rick Thurlow, joining. They finished each lap behind the others, with John Dabbs and Linda Spiller again at the front of the Bosun convoy. The main changes to the order were caused by the Hilton Solo gradually working its way past the Bosuns; all three having been passed just before the finish, only for John Dabbs to pull ahead again between Dam Green and the finish line.
- Nathan Pollard (Laser Full) equal with John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
- Jane Anderson (Topper)
- Brian Pollard and Penny Abbott (Bosun)
- Bob Sampson (Laser Full)
- Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
- Roger Heasman and Rick Thurlow (Bosun)
- Adam Hilton (Solo)
- Wendy Thurlow (Laser 4.7)
Grateful thanks were given to Graham Joyce who, as Officer of the Day, ran the races.