AM: Sailboat Trophy 3

Bob Sampson and Nathan Pollard, both with full-sized sails on their Lasers, had a race long battle which the lap chart does nothing to reveal (Sampson no. 1 laps 1,2&3). They finished two seconds apart as they had been at many points in a race conducted in warm sunshine and, until the end, serviceable if highly variable winds – ‘gusty puffs’ as Jane Anderson put it. These winds were coming from points to the south so the start was towards the dam. Vicki Duncalf (Topper) and Adam Hilton (Solo) reckoned starting from the end of the pontoon might mean reaching Dam Green without tacking. It worked well for the Solo which was first round the buoy with the Sampson/Pollard scrap already taking shape behind it. Their Lasers were away before they reached the middle of the Lake and at the finish were five minutes in front of the next boat, Jane Anderson’s Laser Radial which she had squeezed into third place by cutting the corner into Inlet with dagger board up and hull canted over to clear the shallow water! The wind abandoned the rear of the field and it was nearly half an hour before the back markers could get to their sandwiches.

Results:

1. Bob Sampson (Laser Full)

2. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)

3. Adam Hilton (Solo)

4. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)

5. Robin Spiller (Streaker)

6. Sue Murray (Laser Radial)

7. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)

8. Jane Chadney (Laser Radial)

9. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)

10. Sally Wills and Roger Heasman (Bosun)

11. Cilla Gilbert and Brian Pollard (Bosun)

PM: Tamar Memorial Trophy 4

The wind was even more variable for the afternoon race with those helms at the pontoon end of the startline, which faced up the Lake this time, getting a useful gust denied to others. Bob Sampson, Nathan Pollard and Vicki Duncalf were first away but no one could stay with Bob, Nathan having switched to a Radial sail because the Tamar race series requires consistency of hull and sail. Paul Whybrow, in his familiar red Solo, did best at keeping up and was second at the end of lap 1, a couple of minutes behind, with Linda Spiller (Laser Full) third and Jane Chadney (Laser Radial) fourth. Jane Anderson was fifth at the end of the first lap but had hauled herself up to second by the end of the second. However neither the minute’s lead she had over Paul Whybrow at the finish, nor even the three minutes that Bob Sampson had, was enough to overcome the advantageous handicap of the Solo and Paul Whybrow gained the victory.

Results:

1. Paul Whybrow (Solo)

2. Bob Sampson (Laser Full)

3. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)

4. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)

5. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)

6. Jane Chadney (Laser Radial)

7. Roger Heasman and Sally Wills (Bosun)

8. Nathan Pollard (Laser Radial)

9. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)

Retired: Adam Hilton (Solo)

Grateful thanks were given to John Weller and Alan Comber for running the races and to Mandy Pollard for her photographs.

AM: Cup 3

Many of the Club’s sailors had spent Saturday dressed as pirates taking landlubbers on taster voyages, but, enthusiasts that they are, some eighteen of them in fourteen boats took to the water on a bright cool day with northish winds, light and highly variable. After a tight start – two boats were over the line – the fleet soon spread out as they tacked up the Lake to Middle buoy. The Wayfarer of Mike Coulson and Vicky took an early lead and returning from the top of the Lake, flew its very colourful spinnaker. Running into Inlet the Laser Radial of Jane Anderson was rapidly catching up the Wayfarer, the two boats having a good lead over the rest of the field which was led by the two Solos of Paul Whybrow and Adam Hilton plus a bunch of Radial and Full Lasers skippered by Paul Anderson, Penny Abbott and Linda Spiller. Robin Spiller on the other hand, had had his mainsail collapse on him and though he started the race decided to retire during lap 1, having lost his wind indicator, much needed on a day with such fluky pockets of wind. Positions changed little through the race, although the Anderson Laser and Coulson Wayfarer changed places a time or two and Penny Abbott ended the last lap at the head of the second bunch. The officiating Duncalfs had shortened the race from four laps to three but it was still nearly an hour and a half on the water for the slower boats.

Results:

1. Adam Hilton (Solo)

2. Mike and Viki Herbert-Coulson (Wayfarer)

3. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)

4. Paul Whybrow (Solo)

5. Penny Abbott (Laser Full)

6. Roger Heasman and Sally Wills (Bosun)

7. John Buckett (Otter)

8. Linda Spiller (Laser Radial)

9. John Dabbs (Gull)

10. Paul Anderson (Laser Full)

11. John Savage (Solo)

12. Alan Comber and John Weller (Enterprise)

13. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)

Retired: Robin Spiller (Streaker)

PM: Ladies, Gents, Junior, Gosling 2

With a fresher north-westerly breeze all boats were well behind the start line for the afternoon race with Sue Murray, Jane Anderson (both in Laser Radials) and Paul Whybrow (Solo) making the best starts. Several little battles took place on the water; once again Jane Anderson’s Laser Radial and the Herbert-Coulson Wayfarer were nip and tuck with the bigger boat having a five second advantage at the end. Alas the Wayfarer had infringed the ‘all crew on or in the water at the four minute gun’ rule and had to be disqualified. Behind them came the flying Sue Murray in third and Penny Abbott, Adam Hilton and Linda Spiller repeated their tussles of the morning with Robin Spiller added to the mix. The officials recorded a two second gap between Adam Hilton and Linda Spiller as they crossed the finish line!

Results:

1. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)

2. Sue Murray (Laser Radial)

3. Adam Hilton (Solo)

4. Roger Heasman and Sally Wills (Bosun)

5. Robin Spiller (Streaker),

6. Penny Abbott (Laser Full)

7. Linda Spiller (Laser Radial)

8. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)

9. Paul Whybrow (Solo)

10. Alan Comber and John Weller (Enterprise)

Disqualified: Mike and Viki Herbert-Coulson (Wayfarer)

Grateful thanks were given to Vicki and John Duncalf for running the races and writing these reports and to Mandy Pollard for her photographs.

AM: Commodore’s Cup 2

The promise of warmth, sun and light airs brought seventeen boats, of which four were double handers, to a start line facing the dam. The winds were coming over the hill from the east and were decidedly modest in strength. Sue Murray’s visiting sister Alison in a borrowed Laser was first away and round Dam Red buoy; indeed she led the race throughout. Jane Anderson in a Laser Radial followed in second and Adam Hilton in his Solo was third. Bob Sampson, with Sue Murray crewing the RS 200 for him, took some time to make the most of the boat’s speed, only over-taking the Solo at the end of lap 1 and never catching the Lasers. Lap 2 still had just enough wind to complete the circuit but lap 3 involved more aimless drifting than sensible sailors could put up with and seven boats retired.

Results:

1. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
2. Alison (Laser Full)
3. Bob Sampson and Sue Murray (RS200)
4. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
5. Penny Abbott (Laser Full)
6. Robin Spiller (Streaker)
7. Paul Whybrow (Solo)
8. Adam Hilton (Solo)
9. Sally Wills and Roger Heasman (Bosun)
10. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)

Retired: Geof Floyd (Solo), John Dabbs (Gull), John Buckett (Otter), Vicki Duncalf (Topper), Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun), Alan Comber and John Weller (Enterprise), Norman (Laser Full)

PM: Tamar Memorial Trophy 3

The wind was now blowing with tolerable consistency from the north but a number of helms had been discouraged by the morning’s drifting and so it was a reduced fleet of eleven boats that set out towards the middle of the Lake. Six of these were Lasers, with Nathan Pollard’s and Jane Anderson’s flying Radial sails. The lead swapped around between Penny Abbott’s Full, Jane Anderson’s Radial and Bob Sampson’s Full; it was Bob who led at the end of a race shortened to three laps.

Results:

1. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
2. Bob Sampson (Laser Full)
3. Penny Abbott (Laser Full)
4. Sue Murray (Laser Full)
5. Paul Whybrow (Solo)
6. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
7. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)
8. Roger Heasman and Sally Wills (Bosun)
9. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
Retired: Robin Spiller (Streaker), Adam Hilton (Solo)

Grateful thanks were given to Mike and Viki Herbert-Coulson, the Officers of the Day and to Mandy Pollard for her photographs.