by Adam Hilton

April Bonus 1

The Officers of the Day, Roger Heasman and Dave Perrett, were persuaded to take to the water and the safety boat operative, Dan, agreed to start the horn sequence at five to two. Putting these measures in place created a fleet consisting of John Dabbs’ Bosun crewed by Roger H and the three Soloists: Dave Perrett, Geoff Floyd and Adam Hilton.

The day was vile. A thick, wet, grey blanket lay over everything and when standing on the shore there appeared to be no wind at all. However, once launched and beyond the lee of the hill, it became clear to helms that there was quite enough south westerly wind to power a race.

The start was from the Far Side to Dam Green and it was just possible to make that first buoy in one tack if one crossed the line close to the weather buoy and had a boat willing to point reasonably high. Then the course took the fleet on a run to Home 2 where helms hardened up to cross  to West before running to Pinkie. The beat to the Dam, via Inlet, could be achieved without tacking if the boat was willing and the helm made the most of every favourable lift. Even if these favourable conditions pertained, relations with the Devon bank were liable to be more intimate than helms would have chosen. It was possible, for example, to discover that the water off the point before Inlet was shallower than it looked.

Adam Hilton led the three laps with the Dabbs Bosun second, Geoff Floyd third and Dave Perrett bringing up the rear. Each helm was supposed to record his time as he crossed the finish line. Some were more reliable about this than others but there was little overt dissension when it was declared that applying the handicaps had not changed the on-water finishing order. Adam Hilton went home with a very welcome winner’s chocolate orange.

1. Adam Hilton (Solo)
2. John Dabbs and Roger Heasman (Bosun)
3. Geoff Floyd (Solo)
4. Dave Perrett (Solo)

Thanks to all for making an enjoyable race possible.

by Adam Hilton

Mandy Pollard

Barnwell 2

For many sailors this was still their first race of the season. Sue Murray took out her Laser 4.7 when, after months off the water, she had reminded herself how to rig it. Brian Pollard had a new set of sails for his Bosun and Cilla Gilbert as crew. Vicki Duncalf was out for the first time in her Topper as was John Buckett in his little two-sailed Otter which he piloted in his signature sideways/backwards position and with his usual skill. The wind gods were still encamped somewhere west of Bradworthy and sending down fairly gentle Northerlies which meant that there was no need to change the course from the previous week. It went to West via Inlet and up to Pinkie with a long run back to the Dam.

John Dabbs (Adam Hilton crewing) took his Bosun over the line first, closely followed by Sue Murray who soon took over the lead while pointing a lot higher than the Bosun. She then tacked early for Inlet, a manoeuvre which paid off handsomely. Brian Pollard’s Bosun was also pointing higher enabling him to round Inlet and reach West in front of the Dabbs Bosun. The tussle between these two skippers was a continuing feature of the race with Brian Pollard leading at the end of the first and last laps but with John Dabbs in front at the end of the second. They finished ten seconds apart. Behind them the two Solos of Geoff Floyd and Dave Perrett battled with Floyd eventually emerging in front.

Inlet, in the lee of the hills, continued to test skippers with its feeble winds from uncertain directions. Sue Murray lost much of her lead there on the second lap and she finished only ten seconds in front of the lead Bosun which explains the handicap demoting her.

Sailboat 2

Sue Murray led over the line with Vicki Duncalf following. Next came the yellow Pollard/Gilbert Bosun chased by John Bucket’s Otter. The winds were lighter than for the first race and slightly further to the east. Laps took longer to complete and Jane Anderson as Officer of the Day shortened the race to two laps from the intended three.

Inlet again proved difficult, Brian Pollard’s fine start being ruined by getting stuck windless at Inlet. Sue Murray, on the other hand, was able to consolidate her lead, which was up to a good four minutes at the end. John Buckett’s Otter several times headed the lead Bosun (now John Dabbs’) but ended the race third on the water. At only twenty seconds behind the Bosun at the finish, however, he was promoted by the handicap.

Many thanks were given to Jane Anderson who ran the race and to Mandy Pollard who took the photographs.

Jane Anderson, sailing her Topper, was first across the start line and led every tack, reach and run of this four lap race, this despite her craft being, according to the handicaps, the slowest boat on the water. The wind was blowing at highly variable strengths and from highly variable points around East North East. It made a grey Tamar Lake feel distinctly cold.

The course took the fleet around Zebra and to Inlet, a couple of tacks. Then it was a run to West before more tacks to Pinky and a run back to Dam Green. Roger Heasman and Dave Perrett in the Bosun were second around Inlet. Adam Hilton and Leila Farmer in another Bosun were next, although soon to be overtaken by John Dabbs and Linda Spiller in the third of the Bosun fleet. Geoff Floyd followed, the Solo hard to handle in the gusts even with a small sail.

The order remained the same at the end of lap 1 but at the end of lap 2 the Dabbs/Spiller Bosun had overtaken its Heasman/Spiller sister.  The third Bosun was losing a lot of ground with the Solo still further back. The Solo retired after a capsize on lap 2 and the lagging Bosun lost broke its tiller and was obliged to beach on lap 3. The leading trio remained close; Heasman and Dabbs swapping places from time to time. All three crossed the finish line within twenty seconds of each other.

Many thanks were given to Paul Anderson who ran the race.

Sailwave Scoring Software 2.28.2
www.sailwave.com

by Adam Hilton

For the first race of the season, the first for the Barnwell Cup, a hazy sun was out, the winds were from West North West and blowing a little more strongly than the 7mph forecast. A very full Tamar Lake had blessedly few other users.

John Dabbs took out his Bosun with Karl Moss, a welcome newcomer from Bradworthy as crew. Jane and Paul Anderson, after a 2022 of barely setting foot in a boat, took out their Lasers, hers with a Radial sail, his with a full size. Finally, Dave Perrett and Adam Hilton had their Solos on the water. There would have been more if half the Club had not been suffering from one bug or another.

Bob Sampson set a course that entailed a beat up to West, a gybe and a short run across to Middle, then more beating up to Pinky. Coming back south meant reaching to the point before the Inlet, then a tricky little passage of sailing by the lee or coping with an unpredictable gybe before rounding Inlet buoy. Crossing to Zebra was an invigorating passage, the lighter boats on the edge of planning, after which the run to Dam Green was relaxing until another gybe around that buoy before competitors re-crossed the start line.

Jane Anderson was the first to cross the start line, on starboard tack. Most of the rest of the field chose to start on port tack, with John Dabbs second over the line and Adam Hilton third. Dave Perrett started on the near side of the startline when the course stated that he should have crossed on the far side. He lost time going back. Paul Anderson’s rudder was unwilling to remain properly attached to his boat. He lost time too. Jane Anderson was the first to round the first buoy with Adam Hilton second and John Dabbs third. Paul Anderson was catching up the Perrett Solo but didn’t get past until after Inlet. Thereafter the order remained the same but there was still plenty of racing going on. The Dabbs Bosun was close enough to the leaders at the end of the first lap for the handicap to have given him victory if the race had ended then. Equally Adam Hilton would have won on handicap if the race had ended after two laps. But it didn’t and after three laps Jane Anderson’s lead was a secure one minute and seventeen seconds

1. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
2. Adam Hilton (Solo)
3. John Dabbs and Karl Moss (Bosun)
4. Paul Anderson (Laser Full)
5. Dave Perrett (Solo)

Bob Sampson kindly ran the race.

by Adam Hilton

Bob Sampson

Sailing on Boxing Day has long been a tradition of the Tamar Lake club and this Boxing Day was no exception. However the still present virus, family commitments and like impediments reduced the numbers of members attending to about a dozen. These few however were rewarded by a sparkling Lake, full of water with the excess cascading over the dam; such a pleasure to see after the miserable puddle of the drought-ridden summer which had meant that the racing season had to be cut short. Moreover the weather turned out sunny, not too cold and with sharp little north-westerly winds, perfect for propelling sailing dinghies up and down.

Two Bosun dinghies went out. John Dabbs took one of the Club’s Bosuns with Ethan Walker as crew. Adam Hilton’s Bosun had Anna Walker at the helm with her mother and the owner as crew. The little fleet took two tacks to get up to Far buoy, then reached back towards the Dam, turned and repeated the exercise. The Club’s always fast, pale blue Rob Eason Bosun easily out-paced the Hilton boat. The crews came off the water beaming; so grateful to have been back on the water  at Tamar Lake. Roll on the spring and the new racing season!