by Adam Hilton

Nicky Buckett

Commodore’s Cup 1 (National PNs)

Bob Sampson (Laser Radial) was the first to cross the start line of a Tamar Lake massively diminished by the lack of rain and the available water further restricted by a fifty rod fishing competition. The only possible course that Officer of the Day Nicky Buckett could set was a straight one going up to Middle – not enough water to go any further north – and back to the Dam. A lap of such a course took about five minutes so to have a race of a reasonable duration six laps went by before the finish. Nathan Pollard in another Laser Radial chased in second place and ended the race a mere seven seconds behind.  The westerly winds revved up for the start of the race causing Adam Hilton’s third placed Solo to capsize mid-gibe at Middle. Brian Pollard’s Bosun, Cilla Gilbert crewing, took over third place and kept it. Roger Heasman’s Bosun, with David Perrett, followed in fourth but was overtaken on the second lap by John Dabbs and Vicki Duncalf in their sister dinghy only to give back the place on the finish line when stuck in irons. The leading Lasers lapped the rest of the field.

1. Bob Sampson (Laser Radial)
2. Nathan Pollard (Laser Radial)
3. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
4. Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)
5. John Dabbs and Vicki Duncalf (Bosun)

Retired: Adam Hilton (Solo), Geoff Floyd (Solo)

 

Spalding Cup 1

The fleet was reduced to five boats by the withdrawal of the two Solos and Adam Hilton replaced Cilla Gilbert as Brian Pollard’s crew. The wind was reduced too. Brian Pollard got away first although the two Lasers had no trouble overtaking him. Nathan Pollard led for a couple of laps, then Bob Sampson took over for a couple, then Nathan Pollard caught up on lap 5, had the inside line at Dam Green and managed to finish the race in front; an epic battle with less than a second between them on the finish line. There was also a non-stop dingdong between the two Bosuns, the gap between them constantly varying but the lead not changing.

1. Bob Sampson (Laser Radial)
2. Nathan Pollard (Laser Radial)
3. Brian Pollard and Adam Hilton (Bosun)
4. Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)

Nicky Buckett was Officer Of the Day assisted by Penny Abbott. Thanks to them.

Teatime Tankard 7

The relaxation of Algae restrictions attracted an enormous fleet of seven boats! But there was no wind. These barely present winds were mostly from points around west and the one lap raced took over an hour.

Adam Hilton, glad to be back in his Solo, led the fleet towards Home 2 with the other Solo following; Geoff Floyd very glad to be back in that. John Buckett (glad etc) was third in his Otter and Jane Anderson followed, learning the slightly different ropes of her new Topper which has replaced the one crushed in Storm Eunice. John Dabbs who’d borrowed Roger Heasman’s crew, David Perrett, had the first Bosun  to cross the line. The remaining boats – Bob Sampson taking his granddaughter Amelia in a Club Bosun and his daughter-in-law Melanie in his Laser – struggled to get to Home 2 at all. The three lead boats had a lot of trouble finding any wind to take them round Inlet which enabled Jane Anderson and John Dabbs to move through the fleet; the latter was looking to take second place, only for Geoff Floyd to call starboard on him, forcing John to go about and lose ground. On the way to Pinky the Buckett Otter, Anderson Topper and the two Sampson-helmed craft chose to stay close to the Devon bank and profited from it. Suddenly the little stretch of water around the buoy became very congested! The lightweight crew piloting the Rob Eason Club Bosun – always the fastest Bosun in the fleet – sneaked around Pinky in first place but were immediately overtaken by Adam Hilton’s Solo which had cut inside. Jane Anderson followed these two boats. ‘Running’ back to Dam Green reminded the OOD of watching paint dry and after that buoy the leader lost any wind he had had, Bob Sampson finding himself in almost as bad a position whereas Jane Anderson whistled up a little puff of wind which took her past these two and over the finish line of the shortened race in first place. The handicaps left the first three in the positions they had held on the water but Geoff Floyd who finished fourth, was demoted a place and John Buckett promoted.

1. Jane Anderson (Topper)
2. Bob and Amelia Sampson (Bosun)
3. Adam Hilton (Solo)
4. John Buckett (Otter)
5. Geoff Floyd (Solo)
6. John Dabbs and David Perrett (Bosun)
7. Melanie Sampson (Laser)

Roger Heasman was Officer Of the Day and earned the undying gratitude of the fleet by shortening the race to one lap.

by Adam Hilton

Bosuns Blue-Green 11

Northwesterly Beaufort 4s gusting 5 led to a general agreement to give the Bosuns small sails, maybe unnecessarily as it turned out but making for comfortable sailing in well-matched boats. Roger Heasman (with Dave Perrett) got away first, followed by John Dabbs (with Louise Witchell) starboard tacking towards Middle. Adam Hilton (with Geoff Floyd) took a different approach, tacking early, but getting no advantage. Roger was first at the buoy with John following. However Roger touched the mark and had to perform a 360, putting him third at West White. John Dabbs’ lead was short-lived since he found his rudder bobbing about at surface level rather than held down. This enabled Roger to reach Pinky first with Adam second. That order stayed the same past the end of lap 1 and on to Middle which Roger rounded successfully this time. John tried to make the buoy before Adam but didn’t; getting out of the way cost him a lot of time. The final mishap was John touching Dam Green at the end of lap 2 after which the order stayed the same although the Hilton/Floyd Bosun was only ten seconds behind the Heasman/Perret one as they crossed the finish line.

1. Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)
2. Adam Hilton and Geoff Floyd (Bosun)
3. John Dabbs and Louise Witchell (Bosun)

 

Bosuns Blue-Green 12

Bob Sampson took over the helm of the Hilton Bosun with Geoff Floyd still as crew and he was first over the line three seconds after the horn blew. John was second but only a breath ahead of Roger. John was first to tack but long starboard tacks proved more useful and at Middle Bob was half a Lake width ahead with the other two transom to bow. That gap lengthened as they multi-tacked up to Pinky with John overtaking Bob and easily rounding the buoy first. Then all three Bosuns goose-winged their way back to Dam Green, the only question being whether and when to gibe. At the start of the new lap Roger got past Bob as John increased his lead. On the run back from Pinky Bob was making up water on Roger, gained an overlap on him, and rounded the buoy first. However on the tack to the line Roger could point higher and tack later, giving him the lead as they crossed. However, a tack or two after Bob was able to call starboard on Roger only to have the shroud of the Hilton Bosun give way, leaving him no option but to drift to the Devon shore and retire.

1. John Dabbs and Louise Witchell (Bosun)
2. Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)

Retired: Bob Sampson and Geoff Floyd (Bosun)

Bob Sampson OODed the first race, Adam Hilton the second; many thanks to them.

 

by Adam Hilton

by Adam Hilton

Bosun Algae 6

Two regular single-hander sailors excluded from the fleet for months by the blue-green algae rules went on the water as Bosun crew. Vicki Duncalf embarked on John Dabbs’ Bosun and Jane Anderson helped Adam Hilton get from the start line to the first buoy in the lead, a lead shortly to be squandered. There was very little wind indeed, none at times, and after an on the water consultation the race was shortened to one lap which left Bob Sampson as winner, sailing a Club Bosun solo

1. Bob Sampson (Bosun)
2. Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)
3. John Dabbs and Vicki Duncalf (Bosun)
4. Adam Hilton and Jane Anderson (Bosun)

 

Bosun Algae 7

A pleasant little breeze from the North West appeared at lunchtime making possible a proper three lap race starting towards Middle, crossing to West, beating up to Pinkie and running back to Dam Green. The Dabbs/Duncalf Bosun overcame Bob Sampson’s Club boat (rather more of a handful with wind!) and on the last leg the Hilton/Anderson boat slipped past its Heasman sister, now helmed by David Perrett.

1. John Dabbs and Vicki Duncalf (Bosun)
2. Bob Sampson (Bosun)
3. Adam Hilton and Jane Anderson (Bosun)
4. David Perrett and Roger Heasman (Bosun)

Jane Anderson organised her OOD duties while crewing. Thank you Jane.

Bosuns Blue-Green 7

Bob Sampson and Sue Murray had the centre-sheeted Club Bosun and got over the start line first in north-west winds perhaps a little lighter than forecast, rather pleasing winds in fact. John Dabbs with Linda Spiller were second, Adam Hilton and Leila Farmer were third and the Witchells, Colin at the helm, fourth. But these Bosuns can’t be relied on to keep a helm’s hard won position; Bob Sampson was back to third at the end of the first lap and Adam Hilton first, his Bosun having inched past on the long run back from Pinkie. The Hilton/Farmer advantage was thrown away at Dam Green and it was the Dabbs/Spiller boat which led at Pinkie, Bob and Adam following with Colin some way behind. The order stayed the same to the end of the second lap. On lap 3 the Hilton/Farmer boat was regaining ground when Bob Sampson called starboard to on the way to west and Adam went about only to go aground in the shallow waters west of West. He retired. The Dabbs/Spiller boat continued to lead to the end.

1. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
2. Bob Sampson and Sue Murray (Bosun)
3. Colin and Louise Witchell (Bosun)

Retired Adam Hilton and Leila Farmer (Bosun)

 

Bosuns Blue-Green 8

Bob Sampson again got away well, tacking just before the start and beating away on port towards Zebra. John Dabbs followed in second with Louise Witchell, now helming, in third. At the buoy John Dabbs was ahead but well to leeward so that at West (and out of sight of the race hut) Bob was probably in the lead. Certainly he led at Pinkie and maintained the position until the end of the lap. However, on lap 2 John got ahead somewhere near West and maintained the lead up to Pinkie. The wind had shifted a little and the Bosun was goose-winged soon after rounding Pinkie. Bob had reduced the gap to the lead by the time they rounded Dam Green. Bob was again efficient going around the buoy, short tacked and took the lead only to throw it away again by forgetting to go the correct side of Zebra and having to go back. Dabbs/Spiller ended up with a long lead at the finish.

1. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
2. Bob Sampson and Sue Murray (Bosun)
3. Louise and Colin Witchell (Bosun)

Leila Farmer was needed on the water and so organised her OOD duties while crewing. Thank you Leila.

 

Bosuns Blue-Green 5

It was warm enough not really to want to wear the cover-up clothing that blue green algae demands and the winds were lighter than forecast, quite capable of moments of doldrum but also gusts. Three Bosun owners were present; Heasman, Dabbs and Hilton. Crews for this first race were the loyal David Perrett in the Heasman boat, Leila Farmer in the Dabbs and Anna Walker in the Hilton. This latter Bosun was the first over the start line but had less speed on the way to Inlet than had John Dabbs who went round the boy in first place. By the time they reached Pinkie John was well in the lead and Roger was coming up to the transom of Adam’s Bosun. This gap fluctuated for the rest of the race but was not closed until Adam hit Home 1 as he crossed the finish line allowing Roger to take over second place as Adam did a penalty turn.

1. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer (Bosun)
2. Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)
3. Adam Hilton and Anna Walker (Bosun)

 

Bosuns Blue-Green 6

The same three Bosuns entered the race but with a few helm/crew changes from the earlier race: Linda crewed for John; Rob took the helm with Adam as crew but David stayed on as crew for Roger.

Leila started the race then left for home with Anna, leaving the race competitors to police and time themselves over 3 laps of the same course as set for the previous race.

Roger led the Bosuns across the start line, followed closely by Rob then John.  They remained in this order as they rounded the first mark – Inlet – then tacked across to West.  John tried to squeeze between Roger and the West buoy, succeeding only in touching the mark and subsequently completing the penalty turn en route to Pinky.

Roger rounded Pinky in the lead, followed by John, then Rob.  A close race continued to Dam Green to complete the first lap.

However, John took the lead round Inlet, followed by Roger, then Rob.  This order of Bosuns continued unchanged until the end of the race.

Results

1. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
2. Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)
3. Robin Spiller and Adam Hilton (Bosun)

 

John Dabbs was needed on the water and so organised his OOD duties from the helm of his Bosun. Thank you.

 

 

 

Bosuns Blue-Green 3

Sunny, very warm, slight south east breeze. Thankfully only 2 fishermen – but tonnes of algae everywhere, and some floating dead fish around. There were three Bosuns: John Dabbs with Leila Farmer as crew, Linda Spiller helming (first time helming a Bosun?) with Robin as crew, and Roger Heasman with David Perrett as crew. Tom Sparkes from SWLT pressed the button for us, so that Leila could crew for John.

Because of the wind direction, the first course was given a Home2 start. It was a three lap race, taking in west white and pinky, but avoiding inlet because of the very light winds. Without an OOD there’s no evidence as to who got across the line first, but John Dabbs was in the lead for most of the first lap and then Linda Spiller overtook him at the end of the first lap. In the first lap the breeze was very gentle and progress was very slow going, but picked up quite a bit after that. Linda maintained her lead for maybe another lap and then somehow John overtook and had a clear lead by the finish, with Linda and Roger close together behind. There was a bit of confusion about exactly where the finish was, as it had been decided fairly last minute by general consensus that a H1 finish would be better than a H2 finish, without specifying exactly which side of it we should go – but all agreed that if we ignored that confusion, the order was anyway John, then Roger, then Linda.

1. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer (Bosun)
2. Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)
3. Linda and Robin Spiller (Bosun)

 

Bosuns Blue-Green 4

For the second race the course was altered to take account of the change in wind direction, and thankfully the wind was reasonable by this point in the afternoon. The start was from Home 1; again a race of three laps. This time Robin Spiller helmed with Linda as crew, and David Perrett helmed with Roger as crew. John Dabbs remained as helm and Leila Farmer as crew in the other Bosun. Robin Spiller was across the start line first, with David Perrett second. Robin was in the lead for the first lap, but John managed to overtake both others and took the lead after the first lap, remaining in the lead until the finish. Robin came second, and David third.

1. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer (Bosun),
2. Robin and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
3. David Perrett and Roger Heasman (Bosun)

Tom Sparkes was kind enough to press the start button for both races.

 

by Adam Hilton

Nathan Pollard

Bosun Algae 4

Blue-green algae in the waters of Upper Tamar Lake have, for more than a month, stopped, or more recently, restricted water sports at the site. Since being allowed to take to the water again the Sailing Club has turned to its fleet of double-handed Bosuns as less likely to capsize or soak their crews. Three regular Bosun crews, Brian Pollard with Cilla Gilbert, John Dabbs with Linda Spiller and Roger Heasman with David Perrett, were joined by Adam Hilton (with Robin Spiller) in his rarely used Bosun and by Bob Sampson with Sue Murray in one of the Club’s own boats. Adding to the hazards of sailing were force 4 north-easterly winds with gusts of greater strength and variable direction. Three of the Bosuns chose to fly cut down suits of sails; only the Pollard/Gilbert and Sampson/Murray boats staying with the regular sails.

Brian Pollard got his craft over the start line first with Roger Heasman second and John Dabbs third. However Bob Sampson, last to start, soon overhauled the rest and led at the end of all four laps. Roger Heasman’s race was somewhat handicapped by coming across a very slow moving Hilton/Spiller boat rounding Inlet, having to turn away from that buoy and taking some time to get out into the main breeze again. The two big-sailed Bosuns did finish first and second but John Dabb’s Bosun with a small mainsail was only a couple of minutes behind.

1. Bob Sampson and Sue Murray (Bosun)
2. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
3. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun),
4. Adam Hilton and Robin Spiller (Bosun)
5. Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)

 

Bosun Algae 5

Sue Murray now took over the helm of the Club Bosun and the fleet was reduced to four boats. At the first start two boats were over the line and had to be recalled. At the restart Roger Heasman got away first but couldn’t maintain the lead dropping to third at the end of the first lap, to fourth at the end of the second and having the misfortune to fall out of the boat on the fourth. He retired. Sue Murray had taken the lead before the end of lap 1 with Brian Pollard taking until the third lap to get past the smaller sailed boats and hold second place until the end.

1. Sue Murray and Bob Sampson (Bosun)
2. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
3. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)

Retired: Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)

Grateful thanks were given to Nathan Pollard who ran the races.

by Adam Hilton

Bosuns Blue-Green 1

Blue-green algae were supposed to be rendering the Lake dangerous to humans (although fishermen appeared to be excluded from this category. They sat moodily in the water some meters off the Inlet shore as usual. Perhaps they spent the night with the “diarrhea, nausea or vomiting; skin, eye or throat irritation; and allergic reactions or breathing difficulties” that the internet says you get from exposure to the micro beasts) so the fleet was restricted to safe double handers or Bosuns as we call them. John Dabbs had his out with Leila Farmer. Roger Heasman was sailing with David Perrett. Colin and Louise Witchell were out, Adam Hilton had recruited Geoff Floyd to crew his Bosun and Robin and Linda Spiller took out a Club boat. Very little wind was forecast but more NWN breezes were in fact present, although feeble enough for Sue Murray, the OOD, to cut the laps from four to two.

The Dabbs boat was premature and had to go back over the start line, Roger Heasman judged it better and got away towards Zebra in the lead with the Hilton/Floyd boat following. The beat across to West was fairly brisk but the wind was dropping for the next tacks up to Pinky and really fell away on the long run back to Dam Green which was lead by Hilton/Floyd with, at the buoy, Roger, Robin, and John following with Colin and Louise Witchell struggling to get their Bosun’s sails filled in the ultra light winds. They retired.

Adam Hilton threw away all his lead by messing up the turn at Dam Green and then forgetting to lower the centre plate for most of the tack to Zebra. So Roger Heasman again led with John Dabbs getting ahead of him at Middle and then extending his lead. Roger had slipped to third when an unexpected gust from an unexpected direction caused an involuntary gibe and tossed Roger into the drink (hopefully not drunk). David kept the boat the right way up and sailing, then helped his skipper back aboard. They finished a couple of minutes behind the leaders.

1. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer (Bosun),
2. Robin and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
3. Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)
4. Adam Hilton and Geoff Floyd (Bosun)

Retired: Colin and Louise Witchell (Bosun)

 

Bosuns Blue-Green 2

Robin Spiller was already over the line when the horn blew and when he had returned, had trouble getting going. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer led the race away and were never headed. The long tacks they took going up to Pinkie perhaps working better than the short ones the following Heasman/ Perret boat took. The Witchell Bosun, now helmed by Louise, started the second lap third but was overtaken by the Spiller boat and then got sucked into the Inlet and becalmed. The Dabbs/Farmer boat triumphed but not soon enough for Leila’s daughter whose lift to her music was late.

1. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer (Bosun)
2. Robin and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
3. Roger Heasman and David Perrett (Bosun)
4. Louise and Colin Witchell (Bosun)

Grateful thanks were given to Sue Murray who ran the races.