Ladies, Gents, Junior, Gosling 4

Another weather forecast of gusts twice the strength of the wind put helms into safer boats than in the event they needed. The winds were gentle, south-easterly and the gusts containable. Adam Hilton and Sally Wills in the Bosun were stalled on the start line next to the windward buoy when the horn blew, annoying Jane Anderson (Topper) and Linda Spiller (Laser 4.7) who were coming up fast. Jane Anderson was first round the first buoy but she was overtaken by the Hilton/Wills Bosun on the way to the top of the Lake. Cilla Gilbert with Brian Pollard crewing the Bosun got ahead but missed out Pinkie on the way back from Far allowing Linda Spiller, recovering from a slow first lap, to take the lead. The Hilton/Wills Bosun drifted to leeward after Far on Lap 3 (failure to lower the centreboard) which allowed Jane Anderson’s Topper to overtake before Pinkie. The order stayed the same but the Laser pulled away and the Bosun regained some ground.

 

1. Jane Anderson (Topper)
2. Linda Spiller (Laser 4.7)
3. Adam Hilton and Sally Wills (Bosun)

Retired: Cilla Gilbert and Brian Pollard (Bosun)

Pursuit 4

The wind had dropped further for the Pursuit race. Linda Spiller started first with, two minutes later, Jane Anderson and a minute after her, Brian Pollard , now with Cilla Gilbert crewing the Bosun. Sally Wills had the helm of the Adam Hilton Bosun and Nathan Pollard joined the fleet in his Laser (Full). On the first lap Brian Pollard got past Jane Anderson and Nathan Pollard got past Sally Wills. On the second Brian Pollard took the lead, which he retained. On the third Nathan Pollard, making full use of the speed of the big-sailed Laser, overtook Jane Anderson and, on the beat up to towards the Dam, had got ahead, in the judgement of those running the race (John Buckett and Graham Joyce) of Linda Spiller by the time the horn blew for the finish.

1. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
2. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
3. Linda Spiller (Laser 4.7)
4. Jane Anderson (Topper)
5. Sally Wills and Adam Hilton (Bosun)

Thanks  were given to John Buckett and Graham Joyce who ran the races and to Nicky Buckett for photography.

Midweek Mug 5

Linda Spiller’s Laser Radial was first over the line but by the time they had got to Inlet Nathan Pollard, with a bigger sail on his Laser had overtaken. Adam Hilton with Leila Farmer was the first of the Bosuns away but John Dabbs and Robin Spiller emerged ahead at West and the third Bosun, John Buckett’s (with Jane Chadney), got ahead on lap 2. Graham Joyce was finding the big sail on his Laser hard to handle in the gusts and eventually retired

1. John Dabbs and Robin Spiller(Bosun)
2. Linda Spiller (Laser Radial)
3. John Buckett and Jane Chadney (Bosun)
4. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
5. Adam Hilton and Leila Farmer (Bosun)
6. Geoff Floyd (Solo)

Retired: Graham Joyce (Laser Full)

Many thanks  to Brian Pollard who ran the race and managed to take some pics as well.

Commodore 5

The gentle north-easterly airs never quite disappeared but this was a race which took the leaders nearly an hour to complete the only lap! Sally Wills and John Dabbs in the Club Bosun got away very well followed by Linda Spiller (Laser Full) and an excellent start from Paul Petvin helming Adam Hilton’s Bosun. The beat to Inlet introduced the fleet to the vagaries of the wind – its big shifts and little gustlets – and Inlet was particularly tricky with the trees blanketing what wind there was to be found. Brian Pollard (with Cilla Gilbert) got his Bosun past the two sister dinghies and Jane Anderson (Laser Radial) was slipping through the fleet from an unheard of seventh place at the start. After a relaxing broad reach across to West the renewed beat to Far took an age. Jane Anderson had overtaken Linda Spiller by the time they had come back up the lake and rounded Dam Green. The Commodore series is being run with personal, rather than boat-based, handicaps and these turned the order upside down, the inexperienced Paul Petvin gaining victory.

1. Paul Petvin and Adam Hilton (Bosun)
2. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
3. Nathan Pollard (Laser Radial)
4. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)
5. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
6. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
7. Sally Wills and John Dabbs (Bosun)

Sailboat 5

With slightly more wind the fleet managed two laps within the hour. It became a race of two halves with the same Lasers as in the earlier race plus Adam Hilton’s Aero 5 filling the first four positions and then a second group with two Bosuns, Paul Petvin in John Dabbs’ Gull, Vicki Duncalf in her Topper and Bob Bennett (Laser Radial) finding his way into racing. Neither Linda Spiller nor Jane Anderson could establish an unchallenged lead, they swapped around throughout the race, but it was Jane who finished first. Brian Pollard crossed the line at the head of group 2.

1. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
2. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)
3. Nathan Pollard (Laser Radial)
4. Adam Hilton (Aero 5)
5. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
6. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
7. John Dabbs and Sally Wills (Bosun)
8. Paul Petvin (Gull)

Retired: Bob Bennett (Laser Radial)

Many thanks were given to Paul Whybrow, the Officer of the Day, to Robin Spiller, his assistant, and to Mandy Pollard for photography.

Midweek Mug 3

Nathan Pollard had finished his exams so he was out in his Laser. Brian Pollard didn’t have a club Bosun – Bob Sampson and Sue Murray were training novices in the club Bosuns – so he used Adam Hilton’s with Bob Bennett crewing for him. He kept to the small sails which were on the boat. Adam Hilton entered his Aero with the no. 5 sail and Annie Quatermain took out her Laser for a tootle round the Lake. The afternoon turned out fine and sunny with enough north-westerly breeze to get Lasers on the plane in the middle of the Lake.

Nathan Pollard started first and stayed first. Adam Hilton started second and stayed second until he capsized at the end of lap 2. Brian Pollard finished a quarter of an hour behind his son.

1. Nathan Pollard (Laser)
2. Brian Pollard and Bob Bennett (Bosun)

Retired: Adam Hilton (Aero5)

Many thanks to Paul Whybrow who ran the race.

Midweek Mug 4

On arrival at the Lake there was a lot of south easterly wind coming over the opposite hill, as was forecast. Bob Sampson was contemplating putting a 4.7 on his Laser! Is this a first? But by the time the starting horn blew most of the wind had disappeared leaving Adam Hilton, with Cilla Gilbert in his Bosun, and Geoff Floyd in his Solo, both boats flying small sails, looking a little foolish. In the end Bob Sampson and Nathan Pollard used Radials and it was Nathan who got away first. They were neck and neck going to West but Bob overtook, only to capsize at Inlet (I don’t know why, he said afterwards) and let Nathan past again. The other tussle going on was between the Bosun and the Solo. The Bosun had started ahead but lost ground at Dam Green, allowing Geoff past. Then the Solo lost ground at Inlet, regained it on the way to Far and lost it again at that buoy. Bob led the rest of the race until the last minute when he misjudged the beat to the line, allowing Nathan past. Geoff got past Adam before the finish as well.

1. Nathan Pollard (Laser Radial)
2. Bob Sampson (Laser Radial)
3. Adam Hilton and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
4. Geoff Floyd (Solo)

Many thanks to Linda Spiller for OODing.

Cup 5

There were six starters; all sizes of Laser sail were represented; Nathan Pollard had a Full, Steve Axford a Radial and Jane Anderson a 4.7. Vicki Duncalf sailed her familiar Topper and got away very well together with Jane Anderson who pulled ahead on the long beat to West White. The bigger sailed Lasers were soon chasing, with Nathan Pollard ending the lap in front, Jane Anderson second and Steve Axford third. They finished the race in size order – Pollard , Axford, Anderson, but the handicap stood that result on its head! Following the Laser battles was the Aero 5 of Adam Hilton with behind him, Sally Wills helming the Bosun with Brian Pollard. The north westerly breeze was fresh and variable throughout.

1. Jane Anderson (Laser 4.7)
2. Steve Axford (Laser Radial)
3. Nathan Pollard (Laser Radial)
4. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
5. Adam Hilton (Aero 5)
6. Sally Wills and Brian Pollard (Bosun)

Tamar 6

Bob Sampson joined the fleet in the Hilton Aero 5 as did Sue Murray in her Laser 4.7. She however was only intermittently a part of the race, being beset by small disasters such as the boom parting from the goose neck! Nathan Pollard was first away with Vicki Duncalf getting her signature fine start in second and Steve Axford in third. But Bob Sampson was already finding the Aero’s speed and chased the two leading Lasers, of which Steve Axford’s led at the end of the lap. Nathan Pollard had overtaken Steve Axford by the end of the second lap but so had Bob Sampson and that was the order they finished in, despite the Aero briefly unseating Bob Sampson. Jane Anderson, consistently fourth on the water, finished a couple of minutes behind the leader and the handicap gave her the victory. Bob Sampson retained in the final results his second place over the finish line.

1. Jane Anderson (Laser 4.7)
2. Bob Sampson (Aero 5)
3. Steve Axford (Laser Radial)
4. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
5. Nathan Pollard Laser (Full)
6. Brian Pollard and Sally Wills (Bosun)

 Many thanks were given to John Duncalf and Pavol Rovensky, the Officers of the Day, and to Mandy Pollard for photographs.

Commodore 4

Force 4 winds with gusts of force 6 and heavy rain were forecast. In the event the powerful and highly variable winds were certainly present but the rain kept off. There was another constraint on sailing; Tamar Lake was hosting a major fishing competition with some sixty fishermen lining the shore. With sailors having to keep thirty yards off any shore with fishermen on it, the upper narrower part of the Lake was not available for racing. To achieve an hour’s competition, the Officer of the Day, Robin Spiller, designed a short course, covering the pontoon end and the centre of the Lake. There were to be six laps.

Adam Hilton’s Bosun, with Paul Petvin and Linda Spiller crewing, led the little fleet across the starting line a moment before the horn blew; he had to turn back and started last. Brian Pollard’s Bosun, with Cilla Gilbert, was the first legal starter with Nathan Pollard (Laser 4.7) and Geoff Floyd, who’d equipped his Solo with a cut-down sail, following. The Solo was still a handful and coping with near disaster let the Hilton/Petvin/Spiller Bosun past. Nathan Pollard’s little 4.7 sail was quite enough to power the boat around the short course at breakneck speed and he had lapped the field well before the end.

1. Nathan Pollard (Laser 4.7)
2. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
3. Adam Hilton, Paul Petvin and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
4. Geoff Floyd (Solo)

Sailboat 4

Over lunch the winds, ignoring all instructions from the meteorologists, dropped substantially. Linda Spiller and Jane Anderson were still wary and went out in a Laser 4.7 and Topper respectively. Nathan Pollard threw caution to the winds and let them blow him round the course in a full-sailed Laser. The Bosuns retained their small sails but were now helmed by Cilla Gilbert and Paul Petvin respectively. Nathan Pollard soon took the lead and again lapped much of the fleet. An exception was Linda Spiller who held second position throughout and finished four minutes behind Nathan. Novice helm Paul Petvin kept ahead of Cilla Gilbert until near the end but Geof Floyd, who’d not had a good start, took his Solo past everybody except the two leading Lasers in the course of the race.

1. Jane Anderson (Topper)
2. Linda Spiller (Laser 4.7)
3. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
4. Cilla Gilbert and Brian Pollard (Bosun)
5. Geof Floyd (Solo)
6. Paul Petvin and Adam Hilton (Solo)

Thanks  were given to Robin Spiller who ran the races and to Mandy and Brian Pollard for photography.

Midweek Mug 2

Gentle north-easterly winds which threatened to disappear but didn’t; cold but in the end, not rainy. Linda Spiller in the Laser with the big sail got away well, beating to Inlet where she met Inlet’s usual dodgy breezes. Adam Hilton’s Aero 7 followed with Rob Spiller’s Streaker third and Cilla Gilbert’s Bosun, with Jane Chadney crewing, fourth. That was the pattern of the race. The main variant seemed to be the Aero’s high pointing – on the beat Adam reduced the gap to Linda and increased it to Robin. When they were reaching and running Linda pulled away and Robin caught up.

1. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)
2. Robin Spiller (Streaker)
3. Adam Hilton (Aero 7)
4. Cilla Gilbert and Jane Chadney (Bosun)

Cup 4

Adam Hilton’s Aero 7 was first over the line followed by Jane Anderson’s Laser Radial, but Cilla Gilbert, with Brian Pollard in the familiar pale blue Club Bosun, was coming up fast, the only question being whether she was too far to leeward to get round the first buoy, Zebra, without tacking. She made it. After the third buoy, West, Mike Coulson, in the Wayfarer with Viki, came steaming up from a seventh place start with geneker flying on the long reach to Far. By the end of the lap the Wayfarer led and, when not surrendering ground by going round wrong buoys, looked secure in that lead. Jane Anderson made a much neater job of rounding Far than Adam Hilton and overtook. The charcoal clouds that had threatened from the start managed to drop their rain elsewhere although thunder echoed round the Lake. The wind was surprisingly benign with fewer gusts than usual. John Buckett, with Paul Petvin, was winning the Bosun race in fifth, with Cilla Gilbert now sixth and Toby Tobias, with Sally Wills, seventh. On Lap 3 the order stayed the same except that capsizes by the Aero promoted everybody behind by a place.

1.  John Buckett and Paul Petvin (Bosun)
2.  Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
3.  Mike and Viki Herbert-Coulson (Wayfarer)
4.  Cilla Gilbert and Brian Pollard (Bosun)
5.  Paul Whybrow (Solo)
6.  Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
7.  Toby Tobias and Sally Wills (Bosun)
8.  John Savage (Solo)

Retired Adam Hilton (Aero 7)

 

Tamar 5

Linda Spiller (Laser Full), fearing she would be over the line, turned back just before the horn blew, making Vicki Duncalf’s Topper first away followed by Brian Pollard, now helming the Bosun, and Mike Coulson in the Wayfarer. The Pollard/Gilbert Bosun again managed to gain the first buoy from a very downwind position, led and kept the lead round Inlet. Something held them up between there and West however and they were fifth round that buoy with the Wayfarer taking the lead. Paul Whybrow (Solo) and Linda Spiller were both making up ground fast after disadvantageous starts, with Paul third on the way to Far and Linda up to second on the way back, a position she retained for the rest of the race, but with a lead of millimetres at the end! The Bosuns were again scrapping; they went round Dam Green at the end of Lap 2 close together with Brian Pollard leading (and 4th in the race), Toby Tobias next and Paul Petvin making an admirable job of helming his first race, helped no doubt by the tutelage of John Buckett. By the end Paul had overtaken Toby.

1. Mike and Viki Herbert-Coulson (Wayfarer)
2. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
3. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
4. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
5. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)
6. Paul Petvin and John Buckett (Bosun)
7. Toby Tobias and Sally Wills (Bosun)

Retired: Paul Whybrow (Solo)

Thanks were given to John Dabbs and Kathy Wyke, Officers of the Day and Mandy and Brian Pollard photographers.

Ladies/Gents/Junior/Gosling 3

After a bright week, Sunday was grey, wet, windy and above all, gusty. They came and went, these gusts, with great suddenness and, at different times and in different places, could arrive from anywhere between the south west and the north. Five boats were drawn to the water; the Toppers of Vicki Duncalf and Jane Anderson, The Bosun helmed by John Dabbs with Jane Chadney as crew and  the Club Bosun with Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert and finally Adam Hilton’s  Aero7. Jane Anderson had her bow over the line first but Brian Pollard came through to leeward and emerged from rounding  the first buoy, Dam Green, with a four lengths lead! The Aero, at moments showing its inherent speed, overtook on the way to West but lost the lead again at the buoy attempting, unnecessarily, to gybe! The Toppers were swapping places, the Dabbs/Chadney Bosun bringing up the rear but getting past the Toppers before the end of the lap. The Pollard/Gilbert Bosun was still at the front at the beginning of lap 2 but the Aero again grabbed the lead between West and Pinkie only to dump its skipper in the water at the buoy. The Bosuns were now first and second although with an increasing gap between them and massive bow waves as the wind drove them deep into the water. John Dabbs retired his. So three boats finished well apart but not far enough for the Pollard/Gilbert Bosun to keep its victory on the water when the handicaps were applied.

1.        Jane Anderson (Topper)

2.        Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun),

3.        Vicki Duncalf (Topper)

Retired: Adam Hilton (Aero7), John Dabbs and Jane Chadney (Bosun)

 

Pursuit 3

With the handicaps applied to starting times, Vicki Duncalf’s Topper was first away, just recovering from a gust. The morning’s battering had damaged the tiller on Adam Hilton’s Bosun, now with John Dabbs and Jane Chadney crewing. Temporary repairs were only just completed in time to get to the line the required three minutes after the Topper’s departure.  Jane Anderson started next and the Pollard/Gilbert Bosun last. The order stayed the same for the first two laps although the boats were beginning to close up on the second. The Toppers benefitted from their speed when planing on the reach. On lap 3, after three quarters of an hour’s racing, they were much closer together, indeed Brian Pollard came through to lead the rest in the course of the lap. Then, on the fourth lap, Jane Anderson, partly benefitting from Both Vicki Duncalf and Adam Hilton having to do penalty turns, took on second place .

1.       Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)

2.       Jane Anderson (Topper)

3.       Adam Hilton, John Dabbs and Jane Chadney (Bosun)

4.       Vicki Duncalf (Topper)

 

Grateful thanks were given to the Officers of the Day, John Buckett and Sally Wills (who also took the photos).