Midweek Mug 1

The first Wednesday race of the season was held under dark clouds but was powered by very usable force two and three northwesterlies with, by the standards of Tamar Lake, very few gusts. John Buckett’s nine buoy course had the seven strong fleet beating to Inlet and across to West, up to Pinkie and then running back to Dam Green with enough buoys in between to catch out Bob Sampson when his big-sailed Laser was in the lead. Sue Murray (Laser Radial) was first away with Linda Spiller’s Radial and then Bob Sampson just behind, but after West Bob took the lead. Adam Hilton’s Solo managed to beat between Middle and Pinkie without tacking which brought him back up to the three leading Lasers. Then on the return run to the Dam the Solo’s big sail took it past Linda Spiller’s Radial where it stayed until its skipper capsized it on lap 2. Robin Spiller’s Streaker raced Geoff Floyd’s Solo for fourth place and got it, both on the water and, their handicaps being similar, in the results. Leila Farmer, sailing the Hartley 12 solo, raced Louise and Colin Witchell’s Bosun and beat it on the water but not when the handicaps were applied. At the finish Bob Sampson had regained the lead after having to sail back to his missed buoy. He had lapped the back markers and had a minute and a half’s lead over Sue Murray. That was not enough to overcome the Radial’s advantageous handicap but was just enough – one second of corrected time – to keep him ahead of third place Linda Spiller.

1. Sue Murray (Laser Radial)
2. Bob Sampson (Laser Full)
3. Linda Spiller (Laser Radial)
4. Robin Spiller (Streaker)
5. Geoff Floyd (Solo)
6. Louise and Colin Witchell (Bosun)
7. Leila Farmer (Hartley 12)

Retired: Adam Hilton (Solo)

John Buckett was a characteristically efficient Officer of the Day. Many thanks to him.

by Adam Hilton

Mandy Pollard

Barnwell 3

Jane Anderson, eyeing the force 5 gusts shooting up the Lake from the south, would have chosen to sail her Topper, had it not been damaged in the winter storms by an adjacent flying dinghy. Instead she chose her Laser with a little 4.7 sail, crossed the start line at the front of the fleet but a little before the horn. She had to return and began the race at the back of the field. However she had worked her way up to third place by half way through lap 3. At the front were the Pollard brothers in full-sailed Lasers, James initially leading but already overtaken by Inlet. They finished more than six minutes in front of the rest of the field. Behind them raged a race long battle between Mike Coley’s Laser Full and Adam Hilton’s Solo, the Solo eventually triumphing. John Dabbs’ maroon Bosun (Linda Spiller as crew) led Brian Pollard’s yellow one (Cilla Gilbert crewing) with Robin Spiller’s Streaker, slowed by its small size sail, in the mix. Halfway through the race the wind chose to turn right round and blow from the northwest.

1. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
2. James Pollard (Laser Full)
3. Jane Anderson (Laser 4.7)
4. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
5. Adam Hilton (Solo)
6. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
7. Mike Coley (Laser Full)
8. Robin Spiller (Streaker Wave)

Sailboat 3

Over lunch the wind dropped but it returned, still from the northwest, for the start of Sailboat 3 along with some dim and murky conditions. Nathan Pollard’s Laser led away and stayed in front on a course no longer starting towards the Dam but aimed straight up to Pinkie. Adam Hilton’s Solo followed but further reduced the already depleted fleet by retiring. The Pollard/Gilbert Bosun was third to start but Jane Anderson, fourth starting, was already on its beam as they passed the inlet and she stayed at second from then on but was not far enough ahead of the Dabbs/Spiller Bosun to overcome the double-handers’ handicap advantage when the results were announced

1. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
2. Jane Anderson (Laser 4.7)
3. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
4. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)

Retired Adam Hilton (Solo)

Geoff Floyd was Officer of the Day: many thanks to him and to Mandy Pollard who took the photographs.

by Adam Hilton

Mandy Pollard

Barnwell 1

For the first race of the season the sun shone, the waters of Tamar Lake shimmered, but the wind was largely absent. A little flurry of breeze before the off misled much of the fleet into thinking that a fast start might be had by charging up to the line from near the Dam. In the event the wind all but disappeared and these boats were left slack-sailed and took up to five and a half minutes to make their start. Jane Anderson, with a full sail on her Laser was not so unwise, started first, although even she took half a minute to cross the line after the horn blew. She was never headed, although Linda Spiller, with the same boat/sail combination, chased hard and threatened as they reached Pinkie at the top of the course on lap1. Three Bosuns were in the race. The first to start was Roger Heasman’s (new-comer David Longfellow crewing) and his was the first to finish. At the end John Dabbs’ Bosun, John Buckett the crew, was ahead of Brian Pollard with Cilla Gilbert, but that hadn’t been the case for the whole race. Adam Hilton and Geoff Floyd were in Solos which, with their big sails, should go very well in light winds. They finished third and fourth on the water, the handicap particularly cruel to the Floyd boat. Robin Spiller, in his familiar Streaker, was fourth at Pinkie first time around but retired; you need very good pads to kneel in a Streaker for two half-hour laps!

1. Jane Anderson (Laser Full)
2. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)
3. Adam Hilton (Solo)
4. Roger Heasman and David Longfellow (Bosun)
5. John Dabbs and John Buckett (Bosun)
6. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
7. Geoff Floyd (Solo)

Retired: Robin Spiller (Solo)

Sailboat 1

Over lunch Force 2 or 3 winds had appeared from various points around north and they powered a very acceptable race with three much faster laps. Nathan Pollard joined the fleet in his Laser Full. He started third but soon took the lead, the Laser pointing much higher than anything else as the fleet tacked up to Pinkie. First starting Jane Anderson had radically reduced sail, to a 4.7, and was second at the top of the course and at the finish. The handicap gave her the victory. John Dabbs, Adam Hilton now as crew, started second, lost nothing by being well to leeward of the others and stayed ahead in the Bosun race-within-a-race. The Heasman Bosun led the Pollard sister dinghy at the start and the end of the first lap but not at the finish. Geoff Floyd started his Solo at the back but succeeded in overhauling two of the Bosuns.

1. Jane Anderson (Laser 4.7)
2. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
3. John Dabbs and Adam Hilton (Bosun)
4. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
5. Roger Heasman and David Longfellow (Bosun)
6. Geoff Floyd (Solo)

Many thanks were given to Paul Anderson, for running the races and to Mandy Pollard for taking the photographs.