by Adam Hilton

Robin Spiller

@Roadford Lake

There were supposed to be showers and 20mph gusts but they didn’t turn up until lunchtime. The races were wafted along on the gentlest of winds from various southerly directions. Ten boats crossed the start line and tacked towards the dam. The Roadford Commodore had added an OK to the beginning-to-be-familiar fleet of Supernovas, the Hadron 2, the International Canoe and the Albacore.

Only three Tamar boats went out. Linda Spiller and Bob Sampson had Radials and Adam Hilton his Solo. The three toured around at the back of the fleet, although hauled up the order a bit by the handicaps; Bob Sampson getting a sixth in the first race, Adam Hilton a sixth in the second.

Race 1

1	Norman Halstead	Supernova
2	Richard Willows	OK
3	Chris Tilbrook	Albacore
4	Kevin Reed	Supernova
5	Nick Wapshott	Hadron H2
6	Bob Sampson	Laser
7	Adam Hilton	Solo
8	Steve Tostevin	Supernova
9	Ed Bremner	Int Canoe
10	Linda Spiller	Laser Radial

 

Race 2

6Adam HiltonSolo

1	Norman Halstead	Supernova
2	Steve Tostevin	Supernova
3	Kevin Reed	Supernova
4	Nick Wapshott	Hadron H2
5	Chris Tilbrook	Albacore
6	Adam Hilton	Solo
7	Linda Spiller	Laser Radial
8	Richard Willows	OK
9	Ed Bremner	Int Canoe
10	Bob Sampson	Laser

by Adam Hilton

@Roadford Lake

Only three Tamar boats went out. Sue Murray sailed her 4.7 and the two Solos of David Perrett and Adam Hilton went out.

The Roadfords had seven boats out; their usual Supernovas and the odd Laser but also the Albacore, an International Canoe and a Hadron 2.

The wind was strongish and gusty – a good deal of capsizing took place. Dave Perrett was finding the Solo given to rock and roll on the run but the Canoe seemed rarely to be upright.

Sue Murray achieved fourth place on corrected time in both races.

by Sue Murray

Linda Spiller

@ Roadford Lake

A mild but blustery October morning . The forecast wind was not in evidence at 10.30 but by the start of the race started at 11.30 the full force of the wind was evident. The three weather forecasts I checked in the morning said 17mph gusting 23 -25 mph.

Bob, in Laser radial and  Linda and Sue with 4.7 sails. Dry capsizes for Bob and Sue before the start was hopefully not a sign of what was to come.

The start line was crowded with approx 12 boats made more confusing with Exeter Uni squad out blowing whistles every minute to tack or gybe.

The first lap saw Tamar boats keeping up with the fleet but with a beat the whole  length of the lake and strengthening wind we struggled to keep up.

After overtaking Sue on the beat Linda touched a buoy and got disheartened and retired.

I didn’t see much then from the very back of the fleet, it was survival mode for me to complete the race.  Bob was doing well in his radial .

One race was enough for the Tamar sailors .

David did very well , out on the water for over an hour in his Solo practising his down wind sailing techniques.

Once again a warm welcome was received by Roadford SC .

 

 

 

by Adam Hilton

@Roadford Lake

The weather was not as forecast. There was more sun, less wind and no rain. The start line and adjacent buoys were cluttered with a dozen Exeter Uni Fireflies being coached.

Racing were a couple of Supernovas, a Roadford Laser, their Albacore and Adam Hilton’s Solo as the sole Tamar representative. The Albacore won on the water as it should given its 1040 handicap.

Feeling lonely at the back of the field on those long legs between buoys, Adam skipped the second race. It looked like the Albacore got more competition the second time.

by John Dabbs

 John Dabbs

The relaxation of the Covid rules allowed us to re-start the annual Roadford Weekend this year after two years’ absence.  The date was originally chosen to coincide with the closure of Tamar Lake that weekend for a fishing competition.

The subsequent closure of Tamar Lake due to its low water level had persuaded eight of our members to temporarily transfer their boats to Roadford Lake so, supplemented by Toby’s Lugger and John Buckett’s Falmouth Bass boat, there was an ample pool of boats available to launch for this weekend without the need to trail additional boats from Tamar Lake.

Saturday provided us with a north-ish on-shore breeze in bright sunshine, which made for a challenging launch process through the exposed mud fronting the very low water level in the lake.  Reefed-down Lugger and Bass boats took to the water, as did brave Geoff in his Solo.  All paused for a Club community shore-based picnic lunch before venturing out again with a different crew selection.

John D had made a booking for dinner at the nearby Clovelly Arms pub in Bratton Clovelly, attended by ten of us.  Good pub grub, enhanced by an excellent pudding selection.

Our new-found friends from the Roadford Lake Sailing Club had invited us to join in their Sunday races, and six of us took up the challenge. See Adam’s Race Report

Meanwhile, others enjoyed pleasant sails around the lake in a moderated wind in the Bosun, Lugger and Falmouth Bass boats, interrupted only by a communal picnic lunch.

Apart from the memory of a weekend spent in the company of our Club members sailing together in fair weather, one lasting memory will be that of launching and recovering our boats through a particularly sticky mud at the water’s edge.

 

by Adam Hilton

Sheba Tobias

@Roadford Lake

This was the long-planned (thank you, John Dabbs) Roadford camping and dinner weekend but although several people sailed on Saturday no races took place.

Sunday was not a bad day at Roadford lake, chillier than of late despite a good deal of sun and very light, variable winds which started coming from the north and ended up from the west. The Roadford club had its complement of Supernovas on the water with a pinch of Lasers too. We were represented by Sue Murray and Linda Spiller in Radials, by Robin Spiller in his Streaker and by three Solos; Geoff Floyd’s, Adam Hilton’s and, for the first time, David Perrett’s much-refurbished, ex-John Savage, navy blue Solo. John Dabbs was around with Ian Chatterton as crew but not racing. And the Lake was graced with the presence of Toby and Sheba Tobias sailing their stately way up and down.

Roadford’s buoys are becoming more familiar and so the host club’s relaxed way of setting them – often changes are made on the water between back-to-back races – is less disconcerting. The start line on this Sunday was a flag on a post placed onshore opposite a buoy. The first mark was East, the second Oak, then across to Inlet and up to Tower and back to the start – a rough figure of eight.

Results taken from RLSC Facebook page

G Bond aka Geoff Floyd, John & Cilla Davies aka John Dabbs & Cilla Gilbert!!!

Congratulations Sue – Well Done members of UTLSC 

by Adam Hilton

@ Roadford Lake

There was a good bit more blow than the 8mph south-easterlies forecast but it had subsided by the time we got on the water and the sun came out. Leila Farmer, crewing in John Dabbs’ Bosun, blew her whistle for the start and we set off towards a yellow buoy somewhere in that unfamiliarly large expanse of water. The Supernovas took to the front but Bob Sampson (Laser) kept up and the handicap gave him the win. Linda Spiller (Radial) drew away from Adam Hilton’s Solo. Geoff Floyd (Solo) followed along with the Bosun. Robin Spiller did two laps of the three in his Streaker. A nice little sail.

National PNs

Rank	HelmName	CrewName	Class	Rating	Elapsed	Corrected
1	Bob Sampson		LASER	1100	00:53:02	0:48:13
2	Dave (RLSC)		SUPERNOVA	1077	00:52:08	0:48:24
3	Steve (RLSC)		SUPERNOVA	1077	00:52:30	0:48:45
4	Linda Spiller		LASER RADIAL	1147	00:57:40	0:50:17
5	Adam Hilton		SOLO	1142	00:59:33	0:52:09
6	John Dabbs	Leila Farmer	BOSUN	1232	01:07:00	0:54:23
7	Geoff Floyd		SOLO	1142	01:04:00	0:56:03
8	Robin Spiller		STREAKER	1128	RET

Sailwave Scoring Software 2.28.2
www.sailwave.com

by Adam Hilton

@Roadford Lake

Roadford Lake was sunny, chilly and glassy at 10am but by the start of the first race at 11.30 there was a little wind coming from points north – many points; it was very variable in both strength and direction. Most of the Tamar boats are now established with tie downs on the beach and therefore not too far from the water but the water is so far down that it’s still a sharp (and muddy) pull to get them back up. Five Tamar boats took to the water; Bob Sampson’s big Laser, Sue Murray and Linda Spiller’s Radials, Robin Spiller’s Streaker and Adam Hilton’s Solo.

The Roadford contingent consisted of three Supernovas, a big Laser, a pretty, varnished Firefly, a single-handed Wayfarer and a rather elegant Albacore. The RLSC Commodore, Richard Willows, designed the course, started the races and won both of them in his Supernova. Sue Murray got a second and a sixth on handicap and Bob Sampson a seventh and a fourth. Linda Spiller got a fifth and an eighth, Robin two ninths and Adam Hilton’s score would have looked better if he’d remembered to give his first race finish time; his second was seventh.

Results shown are copied from RLSC files.

 

by Adam Hilton

Robin Spiller – 4th Sep

@Roadford Lake

The Roadford Sailing Club held a long bank holiday weekend of races 27-29 August. Only Sue Murray attended but she sailed most of them and got a couple of sevenths in fleets numbering more than twenty.

The following Wednesday, 31 August, Linda Spiller (Laser Radial), John Dabbs and David Perrett (Bosun) and Adam Hilton (Solo) were going to have a little improvised race but Adam blew it by capsizing before the start and having to be towed in.

On Sunday 4 Sep the weather started better than forecast and Sue Murray, Linda Spiller (Laser 4.7s) and Adam Hilton (Solo) joined in the informal RLSC race for a couple of laps before the squalls started. Adam Hilton managed to stay upright and Linda Spiller managed to unentangle her mainsheet from the course buoy which had grabbed it.

by Adam Hilton

Robin Spiller – 4th Sep

@Roadford Lake

The Roadford Sailing Club held a long bank holiday weekend of races 27-29 August. Only Sue Murray attended but she sailed most of them and got a couple of sevenths in fleets numbering more than twenty.

The following Wednesday, 31 August, Linda Spiller (Laser Radial), John Dabbs and David Perrett (Bosun) and Adam Hilton (Solo) were going to have a little improvised race but Adam blew it by capsizing before the start and having to be towed in.

On Sunday 4 Sep the weather started better than forecast and Sue Murray, Linda Spiller (Laser 4.7s) and Adam Hilton (Solo) joined in the informal RLSC race for a couple of laps before the squalls started. Adam Hilton managed to stay upright and Linda Spiller managed to unentangle her mainsheet from the course buoy which had grabbed it.