by Adam Hilton

Mandy Pollard

Commodore 3

Wind speeds were not a problem, indeed at times there was very little of the mainly southwesterly winds, it was the strength and unpredictability of the gusts which demanded a cautious approach. Nathan Pollard was the only helm to put a full size sail on his Laser. He was able to lead the race, if not from the start, then from the third buoy onwards but he couldn’t get far enough ahead – he finished half a minute before second-running Bob Sampson – to overcome the handicap advantage of Bob’s smaller Radial sail.

Brian Pollard in his Bosun (Cilla Gilbert crewing) made an impressive start and remained in front of the faster boats until after Inlet buoy when the faster Lasers started to get by. However the smallest Laser sail has a better handicap than a Bosun and Linda Spiller, despite finishing just under twenty seconds behind the Pollard Bosun, was promoted to a place above.

Spalding Cup 3

Dave Perrett, the small sail on his Solo unrecognized by the handicap system, made a very good start and, the Solo pointing high into the wind, was still well-placed at the first buoy, before being engulfed by the fleet. Nathan Pollard again established himself in the lead with Bob Sampson again chasing. Indeed this race became something of a procession with the helms finishing each lap in the same order. The two 4.7 Lasers of Jane Anderson and Linda Spiller followed the front runners and the two Bosuns of Brian Pollard and Roger Heasman followed them. Dave Perrett’s underpowered Solo brought up the rear. At least his smaller sail made it easier to cope with the gusts.

Grateful thanks were given to Penny Abbott who ran the races and to Mandy Pollard who took the photographs.

Teacake 1

The northwesterly winds were very light, a novelty at Tamar Lake this season. They never quite disappeared so that the fleet never quite stopped moving and the occasional gusts had their usual unjust effect of moving some helms up but leaving others creeping along.
Four boats took the start; the Floyd and Hilton Solos, Graham Joyce’s Laser with his full-sized sail, and Roger Heasman’s Bosun with the owner sailing it on his own. He started first with Floyd and Joyce following and beginning a ding dong battle between the two of them which continued as long as the race lasted. Adam Hilton messed up the start, messed up the first buoy, Zebra, and ended up with a lot of water between him and the rest of the fleet. Fortunately for him, on the second lap, one of the little gusts escorted his dinghy up to the transom of Geoff Floyd’s sister Solo just as he, Floyd, was about to round Inlet. The white Solo emerged on the beat across to West White in front of the yellow one. Graham Joyce’s Laser reached West White a little to leeward and had to tack, thus impeding the Hilton Solo and having to let it past. Roger Heasman was able to keep his Bosun comfortably ahead until the third lap when the recovering Solo overtook. The race ended after nearly an hour and four laps of this short course which went no further north than the middle of the Lake. The handicap restored Roger Heasman to first place, thoroughly deserved after keeping his Bosun ahead of potentially faster boats for so long.

1. Roger Heasman (Bosun)
2. Adam Hilton (Solo)
3. Geoff Floyd (Solo)
4. Graham Joyce (Laser Full)

Ollie started the race and the competitors took their own times. Thanks!

The second race was not run.

Mandy Pollard

Commodore 2

Storm Antoni had blown through, leaving behind force 3 winds from the northwest and big gusts. The sun mostly shone and it was pleasantly warm for a change. Five Lasers went out; three with small 4.7 sails (Murray, Spiller, Thurlow), one with a Radial (Sampson) and one with a Full (Pollard). The field was completed by three Bosuns; Brian Pollard’s, three-up and none the worse for it, Roger Heasman’s with Rick Thurlow as crew and the Witchells’ with small sails and Louise at the helm.
Nathan Pollard was the first to get from the start line to Middle buoy but had to take a tack to get round it. Linda Spiller made the mark in one tack, second. Bob Sampson’s Radial was the fourth Laser to round the first buoy but had overtaken the 4.7s by the end of the lap. He remained at second on the water until the end.
The leading Bosun throughout was Brian Pollard’s with his jolly party of Cilla Gilbert and Adam Hilton crewing. Roger Heasman and Rick Thurlow were slightly delayed at the start and then followed.
The handicaps promoted Linda Spiller from third to second, put Bob Sampson and Sue Murray in third and fourth respectively and Nathan Pollard remained first. The winds were perhaps strong enough to make it easier to exploit a small sail to its maximum.

1. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
2. Linda Spiller (Laser 4.7)
3. Bob Sampson (Laser Radial)
4. Sue Murray (Laser 4.7)
5. Brian Pollard, Cilla Gilbert and Adam Hilton (Bosun)
6. Roger Heasman and Rick Thurlow (Bosun)
7. Wendy Thurlow (Laser 4.7)
8. Louise and Colin Witchell (Bosun)

Spalding Cup 2

The fleet of six now consisted of four Lasers and two Bosuns. Nathan Pollard’s Full again led but his two and a bit minutes margin at the finish over Bob Sampson’s Radial was not enough. Nor was Bob Sampson’s forty one second’s over Sue Murray’s 4.7. Sue had kept close to the Radial throughout, even leading it at the beginning. The handicaps rewarded her with victory.
Brian Pollard’s laden Bosun kept ahead of Roger Heasman’s throughout, although seriously threatened at several points.

1. Sue Murray (Laser 4.7)
2. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
3. Bob Sampson (Laser Radial)
4. Brian Pollard, Cilla Gilbert and Adam Hilton(Bosun)
5. Roger Heasman and Rick Thurlow (Bosun)
Retired: Wendy Thurlow (Laser 4.7)

Grateful thanks were given to John Dabbs who ran the first race and to Mandy Pollard who ran the second as well as taking the photographs.

Penny Abbott

Teatime Tankard 7

For the first time in weeks the wind was coming over the Dam from the southwest. That meant the start, from the nearside line to Dam Green, was a proper beat. Boats needed to point high and start from off the end of the pontoon to make the first buoy in one tack. There were three Bosuns in the race. Adam Hilton’s, with visitor Celia Braund as crew, was the first to round Dam Green with John Dabbs second (crew Leila Farmer) and then Roger Heasman (crew Rick Thurlow). Geoff Floyd’s Solo was in the mix, going through the Bosuns and finishing the first lap in first place. The return from Pinkie via West White involved a lot more tacking with many changes of place, callings of starboard and other excitements. Dave Perrett had chosen a small sail for his Solo to protect his recovering arm and, in wind strengths less than the force 3 gusting 5 forecast, did not really have the speed to keep up but managed to finish the two laps in fourth on the water. Visitor Silas Braund, in a Club Topper, toured in sixth and Wendy Thurlow in her Laser 4.7, after a delayed start, brought up the rear.

1. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer (Bosun)
2. Silas Braund (Topper)
3. Geoff Floyd (Solo)
4. Roger Heasman and Rick Thurlow (Bosun)
5. Dave Perrett (Solo)
6. Wendy Thurlow (Laser 4.7)

Retired: (missed buoy) Adam Hilton and Celia Braund (Bosun)

Roger’s Bosuns 2

Dave Perret’s Solo and Adam Hilton’s Bosun were the first to start and to round Dam Green but were again overwhelmed by the other Bosuns and Geoff Floyd’s Solo. Geoff was at the front at the end of each subsequent lap but not necessarily around every buoy in between. The Heasman Bosun was ahead of Leila Farmer, now helming the Dabbs boat, for most of the first lap but not subsequently. Silas Braund kept his Topper in front of Wendy Thurlow’s Laser 4.7. Helms Adam Hilton (again) and Wendy Thurlow missed buoys and did not feature in the results.

Bosuns

1. Leila Farmer and John Dabbs (Bosun)
2. Roger Heasman and Rick Thurlow (Bosun)

Disqualified: Adam Hilton and Celia Braund (Bosun)

PLUS

1. Silas Braund (Topper)
2. Geoff Floyd (Solo)
3. Dave Perrett (Solo)

Disqualified: Wendy Thurlow (Laser 4.7)

Grateful thanks were given to Penny Abbott who, as Officer of the Day, ran the races.

by Penny Abbott

Teatime Tankard 6

Perfect sailing weather. 11 boats took to the water, which is more than Sundays in 2023!. This included 3 juniors racing in club toppers (and the SWLT Pico?).  Ethan in his Topper sailed really well to come 2^nd. Out for the first time Milo (Topper) and Joseph (Pico?) didn’t finish. But I had better look up the PN for the Pico for next time! New members Rick & Wendy were out on the water again. Rick crewing for Roger (Bosun) and Wendy out in her Laser 4.7. Colin & Louise took out their Bosun. Geoff, whilst OODing, managed to get out in his Solo. Ian, with his sister Kate crewing, in his Enterprise were ahead at one point but had forgotten to take note of the course! Linda and Robin were both disqualified – maybe they hadn’t taken note of the course either!

Roger’s Bosuns 1

6 boats out for the 2^nd race – 2 Bosuns, 2 Laser 4.7s, 1 Enterprise & 1 Solo. Robin took over as OOD.

It was a great day. Nice to see so many out on the water

by Adam Hilton

Mandy Pollard

Bosun Plus 5

The John Dabbs and Linda Spiller Bosun crossed the start line first but well to leeward of the rest of the fleet.  Adam Hilton and Jane Anderson, who was crewing to practice for the Enterprise Nationals at Salcombe, crossed close to the windward buoy, pointed higher and took the lead. Brian Pollard with his son Nathan was also able to pass to windward of the Dabbs boat.

The forecast was for winds of force four gusting to force 6 but on the day the wind was much more variable; capable of gusts vicious enough to knock over Robin Spiller’s Streaker, despite its small sail, before the race had even started. Yet at times the breeze dropped almost to nothing. Mostly the winds came from the northwest. From time to time it rained.

For two laps the Bosun order remained the same, the Pollard and Dabbs boats close together, the Hilton/Anderson Bosun comfortably ahead. The main action came from Sue Murray, making up the ‘Plus’ element of the race in her Laser 4.7. She had started last but now made her way through the field to take the lead on lap 3. This lap saw changes in the Bosun order too. After rounding Dam Green the lead Bosun was semi-becalmed and the other two took off on an eddy of wind which took the Dabbs/Spiller boat past the Pollards and the leader. Later in the lap the Pollards got past Adam Hilton’s Bosun as well. This was the order that the Bosuns finished the race in, with Sue Murray’s little 4.7 a couple of minutes ahead of all of them.

Bosuns

1. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
2. Brian and Nathan Pollard (Bosun)
3. Adam Hilton and Jane Anderson(Bosun)

Plus

Sue Murray (Laser 4.7)

DNS : Robin Spiller (Streaker Wave)

Pursuit 4

Vicki Duncalf started first in her Topper. Nathan Pollard in his full-sailed Laser started last, fourteen minutes later – almost a full Topper lap later. In between, at three minutes after the Topper, came two Bosuns – Brian Pollard’s with Adam Hilton now crewing and John Dabb’s still with Linda Spiller assisting. The Pollard boat took the lead over the other Bosun and was never headed although on each lap the gap between the two radically diminished as they rode the fluky winds coming towards the Dam. Nathan Pollard had a lot of catching up to do but managed to pass Vicki Duncalf two minutes before the end and take third place.

1. Brian Pollard and Adam Hilton (Bosun)
2. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
3. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
4. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)

Grateful thanks were given to Jane Anderson, Officer of the Day and to Mandy Pollard who took the photographs.

by Adam Hilton

Teatime Tankard 5

The wind was up to its usual tricks, shooting off gusts powerful enough to capsize four out of the five boats that took to the water, some of them more than once. Ian Chatterton and Graham Joyce in the Enterprise had a spectacular capsize immediately on casting off and had to go ashore to empty a lot of water out of the boat.  They decided not to race but still sailed sections of the course and impressively kept upright for the rest of the afternoon, despite the full size sails.

This left two Bosuns and two 4.7 Lasers racing. John Dabbs, with reefed mainsail, had Rick Thurlow as crew; Roger Heasman sailed the dark blue, centre-sheeted club boat with a small mainsail and Adam Hilton as crew.

Linda Spiller’s 4.7 capsized three minutes before the start but she recovered perfectly and crossed the line closely behind Roger Heasman and in front of the others. The order around the first mark, West White, was Linda Spiller, Roger Heasman, John Dabbs, and Wendy Thurlow, Linda taking it wide and only just keeping the Laser under control. However she then pulled an increasing lead and risked sailing shallower into Inlet than the others. John Dabbs was gradually gaining on the other Bosun.

Wendy Thurlow  was very wide at West but kept it together and made it safely to Pinkie.  Ian Chatterton took a creative approach to the sailing line and got there eventually while remaining upright.

John Dabbs had come up almost level to Roger Heasman after Inlet but then Roger came in to the pontoon , the knot Adam had tied the jib on with having given way, allowing the others to get past.  Shortly after returning to the race a particularly vicious gust capsized the Bosun which finished the race for them.

Wendy Thurlow’s first lap was impressive seeing that it was first time in a new boat, stalling at Dam Green but holding it together well. A capsize on the second lap, with two attempts to recover, brought Linda off her course to check Wendy was OK, adding significantly to her race time.

John Dabbs played the tortoise rather than hare and it paid off, crossing the finish line first, with Linda in second and Wendy third. Bravery awards for everyone on the water – the OOD considered it a good day to be in charge of the hooter.

1. John Dabbs and Rick Thurlow (Bosun)
2. Linda Spiller (Laser 4.7)
3. Wendy Thurlow (Laser 4.7)

DNS: Ian Chatterton and Graham Joyce (Enterprise)

Retired: Roger Heasman and Adam Hilton (Bosun)

There weren’t enough willing sailors to make running a second race possible.

Grateful thanks were given to Dave Perrett, Officer of the Day.

by Adam Hilton

Bosuns PLUS 4

Four Bosun skippers and five from the mixed fleet signed on for the noon race but the weather gods turned evil, releasing heavy clouds, thunder and down pouring rain. The Tamar Lake safety team lofted the red flag and the race was postponed for an hour by which time one Bosun had lost its visiting crew and did not start. John Dabbs, sailing his Bosun with Linda Spiller as crew, crossed the start line prematurely and had to go back and begin again. However this time the weather gods, capricious as ever, loved him, sending a sustained gust which wafted the Bosun to the back of the fleet before they had rounded the first buoy. These winds were not easy to cope with; Robin Spiller retired his Streaker as a result.

Nathan Pollard’s full-sailed Laser established a lead but Roger Heasman, in his Bosun with Dave Longfellow, held an admirable second place, eventually to be displaced by the Laser 4.7s of Bob Sampson and Sue Murray. These two changed places on lap 2 and Sue Murray, finishing the race three minutes after Nathan Pollard’s faster boat, was given the handicap race victory.

In the Bosun race everything was gradually reversed. On lap 2 John Dabbs overtook Roger Heasman and on the following lap so did Brian Pollard (Rick Thurlow was his crew).

Bosuns

1. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
2. Brian Pollard and Rick Thurlow (Bosun)
3. Roger Heasman and Linda Spiller (Bosun)

PLUS

1. Sue Murray (Laser 4.7)
2. Bob Sampson (Laser 4.7)
3. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
4. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)

Retired; Robin Spiller (Streaker)

Pursuit 4

Sadly the correct personal handicaps were not picked up automatically so the start times were incorrect. So the decision has been to void the race. Pursuit 4 will be held on 16th July and is the last in the series.

Grateful thanks were given to Jane Anderson who, as Officer of the Day, ran the races.

by John Dabbs

Teatime Tankard 4

Leila and Rick arrived with a new potential member, Simon. With only 5 sailors
on parade on a dry but windy day, it was agreed that Leila would take Simon
on her Hartley 12, Dave would launch his Solo with a reduced sail, and John
would be supported by Rick as crew on his Bosun sporting a reefed mainsail.
With the wind arriving from the NW in gusts reaching force 4/5 our OOD
(Linda) set a generally clockwise course with a kink in it via Zebra, Home 2,
Middle, West, Pinky and Dam Green.

Leila was first across the line, followed by Dave, then John. All three boats
remained in close company until Dave had the misfortune to touch Dam Green
at the end of Lap 1, so his resultant penalty turn put John in the lead.
Dave managed a capsize on Lap 2 en route to Zebra. Although he remain out
of the water, his Solo was swamped which took some effort and time to
rectify.

Lap 3 put the Bosun well ahead of the other two boats, making good use of the
strengthening wind. The gusts resulted in a couple of hairy gybes for Leila.
Linda took pity on the helms and reduced the race to 3 laps. Leila followed
John to the finish, with Dave soldiering on bring up the rear.

1. John Dabbs & Rick Thurlow (Bosun)
2. Leila Farmer & Simon Garnham (Hartley 12.2)
3. Dave Longfellow (Solo)

Teatime Plate 7

The wind had strengthened somewhat, so Linda simplified the course so it now
went direct from West to Pinky. This removed the direct downwind section
from West to Middle and the gybe at Pinky hadn’t proved much of a challenge
on the previous race.

Dave was away first but, unfortunately he jumped the gun and failed to return
to restart. All three boats arrived together in the vicinity of West, with John
emerging first, followed by Leila.

Dave effectively started the race legally at the end of his first lap, but
unfortunately remained unaware of this in his close competition with Leila on
the water, with his Solo slowly pulling ahead of the Hartley. John continued to
pull ahead of Leila to the end of the race. At the end of his second lap, Dave
retired.

Challenging conditions today, which everyone enjoyed.  Well sailed to all.

1. John Dabbs & Rick Thurlow (Bosun)
2. Leila Farmer & Simon Garnham (Hartley 12.2)

DNF Dave Longfellow (Solo)

Thanks go to Linda for OOD-ing these two races.