Here are some good photos, taken by Mark Cayzer’s Dad from the Commando, of close quarters action during the practice races which were run in the afternoon…..
and one from our very own member of the Bromley paparazzi of Pink Lady waiting to be rescued from the trees (Points for recognising the helm! Ed) :
The Race Report from the pen of your roving Race Controller Fleur Bryant:
It was a windy one! Arriving early at the club, the wind was fairly light and lulled most of us into thinking it would stay like that. The wind seemed to build before our eyes but it was great to see so many of you still keen to take part. Again apologies for the delay to the start but thank you for your patience whilst everybody got onto the water.
Just when you thought that you had Starts nailed, we threw another challenge in with a downwind start. What was impressive is that you all coped with it so well, particularly so given the strong winds. The downwind start led to a flying first leg down to the leeward Mark. Leading the charge was Martin Norman in his Martin closely followed by David Mason in his 2.4.. Although just as they arrived at Mark D, Peter Gregory, in the Red Torpedo, made an incredible move to sneak inside both Martin and David as they were rounding the leeward Mark D and take the lead on the water as they all set off on a Broad Reach towards Mark C. (Over lunch, I heard talk of “Loud shouting for Water/Room at the Mark by a boat that seemed to come out of nowhere”. So? I asked. “We all obediently moved out of the way!” Remember that in sailing races you only have to play to the Rules –NOT just move out of the way of the helm shouting instructions! So, at the moment you are THREE of your own boat’s lengths away from the Mark to be rounded, unless the following boat has its bow closer to the Mark than the stern of your boat, then hold your course and deny “Room at the Mark”. The following boat will then have to alter its course and sail a longer way – around you and the Mark. Ed.) The 303s were led to the first Mark by Steve Farmer followed closely by Fay Watson.
The exciting action was maintained up the first beat, Peter Gregory stretched his legs and his lead but Peter Wagner sailed an awesome leg and Mike Blatchford, having suffered a false Start and as a result losing some 50 seconds, started to ease his way up through the fleet in his Martin. In the 303s, Kim Sparkes sailed herself to the front of her Class, although, like a number of you, on the downwind leg she found a few holes in the wind out on the course and slowed – even appearing to stop at times – whilst, when the wind strengthened, the boats behind caught her up.
The greatest sight of the race had to be seeing Mike, Martin, David and Peter Wagner sailing 4 abreast around the windward mark and then chasing each other downwind. Great sailing and no collisions!
The pace was maintained up to the start/finish gate where the time between the 1st boat of the 4 and the last was just 9 seconds – what a race! During the 2nd lap, Kim really stretched her legs creating a substantial gap on the other 303s. We were sorry to see Mark Cayzer having to retire and sailing in substantially lower in the water created by slightly hairy moment. Great to see you pushing so hard though Mark! (Or was that mishap all due to your crew getting a little over- excited in the strong wind? Ed.)
The sail of the 2nd lap has to go to Mike Blatchford for an incredible sail, narrowing the gap substantially to Peter Gregory. The 303s continued to sail a tight race. The two 303s of Louise and Rachel stuck closely to each other (Literally, as if glued together at times. Ed) for much of the lap, crossing within a second of each other through the gate!
The wind continued to gust heavily with the variation in strength creating some difficult wind shadows particularly visible on the downwind leg. Well done to you all for persevering. Overall, everyone had a brilliant race with only one retiree in difficult conditions. Well done Peter Gregory for another superb demonstration of how a 2.4 should be sailed and to Mike Blatchford for a well deserved win on handicap in his Martin and it was great to see Kim back on song in her Access 303. A final observation is about Louise Fisher, who is a novice dinghy sailor and who could be seen improving each lap. (One to watch in the second half of the races in the Summer Series, perhaps! Ed.).
Final Result – subject to: scrutineering, boat weighing and measurement, helm/crew testing!
DNF Mark Cayzer and his overly intrepid crew John Douglas
[Apologies for the bath tub school of sailing Mark! Ed.]
Your Race Controller for the day, Fleur Bryant, reports:
A blustery and cold day greeted all of those who came down to the lake last Thursday. So firstly, well done to all of you hardy souls who took part in the 7th Race of the Summer Series since the conditions clearly showed us that Summer is fast disappearing. Secondly, thank you for your patience during the delayed starting sequence to allow for some additional racers, it was much appreciated.
Once we got going, everyone took a keen approach to the start which was great to see. Make sure you remember your rules before the race as well as during it. Well done to the Racer who was a little too keen at the starting gun and was over the start line but spotted this and ducked down to clear the line. A good decision as the amount of time lost was minimal versus being called out by the Race Controller, having to turn around further up the beat and then sail back to cross the Start Line again.
The windy conditions continued during the first lap, but with everyone coping well with the conditions, it led to it being very competitive particularly between the 2.4s and the Martin. David Mason led at the first mark but was closely followed. Mark Cayzer had a brilliant first lap leading the Access fleet but again was closely followed by Kim Sparkes.
The wind dropped during the 2nd Lap which slowed the lap times down and led to much more manageable conditions. There was also a lovely battle between some of the Access and Liberty helms.
By the time the leaders were on Lap 3, the conditions continued from Lap 2, which I’m sure was a relief all round. The competitive racing continued with a number of bunches of boats at different points on the race course with places changing regularly.
Well done to everyone, it was a really great race. Following an invitation from David McKee, we were joined for the day by Joff McGill, the new RYA – the top dinghy sailing authority in the UK – Sailability UK Manager and Sarah Sibley, the RYA Disabled Development Officer for London and the South East. They both said they thoroughly enjoyed their day with Wealden Sailability (WS) and commented on the friendly, relaxed but safe atmosphere, and that it was really nice to meet so many people involved and to hear what they got out of sailing (and volunteering) with WS.
The progress you have all made is fantastic. Keep trying to remember your rules when you are on the water. If you have any questions about any further progress you want to make, just grab a volunteer. If they don’t know the answer, they will send you on to somebody who does.
The Final Result:
Louise Fisher in her 303 DNF.
As low, dark clouds scudded above their heads, threatening to drop their load at any moment but bringing stronger winds, WS Racers had another great day on the water, racing around the course which they know quite well now since we have raced with westerly winds over the last few weeks . Fortunately after last week’s light breeze, the prevailing wind blew at a steady 12 knots which enable the helms to work out how to get round the course – even if quite a few of them were often tricked by the wind direction as it veered WNW and backed WSW at times. This was especially notable for many, as we watched their efforts to sail through the Start/Finish Gate. By not achieving a lay line to get them trhough the Gate and then realising it, but not wanting to put in another Tack, they ended up head to wind as they tried to sneak inside either Mark K (on starboard Tack) or the distance Mark (on Port Tack). It was great to see Kim in the Race and to welcome Louise and Anne to WS Racing for their first time! Hope you both enjoyed yourselves. More to follow…
The Final Result:
There was hardly sufficient wind to ruffle the surface of Chipstead Lake when the first volunteers arrived to rig and launch the fleet of Wealden Sailability’s dinghies and safety craft last Thursday. The forecast was for a gentle breeze of 6 to 7 knots from the West, backing to the South-west and South later in the day. As can be seen from this photograph,
taken just before the start of the race at 11:30 AM, the 10 Helms who had gathered to do battle were in for a gentle ride – with lots of potential for frustrating moments when deciding whether to tack…or not…Yes, I’ll tack…just done it….oh no…look where the wind has moved to now! Arrgggh!!! (And I thought that sailing is a sport that enables folk to get away from it all and relax! Ed.) Nevertheless, there they were: two 2.4s (108 is still being repaired), two Liberties, a solitary Martin and five double-handed 303s milling around on the millpond. The bigger and faster boats were close up to the start line whilst most of the 303s were hanging back. This resulted in an exhortation over the tannoy from Race Control for them to get closer. The Gong for the start sounded but regrettably the wind conditions were such that those Helms in the fleet furthest away from the start line, were still struggling to get over the start line 5 minutes into the race. But back at the front of the fleet, we didn’t have to wait long for a bit of action. Surely like last week we couldn’t have had a clear front runner, streaking away from the pack. There was just insufficient wind. No, that’s right. Nobody was moving very fast. In fact, one boat was moving so slowly on port tack that it was not able to avoid two other boats on starboard tack. So we had our first collision – which took place pretty much on the Start Line! (Hang on. I didn’t see any 720 penalty turns. Have the rules changed? Ed) But WS Racers being such a nice bunch of people, they just sorted themselves out and got on with it. (Well done, chaps! Ed.) However the two innocent parties to this incident must have been slightly concerned when they saw the other party apparently disappearing into the distance and building a sizeable lead – as can be seen here…
Because of the light wind and the self -imposed 50 to 75 yard penalty (as described above), many boats in the fleet struggled on the initial Tack up to Mark B. Even the Red Torpedo, helmed by the skilful and fit Peter “Hand-cycle” Gregory, appeared to stand still in the water at times. But gradually, Peter and the front runners crept closer to the windward Mark. Just after Peter rounded it, some 50 yards in the lead, the breeze picked-up and that helped his pursuers to finish the upwind leg and get around Mark B. But that very same gust helped to propel the Red Torpedo away from the clutches of David Mason (2.4), Kelly Tripp and her crew Di (303D), Brian Mac (Martin) and Lisa Holland and her crew Sue Ives (303D), downwind towards Mark C and onwards to the Leeward Mark. And by the time the front-runners of this group had managed to get to Mark C, Peter Gregory was rounding the LeewardMark (which was a temporary Flag 150 yards due East of the middle of the start line). (There is just no slowing him. Is there? Ed.)
In fact, Race #5 seemed to be split into a race between the 2.4s and a separate race involving the others. As can be seen from the three photos below, Peter Gregory demonstrated the impressive performance which he manages to get out of the Red Torpedo.
Stratos 3, helmed by our very own, highly experienced sailor, Bob Marsh, crossed the Start/Finish Line, to complete his first lap, 3 seconds ahead of Brian Mac in his Martin who crossed the line at the end of his first lap, 8 seconds before Peter Gregory arrived at the very same spot on the Lake to complete his second lap. What to do when confronted by two big boats apparently blocking your path? The answer can be seen in the photos – you just sail straight between them and say “Bon voyage, mis amis!” (So how come he still came 2nd? Ed.)
It was this level of sailing that enabled Peter to complete three laps at 9 mins 45 sec per lap – whilst the fleet managed 18 to 29 minutes for a single lap. Not that they weren’t trying, they were very competitive with some close racing, but the conditions were very, very tricky and there were reports that some boats suffered dreadfully from having picked up large bundles of weed around their keels and rudders. (Nobody can sail with such drag or stopping them steering. Can they? Ed.) So WELL DONE to all you WS Racers for sticking to your guns and a big THANK YOU as always to the volunteers for crewing and for helping those boats that had the weed problems and had steered themselves into trouble. (See grouching below!! Ed.)
Final Result
Another brilliant effort by all you WS Racers on a lovely summer’s day at Chipstead. Even the wind tried to behave as it freshened to 10 to 12 knots whilst most of you were on the water practicing before the race and then gradually weakened as the race progressed. How does he know that? Ed. By looking at Peter Gregory’s lap split times – against a first lap of 7 min 43 secs, his second was 25 secs slower, the third 1 min 9 secs slower and the fourth lap was 1 min 43 secs slower.
Most of the fleet were marshalled close to the Start Line as the final gong of the 5-4-1-Off sequence sounded, with the result that half the fleet crossed the line in a blanket start. Well done! Ed. Once they were clear of the other’s wind shadows, David Mason in a 2.4 and Mike Blatchford in a Martin started to pull away and then tacked onto Starboard whilst Peter Gregory in his 2.4 stayed on Port tack and sailed away to the north of the lake, as close as possible to the wind. And although it appeared that Mike Blatchford would round the windward Mark (B) first, he had to put in another tack which let Peter Gregory through to lead by 50 yards before Mike and David Mason tacked around Mark B closely followed by Brain Mac in a Liberty, Malcolm Hill and his crew Mark in a Martin and the front running 303s of Fay Watson and crew James Thomas and Steve Farmer sailing single-handed. There was some closing up and pulling away for those boats that set their sails to maximise the effect of the good breeze from the West which was blowing them back down the lake to gybe around Mark C and run another 500 yards before tacking round the leeward Mark (D). Peter Gregory had pulled out a 300 yard lead over Mike Blatchford who was 25 yards in front of David Mason as these three helms beat back up the lake to complete their first Lap. Not surprisingly the bigger sails on Malcolm Hill’s Martin and the Venture, helmed by Keith, with Mike Cartwright as crew, meant that they started their 2nd Laps in fourth and sixth place respectively – split by an excellent first lap by Brian Mac in his Liberty. Only a minute later, Fay Watson and James Thomas completed their first Lap, 50 yards ahead of Steve Farmer in his 303. The remaining boats in the fleet were still battling, Bill Garry in Pink Lady a Liberty just keeping ahead of Peter Wagner, sailing for the first time in the fleet’s only servo-driven Liberty. See Peter Wagner’s interesting comments on his experience below. Ed. But Bill was lapped by Peter Gregory’s Red Torpedo as he tore across the Start/Finish Line 13 secs ahead of Bill. They were followed by Martin Norman and Sebastian in their 303 who were holding their own against Mark Cayzer and Don in their 303 who started their 2nd Lap after 19 minutes on the water and just as David Mason and Mike Blatchford were about to lap them.
Despite the lessening wind speed during his second Lap, Peter Gregory pulled away by 2 1/2 minutes from David Mason and Mike Blatchford, whilst they played cat and mouse with each other. And only these three, plus Malcolm Hill in his Martin and Keith in the Venture, sailed a third Lap – and only Peter Gregory sailed a fourth Lap, because he had built up quite a lead over the rest of the fleet by the time he completed his third Lap. Hang on there. I thought I saw David Mason sailing a forth Lap? Ed. Yes – well he shouldn’t have and it confused the Race Controller in the Race Hut which resulted in the provisional results having to be corrected! Excuses, excuses. Ed.
So, after applying the respective Portsmouth Yardsticks, the Final Result is:
It was good to see Bob Fisher down to enjoy a WS coffee and witness Steve storming home to a great 5th place! And we were all very sorry to hear that Ann Frewer could not race due to a cracked rib, sustained when sailing on the Medway last weekend. Our thoughts are with you for a speedy recovery Ann!
And here are a few photos that show how close fought a race it was at times:
