Wealden Sailability (Beta)

Watching the Olympic sailing etc meant that I hadn’t started writing a word about yesterday’s Race and this morning I received news that my daughter had given birth to a baby girl during the night. So  my wife and I are now in Brighton ready to meet our new grand-daughter when summoned! So it was fortuitous that I received this Race Report from our special roving reporter, Bob Fisher:

“What a fantastic day for a race. Several of the big players had been bribed/sabotaged etc. and there was a air of expectancy amongst us regular back markers. Unfortunately the Mars Bar bribing scandal, which at least used to be discreet has now become very public. Several volunteers at  Wealden Sailability made no attempt to hide the open trading of Mars Bars – photographic evidence has been obtained (see pics).

The whole process was disrupted when Peter Gregory entered – stage left – but fortunately it soon became obvious that the Red Torpedo wasn’t available (phew!). Sources later confirmed that the twin underwater turbo’s were miss-firing and the Torpedo was being serviced. Race officials had previously informed the Racers that Peter G would be unavailable for a month or so and, whilst we were all pleased to see the all-conquering hero, the mafioso bookmakers weren’t so happy. But Peter  G had decided to skipper one of the un-fettered 2.4’s and no one knew how he would perform minus his five litre Diesel engine.

There was a lot of confusion on the dock when Steve Farmer openly tried to bribe Bob Marsh to allocate him a challenger boat! The bribe (wait for it) was just one Mars Bar . You can see, in the photo of Steve’s dodgy behaviour, Bob trying to hide his shock horror / amusement, as Steve was put in one of the very obvious  303 ‘lemons’. That should teach him to try and curry favour with the race officials, I thought! But, having paid the going rate, I was allocated my regular Red Rocket and I was ever hopeful that repairs from last week’s various accidents had been professionally carried out and the Rocket was primed for victory.

I have to say that by now I was feeling very confident, when suddenly Captain Bligh appeared and began hurling abuse at me, because of my comments on last week’s race report. She has decided I am to be re-christened Napoleon. Now I have spent considerable time with Ann over the past few years and she has always told me that she doesn’t use the Internet. But obviously that is not the case….for those that don’t know, Ann had a book published using her own animations. There’s more to Captain Bligh than meets the eye.

And so to the Race. A number of regulars were missing. Peter W still traumatised from the splashing broadside he received two weeks back and was making excuses about being on holiday in Cornwall. Kim having served her one race suspension/ban, sadly didn’t appear (hope all is well Kim). Andy had point blank refused to take a bribe and with Mike Blatchford being promoted to the 2.4 squad, there wasn’t a Martin helm prepared to embark on a kamikaze mission on the 2.4’s. Shame! The off-course bookies had noticed however that Mike Blatchford was carrying some form of injury to his arm. In fact he had been savaged by his very small puppy and although he was claiming 65 stitches and near amputation, a later inspection revealed a small Elastoplast.

As far as I could tell there were no collisions prior to the race and Captain Bligh set off on her own, in a Hansa 2.3 (aka the Bathtub) with a few reefs in her sail since there was a decent WSW wind blowing at 10 plus knots, with gusts up to 20 knots forecast. Everyone seemed to set off well from the Start Line ,between Mark K and the pontoon, Beating up to Mark A, Running downwind to Mark C and Reaching back to Mark K. The double handed 303’s were off next and we noted that James was absent, exhausted no doubt from his victory with Mark the previous week. However, Fay had Tony alongside her and he has proved to be a competitive crew member in the past. On this occasion he managed to be 10 yards over the Start Line when the whistle blew without being sanctioned. It made me wonder, “How many Mars Bars had that cost?”

By the first Mark, Steve Farmer had discovered that his Lemon didn’t steer properly and the Rocket had left him in its wake (tee hee). The wind was very soft between A and C, but the Reach from C to K was scintillating with some very strong gusts as we approached the downwind Mark K. Fay and I were nip and tuck for a lap or two and as we approached K on the third lap I had a slight lead. Suddenly, a gust hit and I had both the main and the jib uncleated (phew) and I found myself hurtling towards K and totally out of control. I just managed to let my main out in time, whilst Fay and crew flew by at breakneck speed (great sailing guys)!

I should have pointed out that by this time the mortally injured Mike Blatchford and Peter Gregory, in their unsupercharged 2.4’s, had shot by and I knew would be fast approaching from behind again to take the lead. Also Brian was going really well in the Liberty (great to see you back on form Brian). Slowly but surely the fleet began to overhaul me, with another Liberty (sailed by a new cohort, Bill Garry, who hadn’t been offered any Mars Bar!) going by.

The Rocket was still performing well, but faster boats and better skippers were taking their toll. It was fairly quiet on the lake and, because I didn’t hear the torpedoe’s engines, I could almost hear the feint sound of summer birdsong. Well actually that was between shouts of “Starboard” and “Avast ye, you swabs” from Bligh and Steve’s complaints that Bob Marsh had “Done him up like a kipper”. I also think I heard him snoring, but that’s another story.

All too soon (or all too late, in my case) the second Race of the Summer Series was over and Peter G'(in a borrowed 2.4) had triumphed, just ahead of Brian in his Liberty (congratulations Brian) who was a way ahead of Mike B in the second 2.4 (his savaged-arm must have held him back)! It was great to see Brian sailing so well, but of course I hope that he realises, this means he is likely to be sabotaged in the future.

A great race which, I think, everyone – bar the bookies – enjoyed. As usual we were thoroughly well looked after, many thanks to Steve and all the WS Volunteers. However, I feel I must point out one thing has tarnished this recently. In the three years I have attended, safety has always been paramount. But I  thought that I noticed yesterday that the crew of the safety boat would not provide assistance unless Mars Bars were offered! Really…

At lunch, Peter G was re-awarded his trophy from his recent victory at the RYA Regatta on Rutland Water. Many of us sat there proud in the knowledge that WE had contributed to the honing of his sailing skills. Next stop the Paralmypics. Well we can only dream can’t we?”

Thank you Bob. Being in such a spin down here in Brighton, I haven’t had a chance to check the accuracy of Bob’s report (so all law suits to Bob please). Do enjoy the pictures of Brian in his Liberty and Captain Bligh in her heavily reefed 2.3 and the normal schematic.

Final Result:

1. Peter Gregory; 2. Brian Mac; 3. Mike Blatchford; 4. Fay Watson/Tony; 5. Bill Garry; 6. Bob Fisher; 7. Mark Cayzer/Mike; 8. Steve Farmer; 9. Malcolm Hill/Dan; 10. Andy Wallace; 11. Sam/Kevin 12. Ann Frewer

Many congratulations to our very own Spring Series Champion, Peter Gregory, on his achieving first place in the August 6/7 RYA Sailability Multi Class Regatta at Rutland Sailing Club in his 2.4mR ….otherwise known to us as the “Red Torpedo”!! Bravissimo Peter!!

The full results can be seen by clicking on this link.

Peter Gregory’s fantastic achievement was recognised after Race#2 of the Summer Series  when he was presented with a bottle of bubbly!!

The very impressive trophy which Peter won at the RYA Sailability Regatta was on show and admired by his fellow WS Racers, other Wealden Sailability clients and  the volunteers, who warmly applauded his success.

 

 

Peter responded by saying how much he was touched  by receiving some more spoils from his victory and he reiterated how much he enjoyed everybody’s company and the sailing at Wealden Sailability! 

What a great day (4 August) we had to kick-off the WS Racing Summer Series at the Chipstead Sailing Club. The sun was out, the wind was blowing and we had a great turn out, especially considering a number of our regulars are away on holiday or racing elsewhere (Good luck Peter Gregory who is competing on 6 and 7 August in the RYA’s multiclass regatta weekend at Rutland Sailing Club, where they are hosting the Hansa Grand Prix Series 2016 and Hansa (European) Nord CUP Series 2016 !!). Fortunately the Pirate lugger sailing around the lake during the time of the Race did not try to board any of the Racers’ dinghies but rather gave its passengers a close-up view of the exciting racing action. There was a good 12 knot WSW wind blowing, backing to the West, and with gusts up to 20 knots which at times came from the South through the trees at the windward Mark A.

Ann Frewer set off on her own in a Hansa 2.3  dinghy with a five-minute advantage over the two double-handed 303s, which had a one minute advantage over the two single-handed 303s, which had a two-minute advantage over the sole Liberty, being sailed by a recent newcomer to the racing series, Bill Garry, and eight minutes later the 2.4s and the Martin started. The race was the usual pursuit format and this week lasted 40 minutes. The schematic below shows how the race unfolded. A standout performance was that of Mark Cayzer, sailing in a 303 with his crew James (pictured), who overhauled Ann Frewer during the second lap and then managed to stay at the head of the fleet despite the presence of the faster (and chasing) 2.4s and Martin. However, Mark was still 150 m in front when the race finish-whistle sounded,  ahead of Mike Blatchford and David Mason, who had been playing cat and mouse with each other throughout the race and as they got ahead of the tailenders in Lap 2 and then started to sail through the rest of the fleet. Another battle on the water was between Bob and Steve, with Steve holding the advantage he gained from the start line through until the third Lap when Bob had a storming beat up to the windward mark, overtaking both Ann and Steve, and found himself in second place at the end of Lap 4. Although Bob managed to maintain his advantage over Steve until the finish of the race, they were both overhauled by the 2.4s during the fourth lap. Bill Garry sailed an excellent race and would have finished higher up the order if he had not crossed the start line five-minutes after the Liberty Start Whistle had sounded!! Ann, Andy and Fay, with her crew Di, were all on their fourth lap at the end of the race. All in all, it was an excellent race in good conditions.  Well done to all the Racers!!

Final Result: 1. Mark Cayzer/James; 2. Mike Blatchford; 3. David Mason; 4. Bob Fisher; 5. Steve Farmer; 6. Bill Garry; 7. Ann Frewer; 8. Andy Wallace; 9. Fay Watson/Diana

Being the final race of the Spring Series  2016, there were some positions at the top and in the middle of the rankings that would be decided dependent upon the results of this LAST race!! Tension and excitement was in the air as thirteen helms and three crews took to the water. It was great to welcome Cara for her first race of the season, who was helming a 303 with James as her crew.

The course had been set and was up on the Black Board down on the Foreshore by 10.00. With the prevailing wind from the West, the Start line was between the Race Boat and Mark K, with the first leg requiring a lengthy beat upwind and rounding the windward Mark B to starboard, followed by a run downwind rounding Mark C to starboard before a reach across the lake back to Mark K to complete the lap. The wind’s strength varied during the race between 15 knot gusts to a bare 2 knot puff!! The timing of the stronger wind effected the outcome of this race…since it didn’t appear until 15 minutes after the first boat (Ann Frewer’s 2.3) had started . That meant the faster boats (the 2.4s and Martins) started sailing with a very decent 10 knot breeze to help them catch up with the Liberty’s and 303s which had been struggling for most of the 15 minutes they had been racing! You can see from the schematic below the result of this effect, nevertheless it is to the 2.3 and 303 helms’ credits that they managed to keep their lead over the 2.4s and Martins for so long into the race :)!

THE FINAL RACE OF THE SPRING SERIES and SOME BEAUTIFUL CLOUD FORMATIONS at Chipstead

RACE LEADER (Ann Frewer) BEING HAULED IN BY CHASING 303s

DAVID MASON WORKING HARD TO MAKE THE MOST OF HIS SPEEDY 2.4

Final Result 1. Kim; 2. Cara/James; 3. Peter W; 4. David Mason; 5. Mike B; 6. Steve; 7. Mark Cayzer/John; 8. Ann Frewer; 9. Andy Wallace; 10. Bob; 11. Fay Watson/Diana; 12. Brain Mac; 13. Bill Garry

Everything looked perfect when the WS volunteers turned up at Chipstead Lake between 8am and 9am to get all the boats ready for what turned out to be a very busy day.  The sun was plentiful and there was a nice breeze which ruffled the sails as we unfurled them and attached them to their booms. With this reasonable breeze coming from the N / NNW, Bob Marsh set a simple course with an initial Beat from the Start Line at Mark K to the windward Mark C – which had been dragged 50 yards into the lake to avoid the possibility of it being affected by any wind-shadow – and then a Reach across to Mark A, followed by a Run downwind back to complete the Course at Mark K.  Also (ever thoughtful) Bob had set a Starboard Hand Marker between Marks A and K to keep boats out of an area of the lake where the weed has got thick and is not far below the water surface.  

So all was ready for the Race and a good-sized fleet of WS Racers, in 303s, Libertys, Martins and a 2.4, were on the water around 11am BUT……the wind had already started to show some signs of wanting to challenge the Racers!! The wind became very variable, both in direction (trying out all points of the compass!) and strength (from an acceptable 5 knots to absolutely zilch). So Bob and I went around the lake collecting a few boats to ensure that they would be close to the Start Line rather than bobbing about 500 yards away when the Race started. The start sequence ran smoothly and everybody, except Peter W, managed to start racing soon after their Start Whistle was blasted. Peter was clearly in a very generous mood and was being very cool, as he was going round in circles for 5 minutes, before starting!!

The schematic below shows how little wind blew during the Race (just over a solitary Lap was sailed). So….many many congratulations to all ten helms and four crews who managed to control any frustrations they may have had as a result of the wind gods deciding not to play with them! Sitting in the Race Boat, Bob and I could see how powerless most of you were, but whenever there was any puff of breeze, Peter Gregory’s red torpedo impressed as it got moving and accelerated up through the fleet and then away into a far distant lead – or at least 600 yards – by the time the race ended at 12.05! We determined  the Race finishing order by going backwards down the fleet and hoping that none of you had managed to overtake before we got to you.

Sometimes you find a really honest person who just refuses to accept a reward not due to them  –  and as I was having my lunch just such someone came and told me that they had interfered inadvertently with another boat during the race which had stopped that boat being in front of them when the Race Finish whistle blast sounded!! I was pleased to correct the official Race record!!

I cannot conclude my report without mentioning the absence of Bob and Steve (probably still chasing after that Beast in the forest!), however, it would not surprise me if Bob had a word or two to say about what happened out on the lake today.  I thought I noticed a Spitfire – or maybe a Hurricane – buzzing around above us… was it an eye in the sky?

Final Result 1. Peter G; 2. Mark Cayzer/James; 3. Brian Mac; 4. Katriona/Maggie; 5. Fay/John Douglas; 6. Kim Sparkes; 7. Mike B; 8. Lisa/Tony; 9. David Mason; 10. Peter W