Unfortunately there isn’t actually a report for the 5th race of the Spring Series which took place on the 26th May, as the new Race Officer did not realise a full report was required. What can be reported is that yet again the weather was extremely fickle, with very little, or in fact no wind at various times, as well as the usual changes of direction that anyone who sails at Chipstead will be very familiar with….!!

Ed’s Note: Due to the light conditions, there were a couple of incidents of sailors miscalculating their rounding of the race marks. If the Racing Rules were enforced then a 360degree penalty turn should be made by the offending boat. But I’m sure everyone realises that in conditions like these any unnecessary change of direction is really not good! So the lesson of the day is make absolutely certain (maybe by giving the marks extra room) that you don’t touch any race mark…

Congratulations to Steve Farmer, who I’m told did such a great job on the day, leading the race from start to finish..

Result 1. Steve Farmer; 2. Peter W; 3. Bob Fisher; 4. Kim Sparkes; 5. Fay/James: DNF.

Racing today was enjoyed by 10 clients. Actually it was 11 if you include Pippa sailing with Mark Cayzer’s dad, but as neither is a Wealden client…sadly it doesn’t count!

Thanks to Allan and Eileen for helping with the marshalling and scoring.

What started as an encouraging morning turned into very difficult sailing conditions, with the wind shifting fully through 180 degrees and becoming very variable….down to no wind!

So the Race  Controller had to change the race course shortly before the race and then went round in the Race Control Boat and told all of the competitors of the change of course before the first Race Whistle was blown. It was necessary to do this because many of the competitors were already out on the water at 11:00 hrs and did not return to the pontoon before the start of the timing sequence at 11:25 hrs.  However, despite the  course change, everyone crossed the Start Line of the new course correctly and should have been fully aware of the changed course. Apologies to any Racer who were not clear with this, but in future if any of you are in doubt, please sail close to the Race Control Boat and check your understanding of the course.

Again as a result of the drop in the wind, it was necessary to shorten the race. This was requested by the Session Manager on the day because the Race was over-running lunch time. The Race Controller, in the race control boat, went around  the course notifying Racers that the course had been shortened and asked them to return to shore.  A number of competitors had already  been “whistled” across the Finish Line, thereby having finished after completing either one or two laps. But it was clear that some Racers were going to take a considerable time to reach the finish line and it was decided to tow them to shore.

EDITORS NOTE: Just to be clear, the way the race was finished this time is ACTUALLY how that type of race SHOULD be finished. The start time for each type of boat is set by calculating how much faster they are than the slower boat in front. So when the race time is up, you don’t wait for boats to cross a finish line, instead you mark them for the place/position they are in on the course  at that time. Any questions then please see Mike Coleman for an exlanation.

Having said all of that, most competitors did achieve two laps of the triangular course round  marks A, C and K with a clean start achieved by all but one boat.

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and there was some great overtaking achieved in the fickle wind that provided some sailors with an, at times, almost unbelievable lift while those around them sat in the doldrums.

Congratulations to David Mason in the 2.4 who made light of the conditions and to Kim for a superb performance in the Access 303.

Result 1. David; 2. Kim; 3. Mark; 4. Bob; 5. Mike. 6; Ann; 7. Fay; 8. John; 9. Peter W; 10. Brian Mac.

Last Thursday (12th May) was another fabulous day for sailing at Chipstead. Lots of sun and good to very good wind!! So it was great to welcome ten WS Racers eager to get on-the-water and be ready for the Start at 11.30.  The usual suspects came along but without Peter Gregory who is competing in his 2.4 elsewhere for a few weeks. It was good to welcome back Malcolm Hill to the new season’s Spring Series.

Although Mike Coleman was set up on the foreshore at 1030 ready for a training session, to answer Racers’ questions and demonstrate sailing techniques, he had no takers. All the early arrivals wanted to get out and enjoy the conditions, whilst other entrants arrived just in time to get afloat and to the Start line before the 5 Minute Whistle!

The course had been set and was up on the Race Board by 10.30. With the prevailing wind coming from NE / ENE, the Start line was between a Distance Marker and Mark A , with the first leg requiring a lengthy beat upwind to round the windward Mark D to port, followed by a run downwind and a gybe around Mark B to port before sailing on a broad reach across to Mark A to complete the lap.

All the Racers showed that they are getting to grips with the Start Procedure and most boats were across the Start Line within a minute of their respective Start Whistle. Fay and Mark were the first two boats over the line, spot on with their timing. Well done!

The  Training Slides given to you at the start of the season and the learning points about Starting in the last Race Report are probably worth another look! Then use your time on the water before your next race to judge which end of the Start Line you want to aim for and how far your boat travels in, say, 30/45 seconds. Then when you hear the 1 Minute Whistle you stand a good chance of getting into the best possible position to beat up to the Start Line – arriving just as the final Whistle blows –  and be immediately in the lead!

The schematic below shows how well the 303s held their own against the faster Liberty, 2.4 and Martin classes. By the end we see that Kim kept out in front to win,  with Mike in his Martin getting head of Mark and Fay who defended their positions very well keeping David Mason in his 2.4 and Malcolm in his Martin behind them. But during the race, each lap saw helms choosing different routes between the Marks, some gaining ground whilst others lost out and had to regroup and attack again.  All-in-all everyone had an enjoyable time and demonstrated improving skill.

Final Result: 1. Kim; 2. Mike; 3. Mark; 4. Fay; 5. David; 6. Malcolm; 7. Peter W; 8. Brian; 9. Bob

Yesterday (5th May) was by far and away the warmest day so far this year for WS Racers sailing at Chipstead and we had sufficient wind for 12 entrants in Race # 2 to cover 6 laps of the course.  The Start  Line was between the Committee Boat and Mark C with the first leg being a beat into the SW breeze to the windward Mark K, which had been moved out into the lake to mitigate the effect of a possible wind shadow formed by the Clubhouse and high ground beside it.  Mark K was to be rounded to Starboard before starting the second leg which was a run to the downwind Mark B which was also to be rounded to Starboard. After gybing round Mark B, there was a reach across to complete the lap by tacking round Mark C.

Being only the second race of the 2016 season, it is not surprising that the procedure to START the Race still seemed to take many of the 303 and Liberty helms by surprise.  Well done to the 2.4s and Martin helms who were quickly over the start line, despite having to contend with the early leaders bearing down upon Mark C on a starboard tack.

Ed. We are planning to find time for a briefing before races to CONFIRM helms’ knowledge of the course (which will have been put up of the Clubhouse Race Board by 1030) and to answer any other questions about the Race, including the Starting Procedure.  Also, this week the  Race Control Boat was not stationary and this made matters difficult for all the helms to judge exactly the position of the Start Line. We plan to rectify this by either anchoring the Race Control Boat or using a clearly visible buoy as a Distance Marker . 

KEY LEARNING POINT #1: The first fleet class (303 Double Handed) to start are told by a WHISTLE BLAST EXACTLY 5,4 and 1 minutes before their start time. Therefore the helms should use that time to work out how long it will take them to sail the last, say, 50 meters to the START LINE and use that information to decide how many seconds BEFORE their KNOWN  start  time to start sailing along their chosen tack up to the Start Line.  The wind will change in strength and direction during those 5 minutes and that is part of the challenge. Ed. Next week please  experiment. Give it a go, instead of hanging back away from the Start Line and waiting for the boat in front of or beside you to make a move which you then follow. 

KEY LEARNING POINT #2: For  fleet classes 303 Single Handed and Liberty, all the helms need to REMEMBER (and then countdown) is the DELAY after the 303 Double Handed have started. That is 1 minute for  303 Single Handed and  2  minutes (or 3 mins for 40 minute races) for Liberty .  

KEY LEARNING POINT #3: The 2.4  and Martin Classes should stay well clear of the Start Line whilst the 303s and Liberty fleets start since 2.4  and Martin Classes, being delayed 7 and 8 mins after the Liberty start,  have their own 5-4-1 countdown.

Once all the boats got away, the course provided a tough sailing challenge, especially with the high number of boats racing and trying to round Marks at the same time, and also with the variable wind – both its direction, swinging between SE and SW, and its strength, from a lull to 15 knot squalls.  And, as can be seen from the schematic below, there was lots of catching up, overtaking and then being overtaken, going on throughout the 40 minute race. All in all everybody had a good day on the water and the standards already being set bode well for the season.

Final Result:

1. Peter G 2. Mike B 3. David 4.Kim 5. Ann 6.  Paul 7. Fay 8. Peter W 9. Mark 10. Bob 11. Brian 12. Steve

Last Thursday (28th April 2016) was a lovely sunny day with a keen wind blowing mainly along the length of the lake, initially from the NW and then backing through W to SW by the afternoon.  The wind was forecast to increase in strength  during the morning but although there was a gusty 10 – 12 knot wind blowing as the eight Racers jockeyed for position on the Start line, it had dropped to just 4 or 5 knots by the end of the race . The PY Handicapping system is used by WS Racing and this means that 303 Double Handed boats (Mark Cayzer and Fay  Watson plus their crews) get a one minute advantage over the 303 Single Handed boats, and the get a two minute advantage over Liberty (Brian Mac) and he got a seven minute advantage over the 2.4s (Peter Gregory and Peter Wagner).

A key learning point is to USE YOUR BOAT’S PY ADVANTAGE to the maximum by getting across the Start Line as soon as your Class is given the green light. Fay Watson was the first helm to cross the Start Line and she managed to gain over 200 yards over Mark Cayzer before he crossed the Start Line. (Ed. I later heard that many helms and crews could not hear the  Whistle or the Loudhailer – on the shore – over the flapping of sails, the slapping of waves on hulls., and the general hullabaloo.) 

Once racing, the 303 fleet made good use of the stiff breeze at the beginning of the race to get away promptly from the Start Line and make good progress around the first lap. This resulted in four 303s completing their first lap before the 2.4s had started! Nevertheless, as soon as the two Peters finally got the green light in their 2.4s they set to overhauling the slower Liberty and 303 fleets. Peter Gregory’s experience and sailing competence was quickly apparent as he carved this way through the 303 fleet not just once, to unwind their “lapping” him but twice as he eventually caught up the back markers and it was only on the last leg of the fourth lap that he finally vanquished Kim Sparkes in her 303 just before rounding Mark D and finishing. Peter Wagner has only sailed a 2.4 a few times and therefore it wasn’t surprising that he was not able to make as much use of the 2.4’s superior speed as Peter G had done. This meant that Kim and Steve held him off during the last lap forcing him into a hard fought 4th place. The other 303s and Brian all finished within a few minutes of the winner.

In summary, Race 1 was a great start to the season and allowed eight very eager and competent helms/crews to shake themselves down. The wind’s decrease in strength and variation of direction challenged all helms to ensure they were heading in the right direction between the Marks and to set their sails most effectively – and differently on every lap! All-in-all, an excellent performance by all involved.

The final result was: 1 Peter G; 2 Kim; 3 Steve; 4 Peter W; 5 Fay ; 6 Mark; 7 Bob; 8 Brian