What a beautiful day we enjoyed on and off the water today at Chipstead! The highlight for the WS Racers was the first victory for Rachel Ibbottson who was sailing an Access 303 together with her trusty crew Meg Warren.  But we also had a surprise celebration for Brian Mac to whom we all wished and sang a very Happy Birthday at lunch time. Brian has been with Wealden Sailability from its inception with Brian Stanley. A very special sailor!!

There was lots of good, competitive sailing on a fine day for sailing… do notice another excellent start from the fleet with lots of boats starting close together…but then one boat inexorably slips away into the lead. BUt also please look for and admire the 303 with a yellow sail #1 – not the biggest craft but very nicely placed at the start – which is why it finished first (on handicap)! Lots of fun – well done all round.

 

The Final Result is:

1. Rachel Ibbotson (with crew Meg Warren) – Access 303
2. Kim Sparkes – 303
3. Keith Eeles –  Liberty
4. David Mason – 2.4m
5. Mike Blatchford – Martin
6. Lisa Holland (Mike Mackenzie) – 303
7. Peter Gregory – 2.4m
8. Martin Norman – Martin
9. Peter Wagner – 2.4m
10. Louise Fisher – 303
11. Steve Farmer – 303
12. Fay Watson (Tony Merrick) – 303
13. Tom Phillips (John Douglas) – 303
14. Paul Hagan and Brian Mac – Venture

 

At 8:30 am the volunteers who were busily working to get the WS fleet of dinghies ready for the day’s sailing, were drenched by a ferocious downpour that lasted just a few minutes. They might well have wondered whether their efforts were to be in vain and the whole day was going to be a cold washout.  But by 10am – as forecast – the sun came out and what a fantastic day to be a sailor it became, especially if you were a WS Racer.

As can be seen from the above photograph, there was plenty of blue sky and lots of wind to fill the sails of the 13 boats that entered the tenth race of the 13 scheduled for the WS Racing Summer Series.

With the squally conditions, the pontoon manager was taking great care in ensuring both racing and non-racing clients were being sent out onto the water in an appropriate dinghy. This resulted in a small backlog on the pontoons and whilst most of the Racers were sailing up and down the start line at 1120, ready for the off, they were asked to hang on to allow the volunteers to get all the racers on the water. This meant there was a delay of some 10 minutes before the “3 minutes – 2 – 1 – Go” start sequence was commenced.

The fleet was quick to cross the start line as the Go gong sounded and they were off as can be seen above. The faster and bigger boats leading the way, beating up to Mark B which had been placed tantalisingly on the edge of the wind shadow created as a result of the high trees on the northern shore breaking the 15 knot NW wind. From the vantage point of the Race Hut, the Start and initial Beat was a spectacular sight, especially as we could see strong gust after strong gust piling down the lake and the steering and sail setting adjustments having to be made by the Helms.

The usual suspects helming  2.4m’s, Martins and Liberty’s started to forge ahead immediately, however, notably Fay Watson in a 303 (sail # 9) could be seen mixing it from the start with the big boys. This leading pack were hotly pursued across the Start Line and up to the windward Mark B by Mark Cayzer (and Rick Atkinson) (303 #6), Steve Farmer (303 # 3), Louise Fisher (303 #1), Keith Eeles (Liberty #2290), Bill Garry (303 #2), Peter Wagner (#188 – Pink Lady) and Andrew Aldridge (with Mark Skipper) (303 #8).

As has so often been the case this year, in light winds or heavy weather, Peter Gregory in his Red Torpedo has majestically swept to the front of the fleet and then set about tracking down any tailenders. On Thursday, he overhauled his first back marker on his 2nd Lap as he gybed around Mark C and found Louise Fisher struggling to set the sails of her 303 on this downwind leg. And as Peter was rounding the Windward Mark B on his 3rd Lap, David Mason was at the other end of the course, tacking round the Leeward Mark D before beating up to complete his 2nd Lap. The (post-PY handicap) results show that as long as each helm manages to sail to the maximum of their ability they stand a chance of finishing high up the order. This was notably the case for Fay Watson and Mark Cayzer.  (Bravo to both Fay and Mark. I just hope that the Race Controller won’t change the results again!! Ed.) A strong recovery on Thursday was made by Peter Wagner who struggled initially to get Pink Lady going but quickly made up ground in the strong winds and was sufficiently close at the end of his 3rd lap to David Mason and Mike Blatchford in their 2.4m and Martin respectively as they headed off for a 4th lap, to just pip them into 3rd place. Keith Eeles, a newcomer to WS Racing, showed his versatility by taking out a Liberty for the first time in very tricky conditions and bringing it home mid-fleet.

The next group of photos show the result of such competitive racing means that there are very small margins when it comes to placing the helms in their final position. For example, there was an average of just 16 seconds per lap difference between 1st and 4th place this week.  Then 22 sec between 6th and 8th and 36 secs between 9th and 12th.  And what is so great is that it is not just  good sailing that is happening but from comments made after the race, a lot of fun is being had!

And just as we all thought we could relax, Mike Cartwright popped up to present Wealden Sailability with a (BIG) cheque for £3,000 raised by the Holmesdale Lodge where Mike chose WS as his charity for his year in office. What a fantastically generous gift!! THANK YOU TO ALL DONORS. And only then did we settle down to our packed lunches in lovely warm sunshine. A really superb day that extended the Summer for another week.

The Result of Race 10 was:

1. Fay Watson (and her crew James Thomas) in an Access 303
2. Mark Cayzer (and Rick Atkinson) – 303
3. Peter Wagner – Liberty
4. David Mason – 2.4m
5. Mike Blatchford – Martin
6. Keith Eeles – Liberty
7. Andrew Aldridge (and Mark Skipper) – 303
8. Peter Gregory – 2.4m
9. Steve Farmer – 303
10. Brian Mac – Liberty
11. Bill Garry – 303
12. Martin Norman – Martin
13. Louise Fisher – 303

 

 

Here is Fleur Bryant’s Race Controller’s Report :

Clearly you had all looked at the weather forecast to see how nice this week’s weather was going to be, as we had a record number of entrants into the race with only the Lugger not involved! A brilliant show! This did however make for a very busy start line! Remember your rules in these situations – from the race box, it was hard to see individual incidents although we did hear a few shouts!

The race got underway only a few minutes late this week. Mike Blatchford, in a Martin, got off to a brilliant start, followed closely by David Mason in a 2.4. This was the start of an exciting dual between Mike and David throughout the race (And in the summer series!! Ed.). Sam, sailing a 303 with sail #1 and expertly crewed by – new to the series – Meg Warren, led the 303s up the beat followed by Kim in 303 sail#9. The final great start to note was Ann Frewer in her diminutive 2.3. She found a great blast of wind and sailed her way up the through the fleet making a great few overtakes which was particularly impressive given she was sailing the slowest boat (on handicap) in the fleet. (You show ‘em Ann! Ed.)

The close racing between the 2.4s and Martins continued through the first lap. It was fantastic again to see a line of 7 boats in such close quarters rounding the 2^nd mark. Through the gate at the end of the first lap, Peter Gregory led the way in his own 2.4, aka The Red Torpedo, followed by David Mason in his 2.4, Mike B in the Martin, Peter Wagner in the other WS 2.4, Malcolm in the Martin and the Venture. This week both Liberties were out on the water expertly sailed by Kevin Eels and Martin Norman. Kim led the 303s into the second lap, extending her lead after Sam and Meg Warren missed the gate and had to sail back to cross through the line. (Always happens with excitable new comers. Best to check the course before the start! Ed.)

The wind maintained a similar strength during the second lap, unlike last week, which led to consistent lap times. Peter Gregory sailed another great lap, extending his lead, on the water, over the rest of the fleet. Mike Blatchford made a move on David Mason moving up to 2^nd place (on the water). Further back, Martin Norman in his Liberty overtook 2 boats, Ann Frewer did similarly in her 2.3; impressive sailing by both WS Racers.

At the end of the 30 minute duration of the Race, competitors were “finished” by the Race Controller. Although half the fleet had completed Lap 2 before this point so went on to sail a 3^rd lap. With the wind strength holding up, Lap 3 showed similar times to Laps 1 and 2, so it was uneventful as far as place changing was concerned.

So, another great race! Well done to you all. It is just fantastic to see from the Race Box such close racing. I hope that you enjoyed it too. We are now moving into the final few races of the Summer Series (and the 2017 Season. Boo hoo! Ed.) and so we hope to see as many of you as possible in the final few races. But with so many of you on the water at the same time, the risk of a collision increases. (So please try to remember the basic sailing rules of who gives way to whom! Do ask Fleur or Mike, if you need advice. Ed.). However, the overriding rule is to ‘Avoid a collision, so even if you are in the right YOU MUST avoid any contact. Have a great week and we look forward to seeing you nest week.

1. Kim Sparkes – 303S
2. Sam and crew Meg Warren – 303D
3. Keith Reilly – Liberty
4. David Mason – 2.4m
5. Mike Blatchford – Martin
6. Ann Frewer – 2.3
7. Peter Wagner – 2.4m
8. Fay Watson and crew James Thomas – 303D
9. Peter Gregory – 2.4m
10. Martin Norman – Liberty
11. Mark Cayzer and crew John Douglas – 303D
12. Malcolm Hill and crew Mike Mackenzie – Martin
13. Kelly Tripp and crew Claire Pearson – 303D
14. Rachel Ibbottson and crew Maria Lambert – 303D
15. Bill Garry – 303S
16. Unknown and crew Pole Voisie – Venture
17. Brian Mac – 303S

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!

1. Mike Blatchford in a Martin
2. Kim Sparkes – 303S
3. David Mason – 2.4m
4. Fay Watson and her crew James Thomas – 303D
5. Peter Gregory – 2.4m
6. Peter Wagner – 2.4m
7. Martin Norman – Martin
8. Steve Farmer – 303S
9. Rachel Ibbott and Rick Atkinson – 303D
10. Tom Phillips and Colin Barnes – 303D
11. Louise Fisher – 303S

DNF Mark Cayzer and his overly intrepid crew John Douglas
[Apologies for the bath tub school of sailing Mark! Ed.]