Last Thursday (1st October) was a fantastic day for sailing. Horizon-to-horizon sunshine and the strength of the wind grew from hardly creating a ripple on the water at 8.30am to 20 knots by midday.  Of course, being Chipstead Lake, the wind was gusty as well and shifting around between E and NNE.  Quite a few WS Racers arrived early to make the most of their sailing time and practice on the water. But as the wind got stronger some decided to reef their sails (i.e. have a smaller sail surface area than normal) whilst others wanted to take on the wind. At 11.45 when most of the Racers were on shore, taking a breather and grabbing a bite to eat, they were encouraged to get back out on the water so that the Race could start at 12 noon. There were 9 entrants plus 1 volunteer, making a 7 strong 303 fleet, 2 for Liberty (3 minute delay) and 1 for Martin (8 minute delay).

The course had been written up on the board by the clubhouse since 10am so some of the entrants had been able to sail round the course, from a Start Line between Buoy K and the eastern Pontoon, a beat up to Buoy  D, a run down the lake to Buoy C and a fast reach back to Buoy K. The strength of the wind resulted in the  303 fleet being further than necessary from the Start line as the Start Whistle  sounded, nevertheless most of the 303 fleet had started the race within a minute or two of the whistle and the first boats over the line (Kim, Bob, Steve and Fay) were making good progress on the upwind leg to the first Mark (Buoy D) before the back markers had started. Three minutes later Brian and Mike in their Liberties started chasing the 303 fleet whilst Malcolm Hill and his crew, Mike Coleman, had to remain patient for another 5 minutes due to the handicap system based on the respective PY (Portsmouth Yardstick) numbers of the 303 and the Martin, over a 40 minute race. The PY means that given a Pursuit Race lasting a specified time, different classes of dinghy can start at various intervals and all things being equal  they should  arrive at the finish line at the same time.

This race showed the PY handicap for the Martin was pretty accurate, since although the leading 303s had completed nearly two laps BEFORE Malcolm Hill started in his Martin, the superior boat speed of the Martin gradually cut into the leads of the Liberty and 303 fleets and eventually on the final lap, Malcolm just passed Kim Sparkes, who had put all her skill and strength into the race, on the penultimate leg of the race to win by less than a minute. Brava to Kim for battling from the front and Bravo to Malcolm for keeping his cool and battling his way up all the way from a long way back!!

As this part of the storyline unfolded, the rest of the WS Racers were discovering the difference of sailing with and without reefed sails. Although having a reef means that you may not be sailing as fast as you might downwind and when reaching, it does mean that the wind is less likely to knock you off your course and create difficulties during the up wind legs. However, Mike in his unreefed Liberty (and even after a few more minutes delay whilst he had his jib-boom replaced just after the Start Whistle which meant he was quite quickly overhauled by Malcolm in his Martin) was able to gradually sail up the fleet to finish some distance behind Kim. What might have happened if he had not had a jib boom-malfunction? The schematic below shows how steadily Lisa, and her crew Helen, sailed to take a very well-earned (considering the tough conditions) 4th place. This was an excellent precursor to the award by Steve Thomas (WS Trustee and Session Manager) to Lisa Holland of her RYA Silver Certificate and Badge. Brava Lisa!! The remaining WS Racers all had to work extremely hard to complete the race and did so despite the tough conditions. I know because I heard a comment at lunch, “At one stage it was so difficult out there, I was going to quit!” Well that Racer didn’t quit and to all of us  involved with WS that speaks volumes of the character of all our clients. Well done to everybody who raced last Thursday!

After some torrential rain early in the day – when WS’s gallant volunteers were getting the boats in the water and rigging them (“Thank you!” Ed.) – the sun came out and a steady W / NW wind started to blow. So by mid-day 8 WS Racers and 2 volunteers were ready to race. There were 7 Access 303 and 3 Liberty milling around the Start Line and most of the 303s were over the line within a minute of the Start whistle sounding. Excellent work especially since the wind strength was fluctuating in the area of the Start Line (Buoy K to the Pontoon).

The fleet had a beat into the NW wind on the first leg to Buoy B and even though he wasn’t the first over the Start Line, Steve Farmer, sailed a great first leg and rounded the first Mark in the lead some distance in front of Kim Sparkes. Fay Watson, who had made a very good Start, gave up some water on the first leg and followed Kim round the first Mark in close quarters with Daniel, and his crew Mike C, and Brian Mac and Jim W – a volunteer new to sailing. The 3 minute delay for the Liberty Start had elapsed before the whole 303 fleet had rounded Buoy B and Peter W, Mike B and Di – a Volunteer – set off in pursuit of the back markers!

Steve was sailing very well and by concentrating hard to eliminate mistakes he increased his lead over the fleet, even though he knew that the whole fleet was trying its hardest to catch him! Steve, Kim and Fay were the only 303s who managed to hold out against the Liberty fleet up to the end of the second Lap which saw Mike Blatchford in 4th place and Peter W in 6th. Gradually Di, Mike and Peter overhauled Fay and set about trying to pass Kim. The wind was blowing hot and cold during the race and in different parts of the course, so all the Racers had opportunities to catch up or the frustrations of being caught up. A good example saw Mike B get right alongside Kim’s 303 during the third lap on the downwind leg from Buoy B to Buoy D, but he just didn’t have enough wind to pass her and she got around the downwind Mark and, with a fresh blow, escaped Mike’s clutches to sail an excellent last lap to finish 2nd. But this was Steve’s day and he even lapped some of the other WS Racers before finishing in 1st place ahead of the Series leader, Kim S!

Result: 1 Steve F; 2 Kim S; 3 Mike B (L); 4 Peter W (L); 5 Fay W; 6 Brian Mac; Bob F and Daniel = DNF

It was a near perfect day for sailing, lots of sunshine and a good NW breeze. Immediately after the presentation of the Queen’s Award, 10 boats and 14 sailors eagerly took to the water in readiness for Race 7 of the Summer Series. Four classes of boat took part, 4 entrants in 303 Access, 3 entrants in Liberty and, for the first time, 2 entrants in Martin and 1 in a Venture! The wind direction allowed us to set a course that had its Start/Finish Line between Buoy K and the Pontoon which gave a beat on the first leg up to Buoy B, rounding it to starboard, followed by a reach across the wind to gybe round Buoy C and then a run downwind back to tack around the third Mark (Buoy K).

All the 303 entrants were well positioned as the Start whistle blew and Brian Mac led the fleet upwind to the first Mark. The three Liberties also got away smoothly when their Start was sounded 3 minutes after the 303s and then, because it was their first time in the WS Race Series and the race was going to be shorter than the normal 40 minutes, the Martins and the Venture were started a generous 2 minutes after the Liberty’s Start. They also got off to a good start and were quickly in pursuit of the fleets of 303s and Liberties!

Fay, Kim and Steve were closely matched during the first Lap and kept in front throughout the Lap, but the bigger boats made the most of the good wind and even with their later Starts, they had overhauled Brian Mac in his 303 by the end of the first Lap. So Peter W, Mike B and Brian H in their Liberties, Alan and Mark in their Martin and Rosie and Allan in the Venture began Lap 2 in hot pursuit of the rest of the 303 fleet. Kim yet again demonstrated her sailing skill taking the lead from Fay and Peter W managed to squeeze his Liberty past Steve’s 303 but Steve still finished the second Lap in front of Malcolm in his Martin. Kim and Fay in their 303s were battling hard to maintain the 1st and 2nd position they had starting the third Lap, but Peter W and Mike B in their Liberties and Rosie and Allan in the Venture were all pursuing them hard. And although Kim and Fay were still leading at the end of Lap 3 and kept their advantage well into the final Lap, Fay was pipped by Peter W who had a storming last Lap to finish 2nd just ahead of Fay, followed by the more powerful Venture and both Martins!! Overall the race had done justice to the excellent sailing conditions and well done to all the WS Racers who raced on this special day for WS.
Result: 1 Kim S; 2 Peter W (L); 3 Fay W; 4 Rosie/Allan*(V); 5 Malcolm/Mike (M); 6 Alan C / Mark C (M); 7 Mike B (L); 8 Steve F; 9 Brian H (L); 10 Brian Mac *=Volunteers

Last Thursday (3 Sept) was another brilliant sailing day, with the sun unexpectedly shining brightly and warmly through gaps in the light cloud and a decent but variable NW backing WNW wind. These conditions provided the 6 WS Racers and 2 volunteers a good challenge for Race 5 of the Summer Series. There were 5 entrants in 303W Access and 1 entrant in a Liberty plus Allan and Mike C in the two other Liberties. The course was set to enable the fleet to have an upwind leg from the Start – namely the Start Line was between Buoy D and the Race Officers’ Commando (stationed north of the Buoy), the first leg was a Beat upwind to Mark B, the second leg was a Reach to Mark A and the third a Run downwind back to Mark D.

It was tricky for those racing because the wind varied in strength and direction before and throughout the Race. This might have been the reason for all the 303 helms’ cautious approach to the Start and this resulted in the first boat not actually crossing the Start Line until 20 seconds after the Starting whistle. (LESSON: Use your time before the race to decide the direction of your first tack after crossing the Start Line and then assess how long it will take you to sail the last 25/50 yards or how far you will sail in 30 seconds approaching on that tack. Use that information to get your boat in the right position away from the Start Line to cross it as the Starting Whistle sounds). However, Kim crossed the Start Line first and was closely pursued by Fay, Brian and Steve. Since it was their first race, Rosie and Kai were being ultra-cautious and kept out of the other boats way to such an extent that they only got up to the Start Line just ahead of Mike B’s Liberty start (which was 3 minutes after the 303s!). The Liberty start was an example of how to start and all three boats crossed the Start Line within a few seconds of the Start sounding. Well done Mike B, Allan and Mike C!!

During the 3 minute wait for the Liberty Start, the 303 fleet had made good progress Beating and Tacking up towards the first Mark B which was a port hand rounding. Kim got there first closely followed by Brian then Fay and Steve and all four boats were off on the Reach vying for a good position at the next Mark A which would be a port gybe rounding. Brian was close to Kim as she rounded Mark A to start her Run downwind and just a few boat lengths in front of Fay and Steve. And then, as is often the case with sailing, Brian, running in 2nd place, lost the wind and Steve running in 4th place found a great gust which pushed him up to within 50 yards of Kim as she rounded the third Mark D also to port, whilst Brian lost boat speed and was overtaken by Fay dropping him to round the Mark D in 4th place. Mike B and the two Liberties helmed by volunteers had overhauled Rosie and Kai, who were battling hard as they tacked steadily but slowly towards Mark B, and some good wind helped the bigger Liberties to make up distance on the 303s. By the time the Liberty fleet had completed the Run downwind from Mark A to Mark D and hence their first lap, they were close to the 303s and their proximity may have caused Kim to have an uncharacteristic loss of concentration which allowed Brian and Steve to gain the advantage and lead her around Marks B and A. However, by the time the leaders had run down to Mark D to complete the second lap, Mike B in his faster Liberty had caught up and rounded Mark D just in the lead from Kim and Brian, then Steve and Fay. Mike held his lead throughout the final lap but there was still close racing behind him with Brian and Kim swapping honours for second place but eventually and literally on the last run down from Mark A to the Finish Line, Steve managed to sail past Brian pushing him into fourth, with Fay not that far behind. Our stalwart beginners Rosie and Kai succeeded in finishing some distance behind Fay – nevertheless a very creditable effort! Well done to all our WS Racers.

Result – 1 Mike B; 2 Kim S; 3 Steve F; 4 Brian Mac; 5 Fay W; 6 Rosie & Kai

Last Thursday (August 27) was a superb sailing day; cloudy but with the sun trying to break through, and a strong, but gusty wind – perfect for Race 4 of the Summer Series. We had 7 entrants in 303W Access and 2 entrants in Liberty plus David Mckee in the third Liberty. The wind was shifting between SSE and WSW so the course set was the same as last week – namely Start at the line between Buoy K and the shore, first Mark was D, second Mark B and the third Mark K.

With the wind gaining strength, there was quite a lot of activity amongst the Fleet as they tried to work out how best to place themselves ready to cross the Start Line during the 5-4-1 Starting Sequence of whistles. The result was that the 303 entrants – except young Lenny, who was still pondering whether to become a WS Racer – got across the Start Line soon after the Starting Whistle blew and sailed downwind towards the first Mark (D). There was lots of competition on this first leg with boats changing position. At the Mark D, Fay narrowly led from Brian, Ann, Kim and Lisa. Mike, Steve and David got away within yards of each other, 3 minutes after the 303 start, and unlike last week, there was plenty of wind to enable the Liberties to set about catching the 303 fleet!  As last week, Kim started to show her sailing skill by making her way upwind most efficiently, staying on the northerly side of the leg, and those who followed her lead were still within striking distance as they rounded Mark B. Brian meanwhile got caught out by some wind shifts in the middle of the lake and lost distance on the chasing pack and became vulnerable to Catriona and the Liberties. Fay, Ann, Lisa and Owen set off on the Reach to Mark K but Kim held them off and completed the Lap 1, rounding K and crossing the Start/Finish line, some 70 yards ahead. The chasing pack jockeyed for position on the Reach and Brian Mac was starting to make up some of the distance lost on the upwind leg. Following the Liberty start (3 minute handicap) Steve had just managed to keep ahead of Mike and David in their Liberties over the first two laps and half of the third lap. And all three were closing down on Brian and the other 303s chasing Kim on the upwind leg between Marks D and B. Steve and David kept clear of trouble around the Windward Mark B but Mike’s Liberty stalled and allowed them to get away on the Reach. Lisa, Fay, Ann and Owen, with David’s Liberty next, having overtaken Steve on the Reach from Mark B rounded Mark K in that order at the end of Lap 2! Most of the running order seemed to be played out until Mike’s Liberty got entangled with Ann’s 303 as they were closing in on Mark B during the third Lap. Naturally this incident threw Ann off her stride and allowed everybody – bar Lenny who had actually started the Race one lap behind everyone else! – to pass her before she completed Lap 3. Should Mike have done a 720 – did he do one? I don’t know. No protest was received. During Lap 4, Lisa and Owen made a gallant effort to chase down Kim but to no avail.

Result – 1 Kim S; 2 Lisa; 3 Owen; 4 Mike B; 5 Brian Mac; 6 Steve F; 7 Fay W; 8 Ann F and 9 Lenny.