Many thanks to David Barker for taking this great set of photos.
Many thanks to David Barker for taking this great set of photos.
Today was the day chosen for the inaugral WS Racers vs WOW Regatta at Chipstead. Recently we have had some good sailing days where wind and sun arrived in sufficient quantities to make us all think “It is great to be alive and sailing!!” But today was wet and overcast. The boats were launched and rigged between 0800 and 0930 in the rain. It stopped raining whilst the volunteers had a coffee and their daily Briefing and the Racers arrived from 1000 onwards. The Race Briefing was at 1015 and the entrants started getting out on the water soon afterwards. There was just sufficient wind to produce some ruffles on the surface of the lake and allow the dinghies to move about.
Paul Cove, who had agreed to stand in for Bruce Hebbert as Race Officer at the last moment, called the Racers to order at 1055 and he sounded the 3 minute Gong at 1100 with the WOW fleet starting at 1103 and the WS fleet starting at 1106. The wind was just sufficient to enable the WOW fleet to be rounding the first Mark (A) before the WS fleet started – or could have started if there had been any wind. But that took some time to happen and the rain which had been a steady drizzle since 1045 then decided to pour down on everybody. This further flattened the wind but gradually both fleets managed to make some progress. Not a lot, but some.
Initially there had been some discussion in the Race Hut as to running a second race but – as the time ticked by – it became obvious that we would be fortunate to complete a single race. And that was how the end-of-season Regatta ended.
Once all the entrants were off the water and in the clubhouse and guests from the Sevenoaks Lions and other supporters had arrived, Paul Chivers, the WS Trustee responsible for Racing, called the room to order so that the End-of-Season 2022 Awards Ceremony for WS Racers could start…..as can be seen below.
Paul Cove (Race Officer for the Regatta) gave the Results of the Regatta in reverse order and it soon became clear that the wining Team would be WOW who had finishers in 1st, 2nd and 4th places versus WS finishers in 3rd, 7th and 9th places.
The Race Result was:
1st Jane Marshall – WOW; 2nd Polly Colesmith – WOW; 3rd Mark Cayzer and his crew – WS; 4th “Joan” Taylor Inge WOW; 5th Kay Mathieson – WOW; 6th Meg Warren – WOW; 7th Kim Sparkes – WS; 8th Maggie Bolton – WOW; 9th Peter Wagner – WS; 10th Mark Rainbow – WS.
Paul Chilvers presented a Certificate and a Winner’s trophy to “Joan” Taylor Inge as the Skipper of the Winning Team and Paul presented a bottle of wine to Jane Marshall who had come 1st overall in her Topper.
David Mckee (Chair of WS Trustees) presented Cups and Certificates covering the season’s sailing as follows:
Alan Walter (Chair of Sevenoaks Lions Welfare Committee) was then invited to say a few words about the Lions organisation and how the local chapter had “found” Wealden Sailabaility. Alan then presented two Cups which the Lions had themselves donated:
Derek Preston, Steve Farmer, Imogen Fletcher and Steve Trudge all gave heartfelt testimonials about how much WS meant to them and thanked everybody.
Paul Chilvers congratulated all the winners and thanked the WS and Lions Chairs before closing the ceremony.
On Thursday 4th August 2022, Wealden saw the launch of the newest addition to the fleet, a Hansa 2.3 (AKA The Pink Blancmange), kindly donated by one of our clients, Anne Frewer. Photos taken by David Barker.
A message from Mike Mackenzie, one of our trustees:
“A big thank you to Anne Frewer who donated a “Pink Blancmange” to Wealden Sailability. No, not a pudding but a pretty, “pink” of course, Hansa 2.3 single seater boat. Tom raced that while Anne used her trusty orange boat to go head to head with him, it was great to watch the racing from the pontoon.
Before the racing started however, Anne launched the new boat with a bottle of suitably PINK bubbly and wished it well for Wealden sailors.”
Before her commission into the fleet, Helen Fairfax (suitably in her pink attire) took The Pink Blancmange out for sea trials.
On Thursday 28th July 2022, The Lady Colgrain, Lord-Lieutenant of Kent came to visit Wealden Sailablility to see how the charity operates. Below are photos of the day taken by our residential photographer, David Barker.
It was a dismal, windless and rainy start to the day at Chipstead Lake when volunteers arrived at 8.30 to get the fleet ready but after an early cuppa we were able to get the work done and had a briefing by 10am. Some sailors were already at the club by 10am and literally as they arrived the sun appeared and a ruffle of wind swept across the lake.
Weather conditions developed as forecast and with sunshine and a pleasant 9 knot wind from the West. Everyone who wanted to race was on the water by 10.40 and the one-lap Practice Race started with the 3 minute gong at 10.55. This warmed everyone up and the first one-lap Challenge Race started at 11.15. Here is a video of the Start on Race 1. What a lovely sight! Ed…
Having watched that, it is no surprise that Derek Preston (Liberty #23 White) was the winner having negotiated Marks A, C and D before beating back up to cross the Finish Line. Peter Wagner (Liberty #25 Blue) was second and Kelly Trip and her crew James Thomas (303D #11 Blue) was third and Imogen Fletcher and her crew Viv (303D #10 Red) was fourth. Martin Norman (Liberty #22 Yellow) was fifth followed by the two 303 single-handed entreis – Steve Farmer and Bob Fisher.
After a brief period to regroup, the fleet was put under starter’s orders at 11.30 and here is a video of the Start of Race 2. This was a two-lap race. What another lovely sight! Ed
On this occasion, Peter Wagner created a small lead at the start of lap 1 but was strongly challenged by Derek Preston who was leading at the windward Mark A on the second lap. But Peter fought back and managed to get his bow in front as the two boats rounded Mark C before the downward leg to Mark D. Peter and Derek were transom to bow for the whole leg but Peter managed to stay ahead and round the leeward Mark D in first place with 100 metres to beat up to the finish line. Which he accomplished. Well done. Honours shared! Ed
The full results are shown on the website. Many thanks to all the volunteers for assisting in lots of way to enable the races to go ahead.
With the season ending on Thursday 28th October, the Trustees arranged an event on Tuesday 2nd November to thank the Volunteers for their contribution to the 2021 season and to present the WS Racing Awards.
Peter Ashwell said that 2021 had been a very successful season for WS Racing despite the continuing restrictions on mixing in April and May caused by the Covid pandemic. There had been one Thursday in June with such bad weather that racing had to be cancelled and another Thursday in September when the strength of wind gusts caused a race to be abandoned soon after it had started. Peter reported that the racing had been very close in both series and the podium places for the summer series were only decided in the final race of the series and even then the racers in 2nd and 3rd place had equal points and a countback of how many First place finishes each had obtained, had to be used to separate them. Peter thanked all the volunteers who had participated as crews and thus enabled the racing to take place.
Peter announced the following statistics for each race series:
Spring Series (from May to July)
12 Races scheduled less Race #6 Abandoned = 11 Races completed
15 participants made 83 entries and there were 9 Qualifiers (= min. 5 races)
Summer Series (from August to October)
13 Races scheduled less Race #9 Cancelled = 12 Races completed
22 participants made 125 entries and there were 15 Qualifiers (= min. 5 races)
Then Peter announced the results and Eileen McCormick presented each successful sailor with their Certificate or Trophy as can be seen in the gallery below…
Podium
1st Kim Sparkes 6 points from best 5 finishing places
2nd Peter Wagner 9
3rd Martin Norman 10
Qualifiers Points from best 5 finishing places
Imogen Fletcher 18
Ann Frewer 18
Derek Preston 18
Steve Farmer 22
Mark Cayzer 25
Tom Phillips 33
Podium (Best 5 finishing places)
1st Derek Preston 7 points from best 5 finishing places
2nd Kim Sparkes 8 points (Placings: 1,1,1,2,3)
3rd Peter Wagner 8 points (Placings: 1,1,2,2,2)
Qualifiers Points
Kelly Tripp 11
Martin Norman 14
Mike Blatchford 16
Steve Farmer 26
Bob Fisher 27
Imogen Fletcher 30
Danny Wilson 32
Geoff Taylor 34
Ann Frewer 35
Mark Cayzer 40
Tom Phillips 44
Trevor Monk 46
Peter Hazlewood Trophy – Best Sailor (from 12 races over both series)
Brian McCormick Trophy – Best double-handed Sailor
Bob Marsh Trophy – The epitome of Wealden Sailability’s values
In announcing this award, David Mckee said that Bob Fisher has for many years demonstrated the personal values which the founders had and the trustees still have in mind for Wealden Sailability’s activities and community. Despite his own health challenges last and this year, Bob has continued to get to the WS sessions and sail again competitively, to encourage and engage with the other Racers and make them and volunteers laugh and to support Steve Farmer’s enjoyment of sailing by giving him a lift to/from Chipstead.
Below is photo of Bob Fisher receiving the Bob Marsh Trophy and Certificate from Bruce Hebbert at The Bo Peep pub on 18 November 2021. Bob said that he was touched by the award and David’s words and it was especially meaningful since he had held Bob Marsh in high esteem himself.
Congratulations to all WS Racers who participated during the season and we wish you a very safe and comfortable winter and look forward to seeing you all again back on the water in April 2022 and many thanks to MIke Mackenzie and his team for a very tasty lunch and to David Barker for taking the photos.