A windy day. Blowing F5-6 at Nells Point! Four boats set out, but Robin capsized and broke his tiller. A good large course for Andrew in his Cat, but Neil in the Laser still managed to beat him. Maybe he should have hoisted his spinnaker. Danny suffering from a bad back was way back in third place.

In the second race Andrew did use his kite but this time both Lasers beat him. Neil was again too fast for Danny but the back pain was numbed by the strong winds and he was fast catching Neil (apparently). Another few laps and who knows…

Overall, no change from last week but Neil moves up to just outside the podium positions. Another week and he could be challenging Danny for the lead.

Results

Five boats prepared to set sail in stronger wind conditions than were forecast (Nells Point was reporting Force 5 gusting 6 throughout the afternoon!). Four actually took to water as Danny decided the wind was too much to risk a temporary repair to his boom.

Andy was able to capsize twice before the start. Nick just the once. Andrew in his cat sailed clear on the opening beat followed by Nigel in the Argo and Nick in his Topaz. Andy then realised the race had started and tacked back towards the start line in his Laser.

With Andrew flying on the reach to the second mark the others were trying to make up ground. Andy managed to catch Nick and Nigel but capsized rounding the mark. A very inconvenient location but Nigel and Nick managed to avoid the obstacle and go clear again.

Andrew was looking to lap the other three boats as they approached half way on the second lap (his third). The reach seemed to be very fast and everyone was surfing some of the large waves being generated (some say up to 5 foot waves!). It was quite exhilarating and Andy clearly thought it was too hot and decided to capsize (again). Nigel and Nick again sailed clear and Andy retired (pride) hurt.

Andrew took the race on the water, and the Sharpe Trophy, followed by Nigel (crewed by new members Alexia and Danny C), who decided not to cross the finish line and Nick (crewed by newest member Csaba) who finished 2nd on handicap.

The wind stayed the same for the 2nd race and the waves got bigger. Andrew again sailed away, but more closely chased by Nigel, with only one crew this time, and Nick taking 3rd spot and that was how it played out on handicap.

The series is still being led by Danny P in his Laser but after 2 firsts Andrew E now has 2nd place and Robin (Laser) is 3rd in the fast fleet. Nick in his Topaz now leads the slow fleet with Dan P in his Enterprise in 2nd and Chris Batho 3rd in a Radial.

Results

No one wanted to write the report for this race- with so many boats on the water it was highly likely that epic duels would go unmentioned, with mutterings that the author was only interested in their own race.

Bob in the tower, mostly on his own, was already overwhelmed with the sheer number of boats, so no chance of a rational report from him !

Race 7 got underway in light winds from the East and a number of boats were left well behind the line when the final hooter went. In such lights winds breakages were unlikely but Robin in his Laser managed just that, and spent the start sequences time attempting to fix his downhaul…which he didn’t need anyway. Two catamarans on the water provided obstacles for the dinghies to sail round at the marks with Sam Hefford in his Sprint 15 out on the water for the first time, edging ahead of Pete Wells in the Dart 16 on Handicap. Pietro in his Topper was sailing on track and to the lay lines and was not phased by the faster boats catching up after the start and bearing down on him on starboard. He was beaten by his Dad Corrado, but only one place, which must have been tough. Meanwhile the Lasers of Danny and Neil pulled away with Neil leading most of the way, only to get overtaken on the very last leg by Danny.

Race 8 got underway with a better start for most and the Lasers taking the lead from the start, this time with Danny ahead initially but the first lap the lead swapped between Neil , Danny and Robin. Danny pulled away from the other two, but with the wind dropping again the rest of the fleet closed the gap. In race one of the day the first five places were separated by ten minutes, in race two by just five minutes. Pietro managed to beat his Dad- revenge is sweet and Neil thinking he had second in the bag took his foot off the gas and was nearly pipped by Robin at the finish – one second in it ! Those at the front of fleet may have omitted to notice Nigel in a Topper sneaking along behind them and ultimately splitting those who thought they were front runners.

The discards have kicked in so Laser Danny returns to the top spot. If you would like that explained ask in the comments below the post or on Random Sailing.

Results

With many of the big guns either away, on duty or expecting grandchildren, it was all to play for in races 5 and 6 of the Summer Series. And with the added incentive of silverware up for grabs; The Watler and Centripump Cups, 5 boats took to the water in a steady Force 1 to battle it out!

Whilst the Watler Cup [for Fast Fleet] could unfortunately not be awarded due to Pete Wells, in his Cat, being the only participant, the Centripump Cup was closely contested by the remaining 4 eager competitors; Rex Hendrickson in his Mirror, Nick Speller in the Topaz Uno, Alexia Davies in a Laser Radial and Dan [& Tasha] Patterson in their Enterprise.

Race 1 saw the Patterson’s get a flying start, crossing the line right after the horn and setting off on a beat [I think] towards the first mark, closely followed by Pete and the hunting pack. On approach to the first mark, in little or no wind and due to a lack of tidal judgement, Dan had to tack again to get round, which forced Pete to tack too. This rookie error turned out to be a ‘good move’ as the Enterprise rounded the mark and sailed off leaving Pete to tack twice in a Cat with barely any wind to do so. Pete would have his revenge later!

The second lap saw the wind die further which made it even harder for the slower handicap boats, leaving only 2 boats to complete the lap. And as Dan approached the finish line, the sheer joy of crossing the line first in a race was cruelly taken away by a silent but deadly Pete, who sailed by in the dying seconds to a fine blast of the horn. In the end, being first over the line was irrelevant, as behind this façade of glory seeking, the true competition was being won, on handicap, by Nick after a good first lap who finished in first place and wins the Centripump Cup.

The course was shortened for the second race and whilst it may have been quicker to swim around, the 5 boats set off once again in good faith, this time with Nick Speller getting a dream start. At least that’s what it looked like from the writers vantage point, 100 yards away from the start line!

The shorter course at first appeared to be a disadvantage for the Cat but a shift in the wind direction meant that Pete was able to get the spinnaker out more often and soon began lapping everyone for fun.

Meanwhile in the slow fleet, there were some good battles that saw Nick and Rex go neck and neck on handicap and Alexia working hard to keep the Laser Radial moving in almost no wind.

Despite the handicaps, Pete held his nerve to complete the race efficiently and take a well deserved first place, closely followed by Rex in second and Nick in third.

Dan Patterson is now [temporarily] leading the series ahead of Danny Powell and Peter who moves into 3^rd. Well done to Alexia Davies sailing in her first series races, hopefully other newcomers will following in her footsteps. [or wake].

Results

Results