New Years Day- Dragon Pursuit Race 2023

Another 90 min pursuit race today, the King George Dragon, tempted 8 boats to shrug off any hangovers or excess mince pies and take to the water. Two Toppers, 5 Lasers and a Contender.

Oliver and Imogen set off at -18 followed by James & Leo in Radials, Pete & Jon in Fulls and finally Rodger at +14. Sailing round 1, 4, 9, 11, 10 in a gusty SSW force 4 sadly proved too much for Imogen whose hopes were dashed early in round 1. Rodger too found himself back on the jetty before the end of round 2.

James was on fire today, although not passing Oliver until round 5, finally going on to complete 6 laps, still 2 minutes ahead of Pete, who also passed Oliver, but not until the 6th and final lap.

Leo’s form from the White Elephant failed him today in 4th place followed by Jon 5th. Simon sailing R2 was late for his start after helping the Cadets launch.

Check out the results here. Back to series racing next week, including the next round of Laser First Sunday.

Happy New Year to all.

Boxing Day- White Elephant Pursuit Race 2022

White Elephant Pursuit Race 2022

So today we had our annual White Elephant Pursuit Race. Results here. Great pics above from Emma, thank you.

Lovely dry and bright day, force 3, but 90 Minutes was quite long enough in the cool 5deg temperature. Personally, I thought the race box was a good place to be and just watch everyone else out on the water.

90 Minutes of course for the Solo, had there been any, but there were 2 young men from the cadet fleet sailing toppers who needed to start 18 minutes earlier, so a long old race for them.

Harry & Mathias set off at -18, then 21 minutes later (Solo+3) for Leo (Laser) and Tuka (Wayfarer), another 10 minutes for Jon/Blake (Merlin), then Rodger (Contender) followed by Tim/James and Chris/Gary (400s at Solo+16).

Leo took the lead from the Toppers in the 3rd lap, and the win after 4½ laps (2-10-4-0-A) was never in any doubt. Rodger was being harassed by Chris/Gary by the end, but the contest to watch was between Jon/Blake & Tim/James. Tim had all but caught Jon by the end of lap 3, but Jon luffed and shut Tim out at the downwind mark. Jon pulled out a slight lead up the next beat to 2, then the asymmetric 400 sailed faster but higher than the Merlin who managed lower and shorter, and so remained ahead at 10. Jon held Tim off for another Lap and was still ahead at the final whistle. Among the cadets, Mathias picked up a penalty for missing out the A mark in laps 3 & 4 and so gifted his 6th place to Harry.

Thanks to Karen, Pete and Emma for turning out to cover duties in the race office and Safety boat today.

See you all in the new Year, 12:30, for the King George Dragon Pursuit.

Sunday's Racing Report- Commodore Pete

Filling in for Tactics Tony again. He’s missed another good day of sailing. It might have been the best of his life, we will never know.

A good turn out, 3 Merlin Rockets, 2 Solos, 6 Lasers (all full rigs I think), 2 RS 400’s, an OK (welcome back Charlie, long time no see), Contender Rodger and Aero Stuart (making a guest appearance).

Race 1 was up to 3, down to 10, up to 6, down to 14 then a reach across to A. We did 2 laps.

Another interesting, very biased start line. All away first time, mostly behaved. Very shifty, so lots of snakes and ladders. The Merlin’s blasted off, Paul and Anna in particular. Hot on the heels of the fast fleeters was myself and Stuart in the Aero. Then a good minute or two behind was the rest of the slow fleet. Eventually the traffic, shifts and gusts meant that some of them made some time backup, with notably Tim being only 20 seconds maybe behind me.

Race 2, start line was made longer and less biased. Again up to 3, then a change to 10, 9, 5, A.

A general recall on the first start, naughty naughty. (You know who you are!). A good getaway on the second start. Again the Merlin’s cleared off into the distance. The wind was still very shifty, but the gusts had strengthened. There were a few swims and some gear failure this time, hence the DNF’s. I’m sure the swindlerly (chandler, for those not aware) will have done well this weekend. This time the Solo’s did well. It was hard work to get the boats on the plane, until the last lap down to A from 5. We all picked up some good speed and I’m sure most of the slow fleet managed to overhaul a few boats.

Anyhow, the results speak for themselves. A great days sailing.

Big thanks to all those on duty.

Commodore Pete

Today's Racing Report- Mick Keates

Another rubbish start to the day today, weatherwise. Dull, cloudy and virtually no wind. Good turnout though while we observed the 2-minute silence for Remembrance Day. Then several quickly decided to cut the grass around their boats and then retire for the day.

A light and patchy breeze arrived shortly after and teased a few to rig their boats, while it died away again by the time they arrived back up to the top of the ramp.

Nevertheless, 8 ventured out for a 1 lap drift around 1-4-10-A. There was just enough breeze to tempt 6 to stay on for a 2nd race, 2 laps round 1-11-10-A.

Thanks Rob, Stephen & Kuba for presiding over the proceedings. Check out the scores here

What it should have been like today.

Winterising your boat

Using your boat less over winter? Fair weather sailor only? Then this is the guide for you, when it comes to tucking up your boat.

• Make sure the bow is angled up, this will allow any water to drain out of the cockpit and run off the cover, preventing pooling.

• Consider the condition of your cover. It should be waterproof and breathable, allowing air to circulate.

• Take sails home and store them in a warm and dry location to prevent rusting on eyelets and mould. This should also prevent the rodents from turning them into bedding for their winterisation.

• Make sure that the boat is tied down. Ensure anchors or heavy blocks are on either side so that strong winds do not have the opportunity to throw your boat on to the neighbouring boats in the boat park.

• Make frequent visits to ensure that all is well. Check that the cover has not fallen off and that water hasn’t pooled in any locations. You should also visit after heavy winds to ensure your craft is still tied down and that others around haven’t flipped on to yours.