Bassenthwaite Sailing Club results page

The final race of the season got underway in light winds, Bill Smith in his RS800 took an early lead, and promptly headed for a wrong mark (as he does!), and ended up having his final capsize of the season. Heading for the wrong mark seemed to be a bit of a trait for the day, since with unused marks being removed, Michaela and Nigel mistook mark 4 for mark 3! Nigel also lost ground on the final leg when they lost a hat overboard and had to go back for it. First to finish was Rory Yardley, and followed shortly after by Alan Nicholson in an RS300. Jim Christie in a Vortex was slightly ahead of Nigel in his GP.

On handicap, it was Alan Nicholson that won the race from Nigel Lewis. However, this result did not affect the overall result for the 2004 Winter Trophy which was determined last week following Steve Hunt's win.

Brrrr and Wet!

Another glorious, but cold, Saturday with clear skies, meant Sunday was to be bitterly cold, but some early morning cloud turned to drizzle, which left various roads, including the M6, like skating rinks due to black ice. Who would drive 120 miles in such conditions for a sail - you're right none other than next week's speaker at the annual dinner, Steve Hunt!

So was it worth it hold back the other two main contenders for the Winter Trophy? Surprisingly there was a reasonable breeze (in the middle of the lake at least), but the drizzle had turned to rain. It was so uninviting that Neil Currie opted out of sailing (before Judith changed her mind?). By the time racing started the rain had gone and the wind was doing most peculiar things in that it was seemingly coming from about three directions at once! The wind didn't settle down during the race, resulting in some unexpectedly close racing, with only a couple of minutes between 1st RS400 and last GP after 50 mins of sailing. This gave another first to Malcolm Clayton, and kept him in the running for the trophy.

The wind picked up before the start of the next race, but suddenly stopped about 30 secs before the start signal. However, Steve Hunt was on the line and got well away with the course side breeze. In fact it was another 2 mins before the next boat even reached the start line! Steve continued to carry his luck and by the end of the 1st lap he had a 7 min lead. However, while Steve disappeared into the distance, William Carruthers and Lesley Braddock fought it out with Jim Christie up to the windward mark, with Malcolm still struggling to cross the line. Suddenly, within what seemed like a couple of mins, William was just rounding the mark when Malcolm seemed to be back in contention. Within 10 mins, William was 2nd and trying catch up with Steve, Jim had given up the ghost and retired, and Malcolm was still only 50 yards from the windward mark!

On the 2nd lap it seemed as if William was carrying the luck when with a good 2nd beat he reduced Steve's lead by 2 mins. He continued to nibble away at the lead until he was within 4 mins of Steve. But the final leg opened up the gap by nearly 1 min which turned out to be crucial as when the results were calculated, Steve had won by 40 secs on corrected time.

So what does this all mean? Basically, Steve can get legless next Saturday (preferably after giving his speech) and not worry about having to venture out as he has bagged the first trophy for next years prize giving!

Brrrrr!

With ice in the cover, and sailing gloves that have been left in the boat with fingers frozen together, you wouldn't think anyone would still be sailing in shorts, ah well, you'd be wrong.

After a glorious day on Saturday, Sunday started overcast and patchy wind. However, by the time racing got underway the breeze was generally strong enough for both helm and crew to sit out. Mark Somerville, having had a practice sail with Kirstie in their RS400 last weekend, was keen to get into racing mode. So keen in fact that he managed to pull his genniker halyard out of the mast! Not a problem though, by the time rescue facilities were sorted, Mark and stand in crew Robin Dawson were ready to go. It was Neil and Judith Currie that took the early lead until Steve Hunt and Ruth Critchley got their act together to power through into the lead. This left Mark and Neil to have some close racing that was going to continue into the afternoon race.

The wind did get up sufficiently for Alan Nicholson to get caught out and capsize his RS Vario. Similarly, Jim Christie in his Laser Vortex went for an unscheduled swim.

In the afternoon race Steve Hunt was not going to hang about and left the other three RS400s to battle it out, with some close racing for the first lap, until they shook off William Carruthers. Neil and Mark continued the close racing, and regularly passed each other, but it was Neil that came out ahead at the finish. With results being calculated on a personal handicap basis, Steve Hunt wonders how far ahead he has to be win - why was 1½ laps not enough to beat Malcolm Clayton on handicap? Perhaps, that's one of the mysteries of sailing that he can ponder when he prepares his speech for the forthcoming annual dinner!

Final Championship Results for 2004

This weekend concluded the last series for inclusion on the prize list for the annual dinner. Saturday was a glorious day, but the wind was somewhat shy. It didn't stop Leila Cook and Sue Watson in their GP notching up a couple of good positions in the October series. By Sunday morning Steve Hunt had decided he 'would let them win it' - it had nothing to do with the fact they couldn't be caught did it?!

Little wind, no official starter and no rescue crews left OD Nick Smith with quite a task on his hands. But he wasn't to be beaten. He managed to get the two races in, and cook lunch (well a posh noodle), and do some of the results as well! No excitement ion the races really, William and Emily Carruthers may have been first onto the water, but they were last to cross the start line when Nick decided he wasn't going to wait for them to get to the line. Bill Smith in his RS800, was several minutes late for the start as well, and then missed a mark out (but went back some time later).

None of these antics were going to prevent Leila and Sue from securing the series, so they'll have to hunt out those posh frocks again for the prize giving dinner.

Flying 15 Travellers

Congratulations to Keith Jamieson and Maf Smith on winning the Red Arrow Trophy for classic flying 15 travellers.

Winter Draws Nearer

Into November and racing is held only on Sundays for the Winter Trophy. There was an air of reluctance to get on to the water, but the OD was not going to wait! While Elaine Hunt was trying to work out what else was going to be wrong in William's boat (she'd already noticed the cunningham, and genniker downhaul, incorrectly rigged), the race started with Steve Hunt, William Carruthers and Bill Smith still some minutes from the line. Steve and Ruth Critchley worked their way through the fleet of RS 300, RS400s, RS800, Vortex and GP14s to eventually win the race on personal handicap.

Bill Smith in an RS800 tried his usual trick of sailing fast, but not for the marks that he was supposed to going for, so he lost ground returning to the correct mark. A capsize after finishing the race was one capsize too many and he didn't reappear for the second race.

Despite the dropping temperatures, there continues to be a select group in shorts/shorties - brave (or should that be foolhardy?) chaps, but they couldn't match the hardiness of two swimmers that swam from Ouse Bridge to Mark 4!

The OD opted to have the races back to back (if you can call a 40 minute gap back to back). Again, he didn't wait for everyone to be at the line before starting. Andy and Phil Smith brought out the 49er for this race, and ended up having a close race with Steve Hunt and pulled out such a lead that both boats had to sail all four laps while the remaining fleet just sailed three.

Autumn Settles In

The nights may drawing in, with the winds more fickle (is that really possible?), and the water's getting colder, but there were several hardy individuals that took to the water this weekend (with one or two still in shorts!). Saturday saw the end of the GP14 Autumn Cup, with Ken and Val Bell hopeful of another trophy, but sailing secretary Hugh Godfrey's appearance on the water resulted in them being pipped at the post - both had 5 points, but Hugh had the best results and secured the trophy.

The handicap fleet found the conditions very testing, and Steve Hunt was in the unusual position of being beaten! However, he got his act together for the second race, to take pole position and the series.

Sunday's racing for the October Series was on a personal handicap basis. The winds were again challenging - Neil Currie couldn't work out why he couldn't take more advantage of the split wind coming from the North and East, while most people were just glad they at least some wind to take them around the course. It was the GPs that came out best on handicap, with Leila Cook and Sue Watson in the lead up to the final weekend of the series at the end of the month.

Next weekend is the final weekend series of the championship year, so turn out and and see if you can improve your position in the championship - that prizegiving isn't far away!

Battling Vikings

The Viking Trophy was up for grabs this weekend with the annual Flying 15 team racing event. This year a strong fleet of 21 boats took to the water in good, but testing, easterly winds.

The racing takes the form of a straightforward series, in which teams of three boats aggregate all their scores to give a team total. An adjustment for older boats (not older helms) has been introduced in recent years to help give teams sailing older boats a chance. This year it worked to the benefit of the idea's author, FF president Ian Preston, whereby his team benefited from a weighting of eight points to win overall by a single point.

'Proud' recipient of the Grotty Potty - Steve Goacher

One of the reasons why the event is popular is the opportunity to make a fool of yourself in some way, hoping that no-one else has noticed, and be rewarded with the grotty potty! One of the regular winners, John Hardisty was in the driving seat this year (having won the potty last year) and was able to nominate this year's recipient. Although John had a select list of nominees perhaps he had missed one key candidate who struggled to put on his drysuit due to not having removed the coat hanger - Mike Moore! However, obviously John was feeling in a benevolent mood when making his choice because it was at Loch Lomond last weekend that Steve Goacher had one half too many and let slip that he wondered what he had to do to win the coveted trophy - on this occasion, all he needed to do was get tipsy!

While the Fifteens were fighting it out at the Club, John Telford and Andy Smith concluded a successful season on the open circuit by coming third at the Midland Championships in some extremely windy conditions - too windy for a kite?! Dave and Lyn Lawson hung on in to gain a deserved sixth place overall.

Weather Forecasters - What do they know?

With forecasts of wind on Saturday and gales on Sunday, many people must have been put off from getting down to the Club this weekend. Certainly, those that arrived early on Saturday were put off to see the strength of gusts shooting across the lake. This was not going to put the OD off (much), and by 3pm he had gone out in the rain to start the first race. It was the rain that flattened the lake and killed the wiind. However, once the race started, there were some very blustery conditions to contend with, from screaming reaches (which leading RS Steve Hunt opted to tack round rather than gybe - woofter!), to near drifters at the North end of the lake. Jim Christie came a cropper with one of the gusts and had to retire. Dismay set in for some when the sadistic OD sent the dwindling fleet round for the 4th lap. However, with Steve Hunt and Becky Dawson going for a swim as they put up the genniker, this gave William Carruthers and Lesley Braddock an opportunity not to be missed, and they took the lead and won the race from Dave Lawson, with Steve Hunt 3rd. Enough was enough, and the competitors voted with their boat covers, and declined to go out for another race.

With the gales forecast for Sunday, OD Rory Yardley expected to turn up, put up flag N to cancel racing for the day. However, it was not to be. The conditions were variable and patchy but by no means as blustery as Saturday. Jose opted out of sailing so Ginge could sail with a 'younger woman', and was that why she was caught on camera, showing whether she's an inny or an outy, hacking branches off some trees? Well not quite, but anyone wanting to see the film should click here!

Over the lunch break, the wind swung to the South and increased in strength just in time for a pennant race! In true fashion, a course was set to send the select fleet of three RS400s and two GPs and a Vortex to the bottom of the lake. Visiting skiff sailor Kevin Anderson was practising for the Endeavour Trophy and found out how hard it was to hike out, especially on a three+ mile beat. He had a close race with Robin Dawson and Toggle Cowan, and made the most of the some exciting gusts on the off wind legs to complete the course, along with the next three boats in less than an hour.

Being a visitor, Kevin was gracefully 'retired' from the results giving the Bass Burgee to Jim Christie. This race saw the end of Sandra's Salver for female sailors in the pennant races, and Lyn Lawson guest appearance with Mike Fairlamb was sufficient to win her the trophy.

Weekend Update

Saturday started in blustery conditions that resulted in much activity for the rescue crews - all the more reason to turn up and 'do your bit' when rostered. The Hodgkins boys were revelling in the conditions until they reluctantly, but slowly, capsized in the first race. Ginge and Jose made it a family affair by getting back on the water (for one race at least) - snogging up the first beat - is that allowed Miss?

Who knows what happened on Sunday, other than it seemed as if it was windy. The results show that there was straight wins in each series.

Wild and Windy

Again the tail end of Caribbean hurricanes made their way across the Atlantic in time for the weekend and, of course, Southport 24 hour race. It's a long time since it has been so blustery throughout the entire race, but it made for some exciting, close sailing. Bolton, having been pipped at the post last year , were out to win - they had set aside only three teams, but they took an early lead, and continued to pull ahead. Team Bass were working well, but in with a group of another five boats, and places kept swapping from time to time. There were many capsizes during the race (not helped by a rudder that was reluctant to stay down!) but the spirit kept the team going and they finished with an extremely creditable fourth. Apart from Joany Cowan tackling some guy ropes (and coming off worse) the only other tale was about Bean being scared of the dark!? (Well, he didn't want to go back out until day break anyway!) Final results

David Warren receives trophy from Rhonwen Bryce

Back at the club, the Tinkers were out in force (to match the winds?). There were various capsizes, broken shrouds, and numerous retirements, but it didn't stop them all having a good weekend. Overall winner was again David Warren, with Ray Young 2nd, and Malcolm and Elaine Ellwood 3rd (1st 2up)

Due to the weather and Southport 24hr race, club racers were thin on the ground. Saturday started with mild panic when the Bates was not on its mooring, only to find it had gone wandering down towards the Derwent. As for racing, Ian Macpherson and Rhonwen Bryce were competing against each other in lasers until Rhonwen decided Ian was far enough ahead and abandoned racing for the rest of the day! On Sunday Ian opted to crew for William Carruthers in the RS400, against Mike Fairlamb and Eric Smith, and Leila Cook and Sue Watson in GPs. Despite pulling away from the GPs on the exciting offwind legs, on handicap, Mike Fairlamb came out on top in each race and won the series.

Room for improvement!

With tale end of the American hurricanes coming through to spoil our weekend after such a glorious week, three RS400 went to Ullswater to enter their one day open meeting. Along with 35 RS200s there were 13 RS400s. On arrival the water was already covered in white horses, but the wind did ease and racing was underway by late morning. But the wind did not ease for long! The first race proved a challenge for boats to stay upright, especially when gybing - it was to be Neil Currie's turn to come a cropper, and having been late for the start due to crew Andy Smith being delayed on the motorway, they retiredm to save themselves for the next race. The 2nd race was to be held back to back, and between races the wind continued to rise and the boats continued to capsize - this time William Carruthers and Lesley Braddock took to the water (for some time, as the boat continued to blow over when it was righted). With so many capsized boats, the OD opted to delay racing and everyone had an early lunch. The wind did ease and racing resumed mid afternoon, but the light breeze for race 2, was not to continue into the last race which was to be Steve Hunt's chance to come a cropper when having an excellent first beat, Andy put the genniker up, they promptly gybed and capsized on to the wing mark.

Overall winner was Robbie Wilson from Wormit, with Steve taking 8th position, William 9th and Neil 12th.

Back at the club, it was only the toppers that dare take to the water. Rescue driver Wil had his work cut out for him on his last day. He had to right an RS Feva and sail it home before returning to resolve various other capsizes. Did Rhonwen Bryce hustle her way to the lead by making out she did not know how to tack or gybe a topper? Who knows?

On Sunday, the big boys (and Ruth!) went out for what was to be the only race of the day. First casualty up the first beat was Jim Christie in his vortex - after capsizing he could could not right without help, so that was his race over. Playing it cautiously was not enough for Steve Hunt and Ruth Critchley in an RS 400 - they had decided not to fly the kite but still went at the leeward gybe mark - with enough capsizing for one weekend, Steve retired gracefully. And then there were two; Phil Smith and Toggle Cowan in their GP were in a safe position to beat Mike Moore and Ian Smith (in a F15) on handicap, but 'wanted to beat them on the water' (as Phil put it), so up went the kite to 'stabilise' the boat (pity it wasn't a run!), and boat number three capsized and packed up. So would OD Mike Fairlamb make Mike sail the full course? After seeing Mike Moore flattened at the gybe mark, the race was shortened, and Mike eventually made it back to take first place and confirm his lead in the series.

Betty's Birthday Bash

Congratulations to Pat Smith (aka Betty) on her forthcoming birthday. She can't really be up for collecting her pension can she? A surprise party was held in the club on Saturday evening, and there was even an impromptu music session provided by the cruising weekend visitors.

As for the sailing, John Crosbie was getting to grips with his RS400, and really pleased when told just after the start that his main was not fully hoisted! As if this was not bad enough, his first tack on to port meant two boats had to avoid him - oops a set of turns was necessary there! As things come in threes, a capsize on the gybe mark was to top his day.

Mike Fairlamb, having won the first race on Saturday from Robin Dawson, was disappointed when Robin opted to play safe and secure the Mustard Pot by not sailing the final race.

Neil and Judith Currie had finally tracked down their new toy from fellow club members Steve and Victoria Vaughan - unfortunately they had to drive to Woking to pick it up. With the wind keeping a low profile on Sunday, there was plenty of time to put the RS together and get on the water for the afternoon race.

William Carruthers had two crews lined up for the day (one for each race), but with the first race being cancelled, it was down to daughter Emily as to who she wanted to crew for - she opted to jump ship and crew for Phil Hodgkins, and to rub salt in the wound, not only were they first to the windward mark but they beat her dad overall! Neil had a flying start and gave Steve Hunt a run for his money, after being second to the windward mark he soon passed Phil (who was having problems with the genniker) and held the lead to the leeward mark. However, Steve was on Neil's tail and took the lead a couple of tacks up the beat.

Congratulations to Sam Hall and Graham Hemingway, and Chris and Katrina Hemingway for completing the round the lake pennant race in their RS Fevas.

Further congratulations go to Tim and Rob Smith for their 3rd (or was it 2nd after protest?) overall position at Saturday's open meeting at Ripon.

Mirror Inland Championships

The National Mirror Inland Championships were held at Bassenthwaite Lake over the three-day bank holiday weekend. Fifty-three boats entered from as far afield as Plymouth and Shetland.

Saturday saw two races held in perfect weather – sunshine and a force 2-3 wind. Local boys Tim and Rob Smith took an early lead and stayed in front for half the race. Some tricky shifts on the final beat saw them slip to fourth behind Dave and Joric Gebhard (Derwent Reservoir) who won, with Anna MacKenzie and Holly Scott (Royal Windermere and Shustoke) second and Eloise and Kayleigh Hansen who were third. Gareth Hughes from Hollingworth won the single handed fleet.

Dave and Joric kept their form and won the second race, followed by Dan and James Ellis from Plymouth in second and Craig and Mitchell Bond form Brightlingsea in third.

Sunday morning started very wet, but did dry up now and then. The OD stayed in his tent until the rain eased off and the sun made an appearance, but got the fleet away on time. However, the wind was stronger than on Saturday and caused a few capsizes. In the first race, Eloise and Kayleigh had a superb first beat and streaked away from the rest of the fleet. By the finish line, however, Dave and Joric had pulled back and were within a few feet but could not quite take the winning gun. Tom Robinson and Shaun Mason (Hillhead and Warsash) were third.

After lunch the boats went out for the windiest of the weekend’s races. A force 4 wind, gusting force 5 caused a few capsizes and kept the excellent rescue crews busy. Racing at the front of the fleet was much closer than on earlier races, with positions changing on each leg. Dan and James eventually finished first, with Eloise and Kayleigh in second.

Thankfully for the tired crews, the wind eased a bit for the third race on Sunday. Dan and James kept up their winning form and were followed home by Anna and Holly. After two days, Dave and Joric were leading the fleet by three points, but with another four boats within striking distance.

By Monday morning, the rain had eased off and the westerly wind was a force 3. However, the OD had a difficult job setting the course as the wind was shifting. This allowed significant leads to be opened up. William and Rebecca Kalderton (Itchenor) were out in front with Elouise and Kayleigh also way ahead of the rest of the fleet. These two boats held their positions for the rest of the race and were followed home by Juliet and Richard Long (Plymouth).

The sailors were all keen to start the final race – so much so that two general recalls were required plus the first showing of the black flag (and several sailors headed for the shore earlier than anticipated as a result). Eloise and Kayleigh were first to the windward mark, followed closely be Dave and Joric Gebhard and then Craig and Mitchell Bond. Dave managed to hitch a ride on a gust down the reach and was first to the next mark. The boats then all played ‘follow-my-leader’ on the next leg and took in a couple of gybes, except for Tom Robinson with Shaun Mason (Warsash/Hillhead) who headed straight for the mark and picked up a good few places in the process. Dave and Joric continued to stretch their lead and take the final race with Anna and Holly second and Eloise and Kayleigh third.

Prizes were awarded by Commodore Jose Hodgkins, and she thanked all the hard work of everyone involved in arranging the weekend such a success. Dave Gebhard echoed those thanks and noted the continued involvement of the Smith family with the Mirror Association over the weekend, from mum Pat in the kitchen (where else!), to dad Alan in a rescue boat, Andy in the lead boat (or was it a late night jaunt in the Bates?), twins Tim and Rob sailing and former Mirror national champion Phil as OD for the weekend

Rank	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Nett	Notes
Double Handed Fleet - Sailed: 7 Discards: 1
1	70332	David Gebhard	Joric Gebhard	Derwent	1	1	2	3	3	6	1	11	Gold, Master
2	70176	Eloise Hansen	Kayleigh Hansen	Covenham	3	5	1	2	9	2	3	16	Gold, U17
3	70132	Dan Ellis	James Ellis	Royal Plymouth Corinthian	7	2	6	1	1	4	7	21	Gold, U17
4	70172	Anna MacKenszie	Holly Scott	Royal Windermere and Shustoke	2	4	8	6	2	9	2	24	Gold, U17
5	70281	Craig Bond	Mitchell Bond	Brightlingsea	6	3	9	4	4	12	4	30	Gold,
6	70222	Juliet Long	Richard Long	Plymouth	9	7	10	7	5	3	8	39	Gold, U15
7	70003	Tom Robinson	Shaun Mason	Hill Head & Warshash	10	6	3	11	6	8	6	39	Gold, U17
8	70274	William Kalderon	Rebecca Kalderon	Itchenor	11	15	7	5	10	1	11	45	Gold, U15
9	69667	Martin Egan	James Wilkinson	Restronguet	5	21	11	12	17	5	~~BFD~~	71	Gold, Master
10	70154	Simon Lovesey	Tom Lovesey	Warsash	15	12	4	21	7	19	19	76	Gold, Master
11	70162	Jackie Gebhard	Louise Gebhard	Derwent	16	17	5	16	12	17	14	80	Gold, Master
12	70142	Tim Smith	Rob Smith	Bassenthwaite	4	11	13	20	~~DNF~~	23	10	81	Gold, U19
13	70223	Liam Arrowsmith	Natalie Roach	Plymouth	19	23	16	14	23	7	5	84	Silver, U17
14	70167	Gavin Tullet	Henry Westropp	Royal Windermere	24	8	14	13	15	15	~~BFD~~	89	Silver, U15
15	70055	Emma Houlihan	Emily Mackensie	Royal Windermere	18	22	21	9	20	11	12	91	Silver, U15
16	70010	Gerry McGill	Luke McGill	Sunderland	22	16	18	17	8	13	20	92	Gold, Master
17	63224	Andrew Greenhalgh	Sam Rogerson	Annandale	13	9	24	10	~~DNC~~	25	13	94	Gold
18	70024	Silvania Booth	Kate MacGregor	Poole	14	14	17	18	14	22	24	99	Silver, U15
19	70253	George Yeoman	Jack Yeoman	Itchenor	~~DNC~~	13	DSQ	8	11	21	9	113	Gold, U15
20	70171	Nicola Brook	Hannah Mitchell	Hollingworth	8	20	12	~~DNF~~	18	14	BFD	123	Silver, U17
21	70085	Abi Stodel	Michael Conlon	Brightlingsea	26	28	20	~~DNF~~	13	24	17	128	Silver, U15
22	69891	David Conlon	Chris Rust	Brightlingsea	28	~~DSQ~~	15	27	25	18	15	128	Silver, U15
23	70228	Edward Fitzgerald	Charlotte Fitzgerald	Itchenor	12	18	22	15	21	~~DNC~~	DNC	139	Silver, U17
24	70330	Judi Gebhard	James Lovesey	Derwent	~~DNF~~	10	23	28	DNF	10	18	140	Silver, U17
25	70258	Jamie Knill	Sarah Burge	Poole	25	25	26	23	16	27	27	142	Silver, U17
26	69776	Emma Barry	Martina Barry	Brightlingsea	~~DNF~~	19	DNF	25	19	16	16	146	Silver, U15
27	69334	Shaun Hampton-Matthews	Ed Hampton-Matthews	Warsash	27	26	25	24	27	31	28	157	Gold, Master
28	70166	Chris Swinchatt	Christopher Swinchatt	Chipstead	21	24	19	19	26	~~DNC~~	DNC	160	Gold, Master
29	69366	Duncan Greenhalgh	Douglas Frost	Annandale Bass	20	36	29	~~DNF~~	29	29	23	166	Gold, Master
30	70000	Paddy Adams	Dan Coates	Chew Valley Lake	35	34	~~DNF~~	33	24	28	21	175	Silver, U17
31	70153	Philip Benn	T Tindall	Ripon	30	31	32	22	32	30	30	175	Silver, U15
32	70216	Jillian Darling	Stephanie Tagg	Itchenor	32	29	27	29	33	34	26	176	Silver, U15
33	47566	Inge-Lisa Hansen	Matthew Kiddle	Covenham	29	33	28	31	34	35	22	177	Silver, U15
34	56566	Andrew Benn	Kieran Claiden-Yardley	Ripon	23	27	30	~~DNF~~	28	20	BFD	179	Silver, U17
35	69524	Darren Forrest	Emma Inkster	Shetland Sailing Centre	34	30	33	32	30	37	31	190	Bronze, U15
36	30792	Lilly Carlisle	Becky Wallbank	Ripon	31	39	34	26	31	36	33	191	Silver, U15
37	1	Roger Haigh	Nicky Haigh	Royal Windermere	39	35	31	34	~~DNC~~	38	29	206	Gold, Master
38	70100	Julian Haigh	Sam Gore	Royal Windermere	36	37	~~DNF~~	35	DNC	33	25	217	Bronze, U17
39	70159	Jake Gebhard	Jack Gebhard	Derwent	~~DNF~~	38	DNF	30	22	26	DNF	218	Silver, U15
40	68325	Martin Wishart	Craig Forrest	Shetland Sailing Centre	38	40	37	~~DNF~~	37	39	34	225	Bronze, U15
41	58227	Jon Bonsor	Jake Bonsor	Warsash	40	42	35	~~DNF~~	35	42	32	226	Silver
42	68171	Timm Hughes	David O'Callaghan	Hollingworth	42	41	38	~~DNC~~	36	40	35	232	Bronze, U17
43	29767	Allan Hoyle	Mark Johnson	Annandale	45	45	36	~~DNC~~	DNC	41	36	254	Bronze
44	69515	Ross Manson	Paul Forrest	Shetland Sailing Centre	46	46	39	~~DNF~~	DNC	43	38	263	Bronze, U15
45	907	Ernie Turpie	Rhiannon Inkster	Annandale and Shetland	41	44	~~DNF~~	DNF	DNC	44	37	268	Gold, Master
46	58625	Robbie Cwik	Rhiannon McKeown	Hollingworth	33	32	~~DNC~~	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	269	Gold, Master
47	69960	Robin Dawson	Ethan Dawson	Bassenthwaite	17	~~DNC~~	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	272	Gold
48	40984	Tim Gatti	Seb Gatti	Yeadon	37	~~DNC~~	DNC	DNC	DNC	32	DNC	273	Gold, Master
49	19636	Bruce Leask	Carole Forrest	Shetland Sailing Centre	43	43	~~DNC~~	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	290	Gold
50	69417	Thomas Partington	William Partington	Hollingworth	44	~~DNC~~	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	299	Bronze, U15

Sailwave Scoring Software 1.57
www.sailwave.com

Back in the Swing

The first full weekend's sailing since Bass Week took the form of a weekend series for F15s, GPs, Mirror and laser/handicap fleets. There was consistency throughout the fleets, with all series being won with three firsts in the first three races for the winning helms. In the F15s, there was a bit of a crews race in the final race, in which Tony Fisher helmed for Ian Campbell, Nick Smith crewed for Scott Beattie, and Mike Moore did his best to beat each of them, but to no avail!

Rank	Sail No	Helm	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Nett
single handed Fleet - Sailed: 7 Discards: 1
1	66433	Gareth Hughes	Hollingworth	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	6
2	940984	Tim Gatti	Yeadon	~~DNC~~	2	1	2	3	DNC	BFD	20
3	70013	Tom Kiddle	Covenham	2	3	3	~~DNC~~	DNC	4	4	22
4	70112	Lindsay Haig	Shustoke	3	~~DNF~~	DNF	DNC	2	3	3	23
5	958625	Robbie Cwik	Hollingworth Lake	~~DNC~~	DNC	4	DNC	DNC	2	2	26

Andy and Phil Smith took the opportunity to sail their first series in their 49er. However, after suffering problems with the spinnaker uphaul system on Saturday, they found that not being able to use the additional 38m² of sail area afforded by the spinnaker was a bit of a handicap! But overall they did finish in the top half of the fleet.

My *RS*

Sounds like something from the Royale family, well not far wrong - it's to do with the Commodore's family. Following the naming of the Hodgkins' boat 'Kiss My RS', they tipped it in so many times on Saturday it should perhaps be named Washing my RS. However, the conditions were such that they were not the only ones to go for a swim. The other notable swimmers of the day were Steve Hunt and Ruth, who seemed to make a bad habit of fighting through to the front and then capsizing! Robin Dawson was helming the Hodgkins' RS in the second race, and 'practiced' righting the boat a couple of times before the race even started.

On Sunday, the conditions had eased a little, but there was still a bit of capsizing. Andy and Phil Smith, tried their hand in the 49er again and joined the weekend's list of capsizers. Not to be beaten in one form or another, Steve Hunt gave the fleet a chance when he again capsized, but he'd regained the lead again by the next mark! He survived the final race without tipping it in again, but there was one leg where he trawled the spinnaker - when coupled with sailing the wrong course, and missing the first race due to traffic jams, all in all he used up quite a bit of bad luck - perhaps just in time for Bass Week?

As for the racing, the weekend series was a fleet challenge sailed on a personal handicap basis. With eighteen different helms in total there was a good turnout, but only two helms sailed all four races - Ian Macpherson in his laser, and William Carruthers in an RS, with Mike Fairlamb crewing on Saturday, and Toggle Cowan on Sunday. The results were close overall, but who else could the prize go to other than the treasurer, webmaster, results program author and birthday boy!

More Photos

Sailing Experience Comes to an End

Last Tuesday brought this season's helping hand for newcomers to an end. More than 30 people have taken the opportunity to benefit from other's experience and guidance, and were all successful in navigating a dinghy around a triangular course after only a few weeks. The formal training course held on Saturday mornings saw six members achieve their level 1 certificate.

GP14 North West Area Championships

A strong fleet of 40 boats took to the water on the first day of the GP14 NW Area Championships. The winds picked up over the afternoon, and many places were won and lost on various beats. It seemed like the GP fleet were either too keen, or had poor stopwatches, but the OD made sure they practised their starts until they got them right. The slow learners were sent back to shore after being black flagged.

Home club sailors John Telford and Andy Smith are overnight leaders after winning the first race, and coming 4th in the second, but they had mixed fortunes, having fought their way to the front of the fleet a couple of times, only to be dumped by the uncaring windshifts.

A barbeque was the prelude to a long night at the bar for many sailors who did their best to drink the bar dry!

Sunday's racing was very much a case of more of the same - good strength winds, good racing, and cruel windshifts which failed to do the locals any favours. Dave Young from South Staffs sailed consistently well on Sunday with a 1st, 2nd and 3rd to take the championship. Graham Flynn, having won on Saturday, took the winning horn in the final race to give him second place ahead of Ian Platt (Bolton) who had equal points.

Richard Instone came 4th overall ahead of Saturday's overnight leader John Telford. The next Bass boat was David Lawson at 6th.

The Hodgkins boys, having had an unfortunate collision with fellow club helm Phil Smith, came a creditable 11th overall and won the trophy for the silver fleet.

Pos	Tally	Fleet	Boat Name	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Pts
1st	16	Gold	Lashed Again	13835	Dave Young	Liz Pugh	South Staffs	2	8	1	3	2	8.0
2nd	23	Gold		13810	Graham Flynn	Frank Nickless	Bartley SC	~~dnf~~	1	6	4	1	12.0
3rd	39	Gold	Nemo	13849	Ian Platt	Chris Joly	Bolton	4	3	8	1	4	12.0
4th	7	Gold		13815	Richard Instone	James Goodfellow	Chase	8	2	7	2	3	14.0
5th	34	Gold	Night Boat To Cairo	13850	John Telford	Andy Smith	Bass SC	1	4	4	11	10	19.0
6th	8	Gold	Layla	13176	Dave Lawson	Lynn Lawson	Bass	7	15	3	8	9	27.0
7th	30	Gold	Deric	13771	Dave Hynes	Greg Pitt	RWYC	9	5	2	19	12	28.0
8th	32	Gold		13747	Luke Shaw	Steve Parker	Budworth SC	12	9	12	~~dnf~~	5	38.0
9th	15	Gold		13447	Innes Armstrong	Thomas Bennett	Burwain	17	~~DNF~~	5	6	17	45.0
10th	14	Gold	Sweet Chariot	13812	Stephen Graham	Richard Dobson	Burwain	14	23	10	7	14	45.0
11th	10	Silver	Pegasus	13733	Richard Hodgkins	Philip Hodgkins	Bass	3	10	31	12	22	47.0
12th	9	Gold	Bean Bantered	13791	Phil Smith	Mike Cowan	Bass	11	17	11	10	16	48.0
13th	37	Gold	Cooweeh 2	13843	Nick Eaves	Alison Eaves	Bartley SC	15	6	16	17	26	54.0
14th	40	Gold	Unzipped	13800	Bill Kenyon	Geoff Edwards	Budworth SC	24	16	13	20	8	57.0
15th	31	Gold	Ernest	13218	Martin Brennan	Alistair Knott	HLSC	6	21	22	16	15	58.0
16th	11	Silver	Old Farts	13737	Toby Taylor	Alan Jones	South Staffs	23	19	14	14	11	58.0
17th	25	Silver		13803	Paul Owen	Sue Konczyk	South Staffs	28	26	26	5	6	63.0
18th	5	Silver		13819	Andrew Greenhalgh	Colin Midgely	Bass / Annandale	25	11	18	9	27	63.0
19th	13	Silver	Mr Happy	13789	David Pickering	Linda Estaugh	South Staffs	10	18	29	~~dnf~~	7	64.0
20th	29	Gold	Splash	13770	Gary Deighan	Andy Teague	Bolton	18	7	24	21	19	65.0
21st	1	Silver		13852	Damian Chisholm	Mark Chisholm	West Lancs	26	12	19	18	18	67.0
22nd	27	Gold		13793	Carl Jeffs	Jim Toothill	Trimpley SC	5	14	9	~~dnf~~	dnf	69.0
23rd	38	Silver	He Ain't Heavy	13374	Peter Gardner	William Gardner	Combs SC	20	RED	23	13	30	78.0
24th	2	Silver	Machismo	10801	John Salomonson	Chris Anderson	South Staffs	13	27	21	24	23	81.0
25th	35	Silver	Matt Black	13327	Mike Fairlamb	Eric Smith	Bass SC	33	22	17	30	13	82.0
26th	20	Gold		13686	Andy Hateley	Marc Cheshire	South Staffs	16	13	15	~~dnf~~	dnf	85.0
27th	21	Silver	Sobek	13839	Hugh Godfrey	Rhonwen Bryce	Bass SC	19	20	25	23	~~DNC~~	87.0
28th	4	Silver		13763	Mark Greenhalgh	Alastair Smith	Annandale	21	~~dnf~~	30	15	24	90.0
29th	6	Silver		13115	Julie Waddington	Chris Waddington	Bolton	27	24	20	27	25	96.0
30th	17	Silver	Jokate	13746	Graham Knox	Pete Bramwell	Hollingworth Lake	31	25	32	22	20	98.0
31st	3	Silver		13721	Simon Pritchard Jones	Ellen Milner	Budworth	30	~~BFD~~	28	26	21	105.0
32nd	22	Silver	Gismo	12830	Ian Sinclair	Emma Sinclair	Bolton	29	~~BFD~~	27	25	dnf	122.0
33rd	33	Bronze	Luna Rossa (12755)	13680	Andrew Brook	Steve Heywood	Hollingworth Lake	35	~~BFD~~	34	28	28	125.0
34th	18	Bronze	Spirit	13161	Stuart Spence	Deb Spence	Bass	36	28	36	32	31	127.0
35th	36	Bronze	Eyore	13402	Rana Din	Neil Turner	Hollingworth Lake	34	~~BFD~~	35	31	29	129.0
36th	24	Bronze	Lapwing	13345	Maurice Cooper	Julie Hamilton	Derwent SC	37	30	37	33	32	132.0
37th	19	Silver	Ernies Pot	5794	Ian Thomson	Mark Newton	West Lancs	32	~~BFD~~	33	29	dnf	135.0
38th	12	Bronze	Second String	13238	Dave Nicholson	Sarah Nicholson	Bass	39	29	38	34	~~dnc~~	140.0
39th	28	Gold	Comfortably Numb	13749	Robin Dawson	Phil Graham	Bass SC	22	dnf	~~DNC~~	DNC	dnc	151.0
40th	26	Bronze		10230	Cliff Lamb	Andrea Thompson	Derwent SC	38	31	dnf	dnf	~~dnc~~	151.0

Pos

Tally

Fleet

Boat Name

Sail No

Helm

Crew

Club

Pts

1st

Gold

Lashed Again

13835

Dave Young

Liz Pugh

South Staffs

8.0

2nd

Gold

13810

Graham Flynn

Frank Nickless

Bartley SC

~~dnf~~

12.0

3rd

Gold

Nemo

13849

Ian Platt

Chris Joly

Bolton

12.0

4th

Gold

13815

Richard Instone

James Goodfellow

Chase

14.0

5th

Gold

Night Boat To Cairo

13850

John Telford

Andy Smith

Bass SC

19.0

6th

Gold

Layla

13176

Dave Lawson

Lynn Lawson

Bass

27.0

7th

Gold

Deric

13771

Dave Hynes

Greg Pitt

RWYC

28.0

8th

Gold

13747

Luke Shaw

Steve Parker

Budworth SC

~~dnf~~

38.0

9th

Gold

13447

Innes Armstrong

Thomas Bennett

Burwain

~~DNF~~

45.0

10th

Gold

Sweet Chariot

13812

Stephen Graham

Richard Dobson

Burwain

45.0

11th

Silver

Pegasus

13733

Richard Hodgkins

Philip Hodgkins

Bass

47.0

12th

Gold

Bean Bantered

13791

Phil Smith

Mike Cowan

Bass

48.0

13th

Gold

Cooweeh 2

13843

Nick Eaves

Alison Eaves

Bartley SC

54.0

14th

Gold

Unzipped

13800

Bill Kenyon

Geoff Edwards

Budworth SC

57.0

15th

Gold

Ernest

13218

Martin Brennan

Alistair Knott

HLSC

58.0

16th

Silver

Old Farts

13737

Toby Taylor

Alan Jones

South Staffs

58.0

17th

Silver

13803

Paul Owen

Sue Konczyk

South Staffs

63.0

18th

Silver

13819

Andrew Greenhalgh

Colin Midgely

Bass / Annandale

63.0

19th

Silver

Mr Happy

13789

David Pickering

Linda Estaugh

South Staffs

~~dnf~~

64.0

20th

Gold

Splash

13770

Gary Deighan

Andy Teague

Bolton

65.0

21st

Silver

13852

Damian Chisholm

Mark Chisholm

West Lancs

67.0

22nd

Gold

13793

Carl Jeffs

Jim Toothill

Trimpley SC

~~dnf~~

dnf

69.0

23rd

Silver

He Ain't Heavy

13374

Peter Gardner

William Gardner

Combs SC

RED

78.0

24th

Silver

Machismo

10801

John Salomonson

Chris Anderson

South Staffs

81.0

25th

Silver

Matt Black

13327

Mike Fairlamb

Eric Smith

Bass SC

82.0

26th

Gold

13686

Andy Hateley

Marc Cheshire

South Staffs

~~dnf~~

dnf

85.0

27th

Silver

Sobek

13839

Hugh Godfrey

Rhonwen Bryce

Bass SC

~~DNC~~

87.0

28th

Silver

13763

Mark Greenhalgh

Alastair Smith

Annandale

~~dnf~~

90.0

29th

Silver

13115

Julie Waddington

Chris Waddington

Bolton

96.0

30th

Silver

Jokate

13746

Graham Knox

Pete Bramwell

Hollingworth Lake

98.0

31st

Silver

13721

Simon Pritchard Jones

Ellen Milner

Budworth

~~BFD~~

105.0

32nd

Silver

Gismo

12830

Ian Sinclair

Emma Sinclair

Bolton

~~BFD~~

dnf

122.0

33rd

Bronze

Luna Rossa (12755)

13680

Andrew Brook

Steve Heywood

Hollingworth Lake

~~BFD~~

125.0

34th

Bronze

Spirit

13161

Stuart Spence

Deb Spence

Bass

127.0

35th

Bronze

Eyore

13402

Rana Din

Neil Turner

Hollingworth Lake

~~BFD~~

129.0

36th

Bronze

Lapwing

13345

Maurice Cooper

Julie Hamilton

Derwent SC

132.0

37th

Silver

Ernies Pot

5794

Ian Thomson

Mark Newton

West Lancs

~~BFD~~

dnf

135.0

38th

Bronze

Second String

13238

Dave Nicholson

Sarah Nicholson

Bass

~~dnc~~

140.0

39th

Gold

Comfortably Numb

13749

Robin Dawson

Phil Graham

Bass SC

dnf

~~DNC~~

DNC

dnc

151.0

40th

Bronze

10230

Cliff Lamb

Andrea Thompson

Derwent SC

dnf

~~dnc~~

151.0

Gone Fishin'?...

.. that could be one of the few explanations as to why William Carruthers and Lesley Braddock used the genniker as a trawl net and let Neil Currie expand his lead in the second race of the weekend series. Neil and Judith had taken the lead from William in the first race as the wind ebbed and flowed as the fleet rounded mark 7 just off Scarness Bay. With two firsts in the bag overnight, Steve Hunt's appearance (and disappearance from the fleet!) on Sunday was not going to take victory away from Neil. Could this be the reason for Judith suggesting it's time for Neil to get a new boat?

In the GPs there was some close and consistent sailing, David and Lynn Lawson fought all the way to take the series with three firsts and a second. Phil Smith and Toggle Cowan fought off the blues to secure two 2nds and a 4th, which although it matched Hugh and Rhonwen's (who had sailed so consistently) 8 points, it was enough to beat them in the series.

Next week Bass is host to the GP14 North West Area Championships - we are sure to give the visitors some strong competition.

Thursday Evening Sailing

The winds were a reasonably steady force 2, but the direction was unusual and very variable! The OD set an excellent windward leg towards buoy 2 from the middle of the lake - at least it was excellent until about 5 seconds before the start gun when it turned into a fetch. Fortunately, half way up the leg, it turned into a beat again. Richard and Philip are still trying to suss out their new RS 400 and for some reason seemed to be tacking all over the place about 10 yards over the start line. Jose and Ginge took an early lead, but were soon overtaken by John and Islay Crosbie in their flying fifteen. Once the boats were within about 50 yards of buoy 2, it was anyone's guess as to who would get round first or where the wind was coming from. Richard and Philip began to pull away, but seemed to put in twice as many gybes as anyone else on the downwind legs.

Further down the fleet, Tim Knowles was sailing his old boat, with its new owner, Des Wright, in the front. Des has only been sailing for two months, but was given a quick crash course in spinnaker handling and roll tacking. They were rather late over the start line, but were soon making their way through the fleet.

Another new combination was Roy and Michaela in a GP rather than their lark. It turns out that Roy isn't too keen on a spinnaker pole stored in the boat - Michaela tried to store it in his face! There were also a few toppers out with Sam Hall leading the way. On the last lap, a couple of gentle gusts came through - they registered 'one shriek' on the gustometer scale in the front of Ginge's boat.

After handicaps were calculated, Tim and Des were first with Ginge and Jose second.

Further Migration to RS400s

Having sold their GP a couple of weeks ago, the Hodgkins boys have taken the plunge and bought an RS400. Since Ginge spent his birthday, collecting the boat from North Wales (but this time he didn't endure that Landrover journey!), he wasn't going to miss an opportunity to take the boat out for a spin. He did have to pick Saturday when winds were gusting 4-5, so it's no surprise that he ended up washing those sails!

Then there was a couple of lads from Cockermouth, who are new to sailing, and have just bought Tim Knowles' GP. They were keen to get on the water, but fortunately were persuaded to have a go at crewing for more experienced helm; it was not long into their sail that they decided a wet/dry suit would be a good idea!

Winds had abated by Sunday morning, so the fleet, reduced in numbers due to others trying their hand at the Lord Birkett Memorial on Ullswater, enjoyed some good racing. 'Expectant' father Robin Dawson tried his hand at the helm of the Hodgkins' RS, and showed the fleet the way to win convincingly.

Emily Carruthers believed one race was enough, and opted out of the afternoon race when Elaine Hunt stepped into the breach. But did Emily know that the winds were to pick up again, because they did. Elaine was quick to point out that she wasn't in to getting wet, so it was quite a challenge for William to try and make sure she didn't. Uncontrollable reaches, and the odd dodgy gybe, did little to settle her nerves, but they enjoyed some excellent reaches and avoided washing the salt out of those sails (for a while longer at least).

There was mixed fortunes throughout the weekend, but those that took part enjoyed every minute.

FF Open

Is this pic of Bridget flattering enough?

Stormy conditions on Saturday afternoon proved to be too much for champions Steve Goacher and Phil Evans to contemplate, so they sat back and watched the rest of the fleet battle around the course. With the wind coming down the lake, the waves had plenty of chance to build up and wash down several spinnaker chutes! Those that did opt to fly kites gained no real advantage. Howard Green, and FF Association Vice President Ian Preston, made best use of their skills and 'weight advantage' to win the first race. With no sign of the winds abating, the second race was postponed until Sunday morning.

By the time the racing started on Sunday morning, the blue skies had been blown away! Yes, there was still a good breeze, however, not too much to frighten off those not so spring chickens Goacher and Evans. They did spend some time at the start of the race running around like headless chickens after hitting a mark - that was not going to be enough prevent them winning the race with Scott Beattie and John Somerville second. Despite all the toing and froing, there was a lot of consistent results throughout the day, and in the last race, fed up of playing second fiddle Scott retired and left the fleet to it. Confusion over the shorten course signal was taken in good spirit, perhaps because the race did not have a significant effect on the overall result.

Becoming a bit of a habit for Keith Jamieson, but he and Toggle Cowan secured yet another prize for their classic boat.

Have you heard the one about....

....the Englishman, Irishman, Scotsman and an Italian? While most of the population were watching some football match last Thursday, the Englishman preferred sailing to football and the Irishman and the Scot preferred anything to watching England play football. The Italian said 'What football competition?' and went to set the course. Three minutes later they were off - the Scot got a good start, but was soon overtaken by the Englishman who had a faster boat. The Irishman went up the other side of the beat and was almost first to the mark. The Englishman set off downwind in the lead, but the Irishman had rigged his spinnaker in some strange Irish way - three times around the jib - and lost ground whilst his crew rectified it. As the race progressed, the Italian went ashore to watch the football and forgot about the sailing race. The Englishman continued to stretch his lead, but was never comfortably ahead. The Scot and the Irishman traded places numerous times depending on who had tacked on the right wind shift. After four laps, the Englishman was first across the line, with the Scot about 40 seconds later and the Irishman only 5 seconds behind that. However, once handicaps were calculated, the positions were reversed.

Waiting for wind

The weekend's sailing at the club saw the conclusion of the first set of long series, but the damp forecast and lack of wind was enough to cause several would be sailors to find something else to do. Dave and Lynn Lawson secured the Spring Cup with two firsts, Hugh and Rhonwen did give them a challenge but managed to inexplicably tip their boat in and go for a swim.

Sunday's racing was delayed waiting for wind, but when it did come in and settle from the West, there was a pleasant force 1/2. Malcolm Clayton concentrated so hard on ensuring that his son had uncleated the genny when they tacked, it slipped his mind that his new boat had a centre main which he had forgotten to uncleat - time for another capsize drill me thinks! The afternoon race was the Jimmy Lancaster Memorial Trophy, and as is the tradition, the fleet were sent around the lake. Ian Campbell broke away from the rest of the fleet with Mike Moore in hot pursuit, but no-one was able to catch them on the run down the lake. William Carruthers, still getting to grips with the RS, did try to reach down the lake, but with a lack of wind, and the challenge of going under the shade of Sale Fell, it did not prove to be a tactical move, and he duly tagged along behind the fleet for the rest of the race. He even experimented flying the genniker when close hauled - again, not a good tactical move! However, Joan Cowan took to the front on William's boat while husband Toggle sat back and double checked her life insurance! She did say there would have to be a role reversal - she would lie down and have a snooze while Toggle made the tea that evening - did she get her way?

All Change?

With William Carruthers having just completed the move from Flying 15 to RS400, it seems there are several moves in the air. Dave Nicholson will be getting a new GP, Phil and Rich Hodgkins are between boats - will it be a GP?, Malcolm Clayton moving up to the Hodgkins boys' boat. Will Michala take Malcolm's boat, and will Roy Blackburn move from Lark to RS400?

A steep learning curve for William and Emily - but they're afloat and upright!

With the arrival of William's RS400, there was a lot of encouragement to get on the water and boost the fleet of RSs on the water. But when was he going to make that first move? Bridget couldn't wait for him to 'get his knickers wet!' Would he be in shorts and T shirt? Daughter Emily had been promised the first sail, so everything had to wait until Sunday afternoon when she turned up and nervously got changed. But she did get in the boat, she did reluctantly fly the genniker, she did have to crawl on the foredeck to rerig the genniker after dad had forgotten to tie the ends of the sheets, she did sail the whole race, stayed upright, didn't win but enjoyed it! Well done!

As for the rest of the weekend's racing, there was plenty of sun, plenty of wind, some exciting courses, the odd capsize, some close racing, and innovative starting procedure by use of Herb's whistle! Scott Beattie took three firsts from Paul Burnell to win the Mellor Mug, Mark Somerville won the Handicap Isel Cup with three firsts, but it was all on the last race in the GPs with David and Lynn Lawson taking the honours from Phil SMith and Toggle Cowan

Tinkering About

At the end of the Whitsun break, and with all the glorious weather, a lot of sailors were obviously tinkering about at somewhere other than the club!

Those that did sail enjoyed some good racing. Toggle Cowan took to the helm for a change, sailing the first race with his wife Joan, and then the final race under the watchful eye of Robin Dawson - If only Toggle had listened to his helm he wouldn't have been at the centre of so much ribbing - Toggle became a master at close rounding of marks, so much so that he is now the proud co-owner of a multi coloured boat! (i.e. coloured with paint that matches some of those marks he rounded so closely). Ken Bell did query whether competitors were allowed to move marks as well as the race officer, but Toggle assures us he did do turns for each of the marks that he came into contact with!

As the results show, only two boats sailed all four races and therefore were in the running for the Tinker Trophy this year - John Halliday in an RS400 and Jim Christie in a Vortex. Jim sailed consistently to take the trophy - so will he be at this year's prize giving, or will he be 'doing his hair'?

Farewell to Thirteen?!

On Sunday afternoon there was a pennant race in aid of the RNLI which is usually sailed around the lake. As the sun shone, the wind picked up over the lunch hour (60mph gust according to the new weather station in the Clubhouse!), but with the wind blowing from the West the competitors were liable to suffer from some interesting downdraughts as the wind passed over Sale Fell.

It seems that drifting boats being passed by boats with helm and crew hanging out were the least of the problems during the race. Mark 10 was stated to be so far out of position that some helms never spotted it at all! Paul Burnell took advantage of its position and sailed up the middle of the lake to pass Mike Moore and Ian Campbell while they sat in a hole. Steve Hunt secured a massive lead only to find a calm patch at 13. However, he must have made good time on the way back, because when the results were calculated on a fleet handicap basis, his 6 minute lead was sufficient to win him the race.

Ian Campbell 'enjoyed' the experience so much he vowed to cherish it and never sail down the lake again!

5 secs for fame

Sun and wind - what a combination to as a back drop to this weekend's racing. Bean and Toggle took best advantage of a slight wind drop at the end of the first race to win it on handicap, but the tables were turned in the second race when they slipped to second on adjusted times. The changeable winds made it all the more important to be in the right place at the right time! What did Scumper's Pool and Pizza night do for Sunday's results?

Here's a selection of snap's from Saturday (use the buttons to check them all out)

Results

It's All Over

Brrrr and Wet!

Brrrrr!

Final Championship Results for 2004

Flying 15 Travellers

Winter Draws Nearer

Autumn Settles In

Battling Vikings

Weather Forecasters - What do they know?

Weekend Update

Wild and Windy

Room for improvement!

Betty's Birthday Bash

Mirror Inland Championships

Back in the Swing

My RS

More Photos

Sailing Experience Comes to an End

GP14 North West Area Championships

Gone Fishin'?...

Thursday Evening Sailing

Further Migration to RS400s

FF Open

Have you heard the one about....

Waiting for wind

All Change?

Tinkering About

Farewell to Thirteen?!

5 secs for fame

We are the Champions

Sunny Sunday

Team Bass Overpower the Scots

Bank holiday

Every One's a Winner

The Tide is High!

Team Name	Boat / Helm	Wtg	R1	R2	R3	R4	Tot Adj	Pts
	3770 N Platt		1	3	1	2	0	82
All the presidents men	3721 S Goacher		8	5	8	1	0	82	1
	3293 (3593) I Preston	-2	11	15	16	19	-8	82
	3817 M Hart		2	1	9	3	0	83
the green dots	3612 D Giles		6	4	6	12	0	83	2
	3734 H Green		12	6	12	10	0	83
	3590 D Douglas		7	7	10	8	0	103
No to the grotty potty	3801 J Hardisty		17	13	7	6	0	103	3
	3829 T Crumpton		10	8	3	7	0	103
	3673 S Beattie		3	2	14	4	0	140
Baastaards	3560 I Campbell		9	12	11	14	0	140	4
	3473 M Moore		16	20	20	15	0	140
	3815 A King		15	18	2	18	0	141
In no particular order	3737 S Robinson		5	10	5	11	0	141	5
	3587 R Donaldson		13	14	17	13	0	141
	3521 P Burnell		18	16	21	16	0	159
the blue stars	3332 M Somerville	-2	4	9	13	9	-8	159	6
	1117 K Jamieson	-3	21	17	15	20	-12	159
	3539 J Eaton		19	21	18	17	0	188
Bala Marauders	3479 J Saunders		20	19	19	21	0	188	7
	3675 A Tattersall		14	11	4	5	0	188