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Author: Peter Baldwin

DF65 & DF95 Social Racing 2023 (1/3/23)

With the wind coming over the factory from the top end of the lake, Peter donned the waders to move the marks around setting the windward mark near the far wall, a port rounding to the spreader and then down through a gate at the Clubhouse corner of the lake and the usual finish half way up the lake.
A good turnout of fifteen sailors including new members Dave and Steve from Southport decided the rig to use was A+. Racing was to be with each competitor dropping out of a race to act as race officer. Peter took the first race with John and Andrew close behind. Many of the sailors had trouble judging the windward mark with many appointments being made at Specsavers after racing. Peter dropped out of two races to assist on the start line and finish line.  Five other skippers skippers managed to be first over the finish line but nobody managed to get the better of  Peter, who had the highest number of wins today.
Eleven races were held before lunch was called.

1st   Peter Baldwin        12.6 pts 4wins
2nd James Douglas      25.8 pts 2 wins
3rd  Andrew Potter       30 pts 2 wins
4th  Alan Watkinson    32.6 pts 1 win
5th  Neil Westbrook      37.1 pts. 1 win
6th  John Carlin              38.2 pts. 2 x 2nds
7th  Clive Warren           38.2 pts
8th  Don MacKinnon    45 pts 1 win
9th  Simon Bates            70.8 pts
10th Frans King              76.4 pts
11th Dave Williams        78.3 pts
12th Malcolm Harvey    86 pts
13th Dave Jessop            100.1 pts
14th Steve Jessop           101.2 pts
15th Stan Metcalf          108 pts

There was then a short set of races as a DF95 tune up race for the TT this weekend at Southport.

The same course was used but with two laps. Alan unfortunately had battery problems and was unable to compete with his 95, but took over Dave’s boat.
John took the first race but Peter then managed the next four, with Neil having a good sail taking two seconds and two thirds.

1st   Peter Baldwin               4 pts 4 wins
2nd John Brierley                 7 pts 1 win
3rd  Neil Westbrook           12 pts
4th  John Carlin                    16 pts
5th  Clive Warren                  17 pts
6th  Williams/Watkinson  19pts

Many thanks to Dave for working out the scores, which had to include averaging for most of the fleet with 2 sailors who didn’t do a duty.

IOM Winter 2022/3 #6 (25/2/23)

The wind for today’s race came from a very unusual direction for the lake, a Northerly that moved more towards the North East as the afternoon went on.
A decent fleet of 8 skippers that included , TS2, Fractel, Widget and BritPOP! designs, all skippers sailed in the A rig. The course was adjusted by Peter Baldwin, thanks Peter, and it proved to be a really decent course given the wind direction.
It was all about sniffing out the very few and very short Port shifts for the first 7 races before the break, after the break the wind swung around a touch more towards the East that gave more of reaching first leg and it was then about how you handled the gusts.
With 12 races completed, it was Brad Gibson sailing a Craig Smith designed TS2 with 3 wins that won the day, other race winners were, Martin Roberts (4), Graham Elliott (2), and Bill Culshaw, Peter Baldwin and Alan Watkinson all with one win each.
Many thanks to Bernie for running the show yet again.
1st      Brad Gibson                 TS2                 23pts      3 wins
2nd     Graham Elliott           Fractel          24pts     2wins
3rd      Martin Roberts          Widget          27pts     4wins
4th      Bill Culshaw                Britpop!       30pts      1win
5th     Peter Baldwin              Britpop!       40pts      1win
6th     Andrew Peter               V9                  48pts
7th     Alan Watkinson           Britpop!      64pts     1win
8th     Neil Westbrook            Widget         66pts
after 12 races

DF65 Social Racing 2023 (22/2/23)

A 15-20kt north-westerly breeze blowing straight down the lake encouraged a good turnout of 15 boats to put their A rigs to the test today. By Birkenhead standards the wind was reasonably stable in direction, but with enough bends and shifts to allow the lucky/clever to pick up places or the unlucky to lose them quickly. At the start, the A rig choice appeared a bit optimistic but once racing started the wind moderated slightly and there were only a couple of significant gusts that caused minor mayhem on the downwind legs

The standard course of beat followed by port rounding of the windward and spreader marks, downwind through the gate and back to the finishing line, was used for all races

John C got off to a flyer winning the first 3 races and then fatally fiddled with something for the next 2. He won 2 more races which gave him an overall win on countback despite a bit of inconsistency due to further fiddling

John B showed greater consistency never being out of the top 4 after discards but placed 2nd overall with 3 wins

Mike also showed great consistency to come 3rd with all top 4 finishes after discards, only a point behind the first 2 and with 1 race win

  1. John Carlin            19pts (5 wins)
  2. John Brierley        19pts (3 wins)
  3. Mike St Paer.        20pts ((1 win)
  4. Neil Westbrook   28pts (1 win)
  5. Andrew Peter       35pts
  6. Alan Watkinson   41pts
  7. James Douglas     51pts
  8. Paul Little              59pts
  9. Malcolm Harvey 61pts
  10. Richard Walker   62pts
  11. Dave Williams     75pts
  12. Charles Legg        80pts
  13. Stan Metcalf       101pts
  14. John Beech          111pts

DF/RG65 Winter 2022/3 #6 (18/2/23)

A great wind, straight down the middle from the top of the lake for today’s RG65 club race.
All 6 skippers started in there 3rd rig, reduced area and conventional but after just one race the vicious gusts had disappeared so we all dived back in the club to move up a rig, for most this was a full area rig.
Martin unfortunately had to retire his Pocket Rocket after race 5 due to intermittent radio problems but took the helm of Daves Uno for the remaining races. Alan and Charles both enjoyed good boat speed, coupled with good sailing, this gave them quite a few decent positions throughout the day.
The RG is a great class to sail in these conditions but just one small mistake in the tack or at the start can lose you 10 boat lengths.  In the end it was Graham sailing his Brad Gibson designed Electronica who took the day, winning all 11 races.
Thanks go to Bernie for starting and finishing us and Dave for the few photos.
  1. Graham Elliott         electronica                    9pts     11 wins
  2. Alan Watkinson       Uno                                26pts
  3. Martin Roberts        PocketRocket/Uno  29pts
  4. Charles Legg             Uno                                36pts
  5. Neil Westbrook        Uno                                39pts
  6. Dave Williams           Uno                               44pts

DF65 Social Racing 2023 (15/2/23)

DF65 sailors were met with a very light south east(ish) breeze on arrival, which gradually picked up to make a pleasant A+ breeze.

Starting from the far end Mike De St Paer set the usual windward leeward course with top spreader and leeward gate. Three different winners in the first three races gave a taste of the conditions, but then a 180 deg windshift arrived as a front went over followed by a thin persistent drizzle, although the wind remained.

Now starting from the clubhouse end, Andrew Potter started to make the best of the conditions with some consistent sailing, chased hard by Clive Warren, Neil Westbrook and John Carlin.

Tricky conditions with gusts and flat patches resulted in close racing all through the fleet, but after eight races – the last one being a drifter – all agreed that enough was enough.

Andrew ran out a clear winner with three firsts followed closely by Clive, Neil and John with detail results as below:

  1. Andrew Potter      10 pts           3 wins
  2. Clive Warren          14 pts           2 wins
  3. Neil Westbrook    16 pts           2 wins
  4. John Carlin             17 pts
  5. Alan Watkinson   20 pts           1 win
  6. Don MacKinnon  32 pts
  7. Dave Williams      37 pts
  8. Charles Legg         46 pts
  9. Stan Metcalfe       47 pts
  10. Malcolm Harvey 52 pts
  11. John Beech            61 pts
  12. Frans King             64 pts

DF95 Social Racing 2023 #1

There was a healthy turnout of nine boats for this first Saturday Social Racing day for the DF95.  A light Westerly breeze blew down the lake and racing got underway shortly after 12:00 with the course marks tweaked slightly for the prevailing conditions.

There were four different winners from the eleven races, with a number of other helms also figuring at the front of the fleet.  Getting a decent result was all about finding the best pressure and staying in it, both upwind and down as the best lanes could quite narrow and never predictable or regular.

Peter Baldwin managed to win five of the races, with John Brierley taking three, John Carlin two and Andrew Peter one.  This left Peter on top with 14points and 3points ahead of John Brierley, with Andrew and John Carlin only 1 point apart in third and forth.  Clive Warren, Neil Westbrook and Alan Watkinson also had spells at the front, but were unfortunately unable to capitalise on their positions to take a win by the end of the race.

Thanks go to Bernie for running this afternoons racing and making a brew at “half -time”.

  1. Peter Baldwin             172  14pts  (5 wins)
  2. John Brierley                84  17pts  (3 wins)
  3. Andrew Peter             179  28pts (1 win)
  4. John Carlin                   50  29pts  (2 wins)
  5. Neil Westbrook          03  45pts  (1x3rd)
  6. Clive Warren               93  45pts
  7. Alan Watkinson         23  54pts
  8. Dave Williams            33  64pts
  9. John Beech                288  78pts