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Category: iom

Change of Event be IOM Winter #2 on Saturday 8/2/25

It was decided at the recent committee meeting to change the event on Saturday 8th  February from DF95 Winter #4 to be IOM Winter #2 which was lost due to a frozen lake.

When the club’s Winter Calendar was produced, the DF TT series dates were not available and so a DF95 Winter series event was planned on the weekend of the West Lancs DF TT.  As this is one of our more local clubs, a number of DF95 sailors will be attending and so DF95 turnout was expected to be rather low.

Therefore, IOM Winter #2 will be run in its place in an attempt to produce a 6 race series, but also to provide additional racing opportunities for those planning on campaigning for a place as a GBR representative at the IOM 2026 Worlds being held in the UK.

Any previous entries for this event have been cleared down and so new entries will need to be made.

IOM Winter 2024 #2 Cancelled – 11/1/25

Unfortunately with the snow earlier in the week followed by very low overnight temperatures this week, the lake is well frozen and the walkways are still icy and dangerous to walk on.  IOM Winter series #2 has therefore been cancelled and all existing entries have been emailed.  It’s a pity as there were 14 entries and so it could have been a good afternoon.

IOM Xmas Open 2024 – 14/12/24

It was good (and unusual!) to arrive at the club with a WNW breeze already blowing straight down the lake even at 8:00, with a forecast that it would remain that way and potentially increase during the day.  Race Officer Dave Williams (assisted by Clive Warren, Neil Westbrook, Judith Baldwin and yong Scarlett) set out a course and got the briefing underway promptly at 10:00 for the 19 sailors who attended.

Racing then started on time at 10:15 and a sequence of 4 races, break 4 races, break, which continued all day to achieve a total of 16 races, before the 15:00 final cutoff time.  We even had two sailors who travelled the furthest all the way from Glasgow; great to see such dedication.

The wind was pretty well to forecast with some meaty gusts after lunch causing occasional loss of control downwind, but it was all very short lived and everyone stayed in A rig for the whole day.

Over the day, we had six different race winners; Brad Gibson had the lions share of 8 wins, with Graham Elliott, Martin Roberts and Darin Ballington all getting two wins each, then Peter Baldwin and Simon Fairman each gaining a single win.  Next we had second and third podium places from none race winners John Brierley, Derek Priestley and Pete Walters.  Best placed without a podium place and most consistent over the whole day was Rob Macintosh.  There were some good performances at some point during the day for a good part of the fleet, but unfortunately most were often unable to capitalise on their initial position to gain a podium spot.

Overall, a great and very competitive days sailing with very little rain and a bit of sun earlier in the day.  The overall win easily went to Brad Gibson on 18 points, 21 ahead of Graham Elliott in second with Martin Roberts just 3 points adrift in third.

At the prizegiving, Brad thanked Dave and his race team helpers for running the event and achieving 16 races in a short day and for the ladies in the galley keeping us all going with hot drinks, cakes and biscuits.  Photos courtesy of Dave Williams and Clive Warren.  These photos and a few more are available on our Flikr account here.

IOM Racing continues at the club with the second Winter Series event on Saturday 11th January – See the Upcoming Events links and visitors are always welcome for this open series.

IOM Winter 2024 #1 – 16/11/24

Well, when we arrived it looked like it may be 2nd suit, gusts looked menacing for sure but in the end all 12 skippers opted for top suit.
Probably the best wind we have had all year and the IOM fleet in the club has definitely gone up a notch or two this year with Paul P, Alan, Guy and the return of big Robbie Mc and of course due to it being the Winter series we get Graham B back with his trusted Widget, how fast is that boat, he managed 2 third places today.
With this shifting top end of A rig wind, the best tactic was to get into clear air as soon as possible, even if it meant starting a few seconds late as was proven by Brad’s, Martin’s and Grahams starts, nearly always all 3 of them were the first to tack over onto port after the start.
12 races completed and all under the watchful eye of our starter, finisher and scorer, Sharon. Many thanks go to her efforts and tenacity, not afraid to call the premature starters and to have time to take these great photos as well.
Race winners today were Brad with 7, Graham with 3 and Martin on 2. Mention must also be made of Alan W sailing his homebuilt Corbie, Graham Birkett with a brace of 3rds and Robbie Mc with his overall position of 6th.
  1. Brad Gibson                 42  Post Punk      13pts
  2. Graham Elliott            09  Britpop!         25pts
  3. Martin Roberts          127  Britpop!         33pts
  4. Alan Bennett                78  Britpop!         35pts
  5. Robbie Mcintosh       66  V9                     49pts
  6. Graham Birkett          133  Widget           57pts
  7. Paul Plested                  35  Britpop!         63pts
  8. Bill Culshaw                 78  Britpop!          74pts
  9. Alan Watkinson          23  Corbie 5          74pts
  10. John Berry                   180  Britpop!         78pts
  11. Ian Davies                     33   Britpop!         92pts
  12. Guy Cowper                  16  Lintel MMX  115pts

Strebor IOM Open 2024

Although there was only the hint of a breeze on the lake as the club was opened up at 8:00, by the time the first boats went on the water for practice, there was a good mid top suit ESE/SE breeze pretty well straight down the lake.

After a short welcome and briefing, the first race got underway soon after 10:00, but not before three general recalls and a start under I Flag.  Brad Gibson took wins in the first four races before a short break, with Peter Baldwin, Rob Walsh, Simon Fairman and Rob Radbourne all making it onto the podium. After race 1 Martin extended the start line for more room and most starts then got away cleanly on the first attempt.

Fortified after the break and with the breeze holding up in strength and direction, Rob W won three of the next four races, with Brad picking up the other one.  Podium spots this time were taken by Brad, Rob W, Robbie Mac, Roger Crates and John Brierley.

Racing was close all morning though with tight windward mark roundings on the first time around.  The breeze did however have shifts and holes producing a variety of snakes and ladders for the fleet, affecting most but seemingly not everyone, when you review the full results.

Post lunch and the breeze looked set fair another couple of races, but then started to veer more towards the South and reduce in strength.  You sometimes needed a good lead when in the front, as the fleet could bear down on you from behind on the next gust.  This led to some interesting roundings at the gate with 6 or 8 boats trying to fit through a relatively narrow gap.  Brad dominated the next four races winning each of them, one by such a margin it seemed as if he had been given a 30 second head start on everyone else!  Martin Roberts had a better session with a couple of podium places along with John Brierley, Paul Middleton, Rob Radbourne, Rob W and Simon Fairman.

With the breeze seeming to fade and races taking longer, the intended break after Race 12 was shelved and we continued on in an attempt to complete 16 races by 15:30.  In this final session the breeze did increase slightly and saw two more wins for Rob W plus one each for Martin and Brad.  Podium spots were shared between Brad, John Brierley, Rob W and Robbie Mac.

Brad won the event with ten race wins (discarding two seconds and a third) from Rob W with five wins.  This pair were well clear of Martin Roberts in third (36 points behind) and Peter Baldwin in fourth.

A great days racing, with many thanks to the race team of Sharon Plested, Judith Baldwin and Neil Westbrook and to Neil for running the galley for us.

The IOM Winter Open Series starts with the first event on Saturday 16th November followed by the Xmas Open on Saturday 14th December.  Club racing during the Winter Series starts at 12:00, with the Xmas Open starting at around 10:15 (NoR to be issued shortly).  Entry for all club events via the links “Upcoming Events”.

 

IOM World Championships

The IOM World Championships 2024 started in Gladstone Australia yesterday (22/10/24) and continues until next Monday.  For the Results and a Free Live Stream (via Youtube) please head to the event page

https://www.iomworlds.com/

After each day of racing streamed live, a video of the racing with commentary is posted that can be reviewed at your leisure.

Do enjoy when you have some time.