Category: Fleets
DF65 Social Racing 2023 – 12/7/23
- A blustery day with plenty of incidents, 10 sailors optimistically rigged A+ for the first race, which was subsequently voided, because the score sheet had blown away! After Race 2, it was obvious a change down to A Rigs was needed, as the gusts increased. Then after Race 5 a further reduction to B Rig was the only sensible option.
Even so, several sailors suffered Mechanical , Electrical and Rig problems, with a total of 23 RTD’s across the days 8 races. The Top Marks proved to be a Snagging Ground for many, so we shortened the course for the last 3 races, but made them 2 laps apiece.
After racing, John Carlin donned the waders and discovered over 20 metres of fishing line wound round the top two marks – with a large Carp still unfortunately hooked! To cap it off – we recovered some domestic waste materials floating in the lake. Certainly a day to remember – though not necessarily for the best of reasons.
- John Carlin 11 7 pts
- Neil Westbrook 03 10 pts 2 x 1st
- Clive Warren 53 10 pts 1 x 1st
- Andrew Peter 19 16 pts 1 x 1st
- Jon Whitehead 770 16 pts
- Charles Legg 21 24 pts
- John Beech 80 30 pts
- Frans King 95 43 pts
- Richard Walker 39 55 pts
- Malcolm Harvey 1019 63 pts
DF95 Summer 2023 – #2 (8/7/23)
Eight DF95 Sailors arrived for an afternoon’s racing, but the Weather God’s had other ideas. We got started on time in a light SE breeze, although lighter in strength than the forecast. However, during the second race, a complete 180 degree wind-shift occurred accompanied by a drop in temperature, causing confusion to those in the lead thing they had finished before rounding the leeward gate (which was now a windward gate!). Unfortunately it also created lots of wind-blown lake debris moving down the lake, causing trouble for many over the next three races, in addition to fins and rudders being coated by the ever increasing algae bloom after a lack of rain.
We did manage to complete 5 races before a break and then the anticipated rain storm arrived and a deluge commenced accompanied by thunder and lightning. After sheltering in the clubhouse for an hour watching the rain continue to pound the ground (and start to top up the lake!), everyone agreed to pack up and got extremely wet just packing their cars. Hopefully everyone got home safely as there were widespread large puddles and flooding on some roads, which didn’t help.
John Brierley took the afternoon with 3 race wins to one apiece for Neil and Peter. The next afternoon of racing for the DF95’s takes place on the 12th August.
- John Brierley 84 7pts
- Neil Westbrook 03 9pts
- Peter Baldwin 172 11pts
- Andrew Peter 179 14pts
- Alan Watkinson 23 15pts
- John Beech 288 22pts 1x2nd
- Clive Warren 93 22pts
- Frans King 59 24pts
DF65 Social Racing 2023 – 5/7/23
The wind was a gusty 10 knots and so A rigs were the choice today and even then some nose diving and loss of control could happen to the unlucky few. A windward leeward course over a good part and starting at the Clubhouse end of the lake was setup, with a gate to give more options to the 10 sailors out today.
There were 5 different winners of the races, although John Brierley took the lions share of 5, with Andrew Potter on 2, followed by Heil Westbrook, Dave Williams and Peter on one each.
John Brierley easily took the winners spot, with Neil just pipping Peter by one point for second and third places. Racing is getting closer each week with one race seeing the whole fleet fighting for their place between the first mark and spreader which were only 6 metres apart.
Thanks go to Alan for dropping out after the first race and being RO for the remainder of the day. More fun and close racing next Wednesday at 11.
- John Brierley 84 11pts
- Neil Westbrook 03 23pts
- Peter Baldwin 63 24pts
- Andrew Potter 194 30pts
- Andrew Peter 919 35.3pts
- Dave Williams 33 43pts 1x1st
- Mike De St Paer 35 43 pts
- Frans King 95 49pts
- John Beech 80 65pts
- Paul Little 45 66pts
DF65 Social Racing 2023 – 28/6/23
In an ideal world the wind blows consistently along the pond and the race officer can set a course with an unbiased start line, a satisfying beat to a windward mark, a reach down to a separator at which boats turn onto a downwind leg and sail happy to the leeward gate or mark. Today was not such a day. As we gathered at the pondside we scratched our heads trying to work out the wind direction, while the wind shifted around us, turning beats into runs and back again.
In the face of this wayward wind, it was decided to set a course starting at the clubhouse end, sailing to the far end and rounding the two furthest buoys to port before turning back to a mark at the clubhouse end and finishing halfway up the pond. After a few races the race officer, Dave Williams (who generously acted as RO throughout the racing) added a separator at the clubhouse end. Despite the fluky winds several boats managed consistent performance with Mike de St. Paer taking the honours, followed by Alan Watkinson. The full results after 8 races were:
- Mike de St. Paer 10
- Alan Watkinson 15
- Clive Warren 17
- Jon Whitehead 21
- Andrew Peter 30
- Neil Westbrook 31
- John Carlin 32
- John Beech 47
- Paul Little 48
- Charles Legg 53
- Martin Whitingham-Jones 54
- Frans King 55
- Dave Warren 66
- Richard Walker 83*
* Retired early owing to technical problems
DF/RG65 Summer 2023 #5 (24/6/23)
Six RG65s took part in an enjoyable and often closely fought afternoon of racing across eight two lap races that started at the clubhouse end, saw a beat up to a mark at the far end of the pond to be rounded to port, a nearby spreader also taken to port, and a run down to a single red at the clubhouse end to be taken to port. Owing to the wind direction it was decided to dispense with a downwind gate. For the most part, the course worked as planned but there were a couple races late on in which we found ourselves reaching up to the ‘upwind mark’ and reaching back to the ‘downwind mark’, with some very fluky winds in between. For most of the afternoon the sun shone and the breeze was strong enough to get the boats with their A swing rigs up to a good turn of speed without serious nosediving on the downwind legs. In the end, John Brierley was the runaway winner with Dave Williams to be congratulated on a well earned second place. The results in full are:
- John Brierley 84 Uno 6 Pts
- Dave Williams 33 Uno 13 Pts
- Alan Watkinson 23 Uno 20 Pts
- John Carlin 11 Uno 22 Pts (1 x second)
- Charles Legg 26 Uno 22 Pts
- Neil Westbrook 03 Uno 31 Pts