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Category: Fleets

IOM Summer Series 2022 #1 (9/4/22)

A lovely shifting, gusting wind from the North West, sun out all afternoon and 11 competitors including 1 visitor in Darin Ballington.
After a midday club committee meeting, we commenced sailing at 1pm with the wind strength staying consistent ly throughout the afternoon, right at the top end of ‘A’ rig with a few nose dives thrown in during the stronger gusts.
7 races completed before a 20 minute break and 5 afterwards giving us a total of 12 and therefore 2 discards. Positions changed continuously in every race due to the wind shifts but in the end it was Brad Gibson sailing Victoria’s BritPOP! that ran out the winner with Darin Ballington just 2 points behind and Martin Roberts in 3rd sailing his Vanilla design.
It was great to see 11 IOM’s sailing a club race again, many taking the opportunity to blow the dust off before the Nationals in a few weeks.
Race winners today were, Brad Gibson (5), Darin Ballington (4) and Graham Elliott (3).
Many thanks to Peter for setting the course, Jack for manning the canteen with Dave and Bernie starting and finishing us (with a little help from Jack).
Brad Gibson                62      Britpop!           20pts   5 wins
Darren Ballington    98      Britpop!           22pts  4 wins
Martin Roberts          22       Vanilla             30pts
Graham Elliott           09      Britpop!           31pts   3 wins
Bill Culshaw                21       Britpop!           51pts   3 x 3rds
John Brierley              84      Britpop!           51pts   1 x 3rds
Andrea Roberts         27       Britpop!          54pts
Peter Baldwin            63       Lintel mmx   66pts
Graham Birkett       133       Widget             79pts
Paul Stubbs                 91       Widget             87pts
Charles Legg               25      Kantun2          98pts

DF65 Social Racing 2022 #14 (5/4/22)

A very light and shifty breeze started the day, coming mostly from ‘over the houses’, which as we all know makes for difficult conditions for racing. After a difference of opinion over which rigs to sail in Race 1, we all changed up to A Plus sails for the rest of the day. The breeze decided to fill in from the West for the last scored race, making sailing downwind a challenge, and only seven races were scored and counted. We did finish the day with a 2 lap un-scored race, but a mixture of poor wind conditions and equipment failures meant we only managed 7 races to count.

Thanks to Paul Whalley for Race officer duties today, and to Graham Reeves for the loan of a new Race Starter timer, as the old one seems to have disappeared for good.

  1. Mike de St Paer       35  11 pts
  2. James Douglas        73  13 pts
  3. Andrew Peter        919  28 pts
  4. Dave Williams      233  29 pts
  5. Richard Walker      39  32 pts
  6. Charles Legg            21  36 pts
  7. John Carlin                11  37 pts
  8. Andrew Potter      194  39 pts  (1 x 2nd)
  9. Malcolm Harvey 1019  39 pts
  10. Alan Watkinson    373  48 pts
  11. Paul Little                  45   51 pts
  12. John Beech                80   66 pts

DF65 Social Racing 2022 #13

Whoever said ‘in like a lion, out like a lamb’ didn’t have today’s weather in mind, as the end of March brought bitter cold, occasional sleet and a fickle breeze that tested the fleet to its limit.  A course was set along the pond, with the start at the western end, a port-hand windward mark and separator at the east, a gate at the far western end for the downwind leg and a beat up to the finish at middle of the course.  At least that was the plan, but the wind didn’t always cooperate, turning the start into a reach on port at some moments and heading and lifting sailors unpredictably at the windward end. Just to make life really difficult, it looked as if the finish could be fetched on a single tack until many boats got headed just before the line. Despite the vagaries of the wind, competition was close, as the results after 8 races show.

  1. John Carlin                 11       8 pts
  2. Paul Little                  45     11 pts
  3. Paul Hounslow         82    13 pts
  4. Stan Metcalfe          146   19 pts
  5. Malcolm Harvey   1019  28 pts
  6. John Beech                  80  34 pts

IOM Winter Series 2021 #6 (26/3/22)

The last IOM Winter series of 2021/22 was met today with temperatures more suited to high summer. Shorts and sunglasses instead of waterproofs and thermals.

A small turnout due to COVID, sailors away and family commitments meant that the three competitors were left to battle out the racing in perfect sailing conditions.  The fleet so evenly matched produced some close racing. John Brierley got off to a flyer winning five out of the first six races and then with the tea-break all was to change.

Graham Birkett, with a hot drink now won two races and after Bill Culshaw put his jacket on he was unstoppable, winning the last three races.  Close racing in perfect sailing conditions.

Thanks to Bernie as always running the races and Jack with the hot drinks and encouragement to all the sailors.

  1. John Brierley      Britpop    84  11pts 5 wins
  2. Bill Culshaw        Britpop   21   15pts 3 wins
  3. Graham Birkett Widget    133  16pts 2 wins

10 races sailed.

DF65 Social Racing #12 (23/3/22)

A beautiful spring morning, with brilliant sunshine and a light southerly breeze greeted 14 sailors for race 12 of the DF65 Social racing series. A plus rigs were chosen, and as the designated race officer Dave Williams had unfortunately taken to his bed with Covid, Paul Little stepped up and did a grand job of running 10 races, with a two lap race to finish the day, despite having no starter clock.

Another very enjoyable Wednesday’s racing, with very good competition and close results across the fleet.

  1. Mike de St Paer          35  18 pts – 3 wins
  2. Neil Westbrook          03 24 pts – 2 wins
  3. Richard Robinson   901  24 pts – 1 win
  4. Andrew Peter            919  30 pts – 2 wins
  5. Simon Bates                69  33 pts – 1 win
  6. Andrew Potter          194 39 pts – 1 win
  7. John Carlin                   11  40 pts
  8. Martin James            813  50 pts
  9. John Beech                  80  66 pts
  10. Charles Legg               21  68 pts
  11. Malcolm Harvey    1019 72 pts
  12. Stan Metcalf                46 79 pts
  13. Paul Whalley               53  98 pts

Our best wishes to Dave Williams for a speedy recovery, and if anyone has the DF race starter clock hidden away, please return it to the normal locker in the clubhouse.

DF/RG65 Winter Series 2021 #7 (19/3/22)

Today’s racing was the last round of the RG65 Winter series, five skippers entered and were greeted to the best weather of the year so far, with wall to wall sunshine and a good blow down the middle of the lake from the car park.
All skippers opted for their B rigs, but soon found out this was too much after the first race and nobody successfully managed to get downwind. The gusts were just too big, so we took a quick break to all change down. Unfortunately Graham, with his newly acquired Argon, did not have a smaller rig so had to persevere, Martin had the perfect size rig that he had made in the week for these conditions and his Pocket Rocket relished the conditions after missing the first race due to a failing receiver, but then was able to borrow one from Graham.
The racing was closer than the scores suggest with Alan, Dave and Neil getting the most out of their boats and all sailing well, unfortunately Graham suffered receiver problems and missed quite a few races until he managed to fix Martins old receiver and get back on the water but still in the wrong rig.
Martin won 7 races out of the 9 he sailed in with Alan getting 2 wins with his ever improving Scurry and Graham with just 1 win, 10 races sailed in all before we all agreed the wind was still increasing and to call it a day.
Many thanks to Bernie for starting and finishing the fleet and Jack for supplying the tea and coffee at intervals.
  1. Martin Roberts       133      pocket rocket        9pts, 7 wins
  2. Alan Watkinson      23        scurry                     17pts, 2 wins
  3. Neil Westbrook       03        uno                          19pts
  4. Dave Williams          33        uno                          33pts
  5. Graham Elliott         29        argon                     35pts,1 win
After 10 races
This leaves the overall results for the RG65 Winter Series as follows, With Graham Elliott the winner by a clear margin.