c

IOM Winter 2019 #4 25/1/20

A challenging wind from the SW (clubhouse) blowing around mid to light top suit was the order of the first half of the days sailing for the 13 skippers. After Dave Williams had set the course, Bernie and Jack got us underway.
Quickly out of the blocks with an embarrassing lead to take the first race was Brad Gibson in conditions that suit the Red Wine well. 7 races sailed before a cup of tea with the racing now becoming a lot closer as skippers learnt the wind and especially the start line that had considerable bias compared to normal.
Another 5 races after tea and the wind straightened for many races that gave skippers the chance to experience winds not seen at Gautby Road for 25 plus years now the trees have gone, at last, wind in the Gautby Road corner. Racing at times was very closely fought throughout the fleet but the rules observed and penalties taken without question by all skippers was my observation.
It was great to see Dave Burke returning to the club for his Saturday afternoon fix of sailing and also the many guests that the ‘Birkenhead Winter Series’ attracts, all very welcome.
At the end, with light failing it was Brad Gibson (Red Wine) who took the spoils with 10 wins, Graham Elliott (Widget) in second position with just 2 wins and Dave Potter (Viper) 3rd.
Well done to all skippers for a brilliant days sailing, Jack, Bernie and  Dave for organising the sailing side of the day and finally Joyce for a cuppa at half time.
  1. Brad Gibson                   2             10pts       10 wins
  2. Graham Elliot              27           23pts          2 wins
  3. David Potter                 20           34pts
  4. Bill Culshaw                  21           36pts
  5. Dave Burke                    30           43pts
  6. Alan Watkinson           23           63pts
  7. Lawrence Drennan     57           64pts
  8. Chris Chatfield               7           70pts
  9. Neil Westbrook            03           72pts
  10. Phillip Davies                80          87pts
  11. John Pemberton          114        106pts
  12. Ken Jones                         71         108pts
  13. Charles Legg                   25        122pts

After 12 races

DragonForce Winter Series #3 22/1/20

Light winds and heavy mist met the 9 DF65 sailors for the third of the Winter series at Birkenhead today.  Race Officer Ernie used most of the length of the lake for the windward /leeward course in variable strength wind.
There were 5 race winners in the 10 races, with new member Mike recording 2 of them.  Both Neil and Alan were also putting in good results but Johns consistency gave him a narrow win.  Dave, who always says he does not like light airs, posted a win and other competitive scores.
Chris had his new “Everton” blue boat on the water and now we wait for Sally to get a “Liverpool”red boat to continue the local rivalry!
The racing is becoming extremely close in these one design boats and they provide a great introduction to the sport of Radio Sailing.

  1. John Brierley             84     16pts
  2. Alan Watkinson      373     19pts
  3. Neil Westbrook         03     20pts
  4. Dave Williams         233     24pts
  5. Mike St Paer               35     27pts
  6. John Carlin                 11       44pts
  7. Sally Collings         829      49pts
  8. Charles Legg             21       57pts
  9. Chris Weston          194      62pts

10 races sailed.   Thanks again to Ernie for running the racing.

Updates to the Website

Along with the New Year New Look to the lake, the website has had a bit of a makeover.  The Classes menu item has now been moved to the Information section and the menu “Current Standings” has been renamed as Results.  This menu now has past Open meeting Reports and Results added to it as a page of links, in the hope that it is easier to locate past information.

Peter Baldwin 20/1/20

RG65 & DF65 Winter Series #3 Report & Results

After last weeks IOM racing all of the marks needed repositioning to get a decent course for this weeks racing with a decent A rig (RG65) and A+ rig breeze from the WNW.  Racing started very soon after 12:00 with the four RG65’s sailing 10 metres further up the lake than the seven DF65’s (including four visitors from Gresford).

In the RG65 fleet of Pocket Rockets, Alan Watkinson used his tall A conventional rig to good effect and took wins in the first two races.  Peter Baldwin then got into a groove and won the next 5, before a break for lunch and a hot drink.  Suitably refreshed after lunch, Neil Westbrook took 2 wins from the next three races and Alan had a further win, before Peter took the final two races, with the wind by now easing a few knots as the sun went down.

Andrew Peter had a commanding day in the DF65 fleet, winning eleven out of the twelve races.  Only John Carlin managed to keep him from the podium, before he had to retire with some winch troubles.  David Bradley and Bob Andrews from Gresford both came close to beating Andrew in a number of races, with the result only being decided in the last few metres to the line.

An excellent day of 12 races with close racing in both fleets.  Thanks once again to Jack and Bernie for running our racing and making drinks at lunchtime. Our visitors from Gresford enjoyed the “Birkenhead Experience” and have promised to return for the final event in this Winter series, which takes place on Saturday 15th February.

RG65’s

  1. Peter Baldwin             63             13pts   7 wins
  2. Neil Westbrook           03             19pts   2 wins
  3. Alan Watkinson          23             26pts    3 wins
  4. Dave Williams             33             31pts

DF65’s

  1. Andrew Peter              919            10pts    11wins
  2. David Bradley               98            23pts
  3. Rob Andrews               835            35pts
  4. Charles Legg                   13            41pts
  5. Keith Pizzey                   517          44pts
  6. Russell Owens              903          55pts
  7. John Carlin                       11            60pts     1 win

12 races sailed

DragonForce Winter Series #2 15/1/20

Sailing this week was conducted from the North bank due to the SSW breeze giving little breeze close to the South shoreline.  A course was set using existing marks and a new start line.  Initially this gave something approaching a beat to the first mark , but as the day progressed the wind cane more often from the SW and increased in strength changing it into a fetch or even a reach.  This increase in strength gave some tricky conditions for everyone that was in their A+ rigs, where it became essential to keep the boat moving and anticipate the gusts, lulls and change in direction.  After 10 races, John won out again to finish ahead of Peter, as even though they both had 4 wins, John had the better consistency and was rarely placed out of the top 3.  Richard Robinson took the other two wins and this helped him into a well deserved third place.

Thanks must once again go to Ernie for running this weeks racing.  There is racing for the RG65 and DF65 fleets this Saturday (18th January) starting at 12:00. Everyone welcome.

  1. John Brierley            84       13pts
  2. Peter Baldwin          63       20pts
  3. Richard Robinson  01       27pts
  4. Andrew Peter          919      31pts
  5. Alan Watkinson       23      38pts
  6. Neil Westbrook        03       39pts
  7. Dave Pickup               86       52pts
  8. Dave Williams          233      53pts
  9. Richard Walker         39       58pts
  10. Sally Colllings           829     65pts
  11. John Carling                 11       70pts
  12. Don MacKinnon       933     89pts
  13. Chris Weston               194    93pts

IOM Winter 2019 #3

There was an excellent turnout of 18 boats at this the third of the Winter IOM series at Birkenhead.  Everyone was treated to a new view as they looked across the lake from the southern shoreline as shown in the photo above.  The trees all along the Northern edge have been cut down over the last week and the factory units are clearly visible again.  This brought back memories of the lakeside and the surrounding areas from years ago for some long standing members!

With a breeze from the South as we started, a course was set with two beats across the lake and a long reach back to one end of the start line.  Although there was a good 6 to 8 knot breeze blowing whilst the course was being setup, this seemed to disappear during the early races with boats getting stuck in significant holes whilst boats behind caught up with them on a light breeze from a different direction.  By the lunch break, the wind seemed to have moved to a more westerly direction and so marks were moved around so that races could be run in the opposite direction.

Racing was mostly very tight between the top four or five boats with places often only decided in the last few meters to the finish line.  Occasionally, a boat would get a good breeze off the start line and have a commanding lead by the first mark and then keep or even extend this lead by the finish.  By the end of the day, conditions had become very difficult at times with significant gusts causing boats to lose control if you were in the wrong place on the course when the gust hit. Everyone seemed happy to finish at race 10 with the conditions as they were.

Graham Elliott made the best of the conditions with his Britpop, taking the day by winning seven out of the ten races.  Brad Gibson sailing his Red Wine was second with a consistent set of results including one first, that very rarely saw him out of second place.  John Brierley in a Britpop rounded out the podium in third place and another win, with Peter Baldwin taking the other win in his Lintel MMX.

Thanks once again must go to Bernie and Jack for running the racing and Joyce for providing a hot cuppa at break time.

  1. Graham Elliott             9                 9pts
  2. Brad Gibson                  2                 17pts
  3. John Brierley               84               27pts
  4. David Potter                20               32pts
  5. Peter Baldwin             63               34pts
  6. Martin Roberts            55              37pts
  7. Neil Westbrook            03              53pts
  8. Lawrence Drennan     57              60pts
  9. John Berry                     112              73pts
  10. Howard Garner             67             74pts
  11. Alan Watkinson            23              77pts
  12. Chris Chatfield                7               80pts
  13. Vicky Gibson                  62              89pts
  14. John Pemerton             114            106pts
  15. Charles Legg                   25            110pts
  16. Dave Williams                33            117pts
  17. Ray Woods                       51            122pts
  18. Mike Williamson          43            133pts

Ten races sailed.  The next event in the IOM Winter series is on Saturday 25th January.