AM: Barnwell Cup 4

Once again, predictions of light winds proved to be false and with a robust northerly 
breeze shaking the branches on the shore, a dozen sailors were criss-crossing the lake 
at high speed as the seconds ticked down to the start.  Loitering near the line, John 
Buckett's Otter was first away, but only held pole position for a matter of moments 
before the Lasers of Bob Sampson and Jane Anderson raced past at speed and headed 
for the first turn at the West mark.  After a brief planing reach across to the  Middle 
buoy, the fleet then started the long beat up to Far.  With the lake levels starting to 
drop markedly, the tacks at the top end of the lake were relatively short, putting a 
premium both on tacking skills and on bravery in going as close into the shallows as 
possible without running aground.  Once around the windward mark, the leaders were 
faced with a long run back down the lake. With the first six places all occupied by 
Lasers at this point, the course was clearly one relished by the club's Laser helms, 
with Bob Sampson starting to stretch away from the Laser Radial of Jane Anderson 
and Simon Veal going well in third.

After a dogleg round the blue Home 2 buoy to a gybe at Inlet and then back out to 
Zebra to keep clear of a big fishing competition on the Devon bank, the leaders were 
soon rocking and rolling down to the Dam Green buoy.  With both Bosuns having 
press-ganged crew to help cope with the windy conditions, Toby Tobias and Christine 
Marshall were going particularly well, almost catching Vicki Duncalf for a while after 
the latter struggled rounding Home 2.  At the rear of the fleet, there was a long-
running tussle involving the two Toppers, the Otter, the Graduate and the Bosun of 
John Chandler and David Harris, although the Graduate's fight against being over-
powered and under-ballasted with just a sole helm came to a premature end when 
Adeney had an over-close encounter with the Middle buoy and went for an early bath.  

On the third lap, Bob Sampson looked to be pulling out a sufficient lead to take the 
race on handicap as well as on the water and so it proved, as he eventually crossed the 
line over two minutes ahead of Jane Anderson to give a comfortable win .  Simon 
Veal was third home, but Nicky Buckett kept plugging away in the Laser Radial and 
was rewarded with a dead heat for third on handicap with Simon.  With Jane Chadney 
in fifth to complete a Laser whitewash, John Duncalf's Topper was first non-Laser 
home in sixth place.

Results: 

1st  Bob Sampson (Laser)
2nd Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
3rd= Simon Veal (Laser) and Nicky Buckett (Laser Radial)
5th Jane Chadney (Laser Radial)
6th John Duncalf (Topper)
7th John Buckett (Otter)
8th Toby Tobias and Marshall (Bosun)
9th Stephanie Heasman (Topper)
10th Vicki Duncalf (Laser 4.7)
11th John Chandler and David Harris (Bosun)
Adeney Pooler (Graduate) rtd

PM: Tamar Cup 4

With the wind increasing over lunch to touch Force 4 at times, the fleet was faced 
with more hard work on the long beats of the afternoon course.  Bob Sampson once 
again timed his start well to cross the line at speed, with Paul Whybrow  just behind, 
opting for a slow approach before rapid acceleration as the horn sounded.  Adeney 
had called for reinforcement for the afternoon race, recruiting Simon Veal as crew and 
having survived a wobbly gybe before the start, then looked much more comfortable 
going upwind, overtaking a Bosun and Topper on the first beat to Inlet.  Bob was once 
more in the lead, but faced with problem of keeping his full-rigged Laser flat on the 
beats with his slight frame, was finding it harder to stamp his authority on the 
competition, with Jane Anderson moving past Paul Whybrow into second and turning 
at Far only just behind Bob.  John Chandler had taken to the water with new club 
member Everett Sharp as crew and got away well past the Inlet mark, before Toby 
Tobias overtook on the long slog upwind and then showed good boatspeed to leave 
his fellow Bosun behind.  A longer-lasting ding-dong was played out between Roger 
Heasman in the Streaker and Jane Chadney in the Laser Radial, with Roger falling 
behind after a capsize at Inlet, but then exchanging places several times on the next 
lap.

Bob Sampson was by now getting onto the plane on some of the downwind sections 
of the course and starting to pull away, but though he crossed the line a minute ahead 
of Jane Anderson, he was confirmed as first on handicap by only the tightest of 
margins.  Paul Whybrow ended a disappointing run of failing to complete races, by 
taking third place both across the line and on handicap, whilst Roger Heasman 
showed that he was relishing being back on the lake after his knee operation by 
finishing in fourth.  John Duncalf was slowed down by lapping for much of the race 
in close company with the Otter and John Chandler's Bosun, but still finished fifth.  
Toby Tobias crossed the finish line at speed in a gust, with both Toby and Christine 
hiked out with bottoms over the gunwale and despite the Bosun heeling over to 
display much of its considerably-larger bottom, stayed upright to be rewarded with a 
hard-fought sixth place.

Results: 

1st Bob Sampson (Laser)
2nd Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
3rd Paul Whybrow (Solo)
4th Roger Heasman (Streaker)
5th John Duncalf (Topper)
6th Toby Tobias and Christine Marshall (Bosun)
7th John Buckett (Otter)
8th Jane Chadney (Laser Radial)
9th Vicki Duncalf (Laser 4.7)
10th John Chandler and Everett Sharp (Bosun)
11th Adeney Pooler and Simon Veal (Graduate)