AM: Barnwell Cup 

During rigging up preliminary to the race, there was a lot of talk about 
‘sea breezes’. This proved to be a lot of hot air (rising vertically), as on 
the lake it was almost a flat calm. Alan Comber seemed to have decided 
on a lake drifting technique to rig his mainsail and rudder. (Subsequently 
it turned out that someone had mysteriously untied his boat from the 
pontoon, without him realising!)  Ten boats (mad fools), started the 
snail’s race with Jane Anderson finding little zephyrs of air to leave the 
rest behind. At one stage in his efforts to round Dam Red buoy and head 
up to Middle, Adeney Pooler ended up facing back towards the dam.
Having stretched her lead Jane Anderson then got becalmed at Pinkie 
Buoy and the rest of the fleet started to catch up. John Buckett seemed to 
have his own little pocket of wind and at one stage passed Neil and Nicky 
in the Wayfarer.

When Jane Anderson finally reached the West mark the horn was blown 
twice to shorten the course to one lap. Stephen Muller and Stephanie 
Heasman in the Toppers who were well adrift at the back then decided to 
call it a day and turned back.  A very gentle breeze lifted the boats to get 
them across the finish line with Jane Chadney just managing to beat Neil 
and Nicky to the line and with Paul Whybrow following them home.
Result: 

1st John Buckett (Otter)
2nd Jane Anderson (Laser)
3rd Neil Wallace and Nicky Buckett (Wayfarer)
4th Jane Chadney (Laser)
5th Paul Whybrow (Laser)
6th Bob Sampson and Liz Royal (RS200)
7th Adeney Pooler (Graduate)
Alan Comber (Enterprise), Stephanie Heasman (Topper), Stephen Muller 
(Topper) rtd

PM: Cup Race 4

Over lunch the sea breezes suddenly arrived with a determination that had 
racers battening down and even changing to smaller sails!  The race saw 
the welcome return of Steve Axford and from the start it was a ding-dong 
between Steve and Jane Anderson at the front of the fleet.  The first leg of 
the race saw all the boats having to make a series of tack to get up to 
Pinkie buoy and over the three laps this was where those with good 
senses of the wind shifts made up ground.  Sue Murray in her Topper 
Topaz played the wind really well and managed to put one over John 
Buckett’s Otter. Stephen Muller also sailed his Topper really well and 
gave John a run for his money.

A mid table battle also developed between the RS200 being helmed by 
Liz Royal and the Lasers of Jane Chadney and Roger Heasman. The 
battle continued right to the line and it was a shame that the RS200 was 
disqualified for passing the wrong side of the start line buoy. (A similar 
fate befell Adeney sailing the Graduate.) Paul Whybrow who had been 
doing really well in Bob Sampson’s Laser capsized on the last lap and 
was forced into retirement.  Jane Anderson managed to hold off Steve 
Axford to cross the line first and to take handicap honours.

Results: 

1st Jane Anderson (Laser)
2nd Steve Axford (Laser)
3rd  Neil Wallace and Nicky Buckett (Wayfarer)
4th John Buckett (Otter)
5th Stephen Muller (Topper)
6th Jane Chadney (Laser Radial)
7th Sue Murray (Topper Topaz)
8th Roger Heasman (Laser)
9th Stephanie Heasman (Topper)
Paul Whybrow (Laser) rtd; Liz Royal and Bob Sampson (RS200), 
Adeney Pooler (Graduate) dsq