7th July 2019 Race Report

Commodore 5

The gentle north-easterly airs never quite disappeared but this was a race which took the leaders nearly an hour to complete the only lap! Sally Wills and John Dabbs in the Club Bosun got away very well followed by Linda Spiller (Laser Full) and an excellent start from Paul Petvin helming Adam Hilton’s Bosun. The beat to Inlet introduced the fleet to the vagaries of the wind – its big shifts and little gustlets – and Inlet was particularly tricky with the trees blanketing what wind there was to be found. Brian Pollard (with Cilla Gilbert) got his Bosun past the two sister dinghies and Jane Anderson (Laser Radial) was slipping through the fleet from an unheard of seventh place at the start. After a relaxing broad reach across to West the renewed beat to Far took an age. Jane Anderson had overtaken Linda Spiller by the time they had come back up the lake and rounded Dam Green. The Commodore series is being run with personal, rather than boat-based, handicaps and these turned the order upside down, the inexperienced Paul Petvin gaining victory.

  1. Paul Petvin and Adam Hilton (Bosun)
  2. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
  3. Nathan Pollard (Laser Radial)
  4. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)
  5. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
  6. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
  7. Sally Wills and John Dabbs (Bosun)

Sailboat 5

With slightly more wind the fleet managed two laps within the hour. It became a race of two halves with the same Lasers as in the earlier race plus Adam Hilton’s Aero 5 filling the first four positions and then a second group with two Bosuns, Paul Petvin in John Dabbs’ Gull, Vicki Duncalf in her Topper and Bob Bennett (Laser Radial) finding his way into racing. Neither Linda Spiller nor Jane Anderson could establish an unchallenged lead, they swapped around throughout the race, but it was Jane who finished first. Brian Pollard crossed the line at the head of group 2.

  1. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
  2. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)
  3. Nathan Pollard (Laser Radial)
  4. Adam Hilton (Aero 5)
  5. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
  6. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
  7. John Dabbs and Sally Wills (Bosun)
  8. Paul Petvin (Gull)

Retired: Bob Bennett (Laser Radial)

Many thanks were given to Paul Whybrow, the Officer of the Day, to Robin Spiller, his assistant, and to Mandy Pollard for photography.