13th October 2019 Race Report

Frostbite 3

Until a few minutes before the start the Lake was calm but then the wind gods obeyed the forecasters and unleashed an hour of north-westerly blasts with no rhythm and little consistency of  direction. The Officers of the Day, John Duncalf and Paul Anderson, had set a course that started from the Home 2 line towards Middle buoy thus exposing the fleet to the maximum wind chaos from the start. Jane Anderson and Vicki Duncalf in Toppers crossed the line first. John Dabbs (Adam Hilton crewing) was the first away of the Bosuns. But it was very difficult to cope in the little Toppers. The three Bosuns all overtook Vicki Duncalf on the way to Far. Jane Anderson was accused by a passing Bosun of ‘hiding in the bushes’ that is to say avoiding the worst of the gusts by clinging to the lee of the hill; she admitted to the charge. However she still maintained her lead at the end of lap 1 but lost a place a lap from then on. Brian Pollard (with Cilla Gilbert), having charged past the Dabbs/Hilton Bosun, finished lap1 in second and led the remaining laps. Roger Heasman and Sally Wills established themselves as the second Bosun and overtook Jane Anderson on lap 2 near Far. But the third (Dabbs) Bosun continued to swap places with Jane Anderson’s Topper which finished a mere six seconds behind thus ensuring that the handicap promoted her.

  1. Jane Anderson (Topper)
  2. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun),
  3. Roger Heasman and Sally Wills (Bosun)
  4. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
  5. John Dabbs and Adam Hilton (Bosun)

Retired: Paul Petvin (Gull)

 

Icicle 3

The intensity of the gusts had reduced to the relief of the sailors. The Toppers got away first with Jane Anderson leading, the new addition of Sue Murray second and Vicki Duncalf third. Then came the Bosuns led by Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert with Roger Heasman and Sally Wills second and John Dabbs, now with Paul Petvin as crew, third. By the time he reached Far Brian Pollard had overtaken all three Toppers. Jane Anderson remained at second but Roger Heasman had overtaken the other two Toppers, leaving the Dabbs/Petvin Bosun in sixth. On the long reach and run back Jane Anderson stuck to the transom of Brian Pollard’s Bosun and Sue Murray seemed equally inseparable from the Heasman/Wills Bosun, with Vicki Duncalf doing the same to The Dabbs/Petvin boat. Lap 2 saw Brian Pollard losing ground at Home 2, allowing Jane Anderson to catch up whereas the gap between Roger Heasman and Sue Murray increased. On the third lap Sue Murray slipped past the Heasman Bosun on the reach between Middle and Far to take third place which remained in contention since the Dabbs Bosun had caught up. The two Bosuns continued to scrap for the rest of the race allowing Sue Murray to consolidate her third place in cleaner air to windward on the beat to Home 2. As the sister boats returned towards the finish line the Dabbs Bosun was seen to be ahead, but with the wind strength diminishing and the gap between the two boats varying, the order remained uncertain until the end when three seconds separated them!

  1. Jane Anderson (Topper)
  2. Sue Murray (Topper)
  3. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert  (Bosun)
  4. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
  5. John Dabbs and Paul Petvin (Bosun)
  6. Roger Heasman and Sally Wills (Bosun)

Grateful thanks were given to John Duncalf and Paul Anderson who ran the races.