9th April 2023 Race Report

by Adam Hilton

Mandy Pollard

Barnwell 3

Nathan Pollard’s Laser was only the fourth boat to cross the start line but he had overtaken the rest before the first buoy and led every other inch of the race, finishing seven minutes ahead of the rest of the fleet. That was not enough to convince the handicapping system that he should be regarded as the winner however; it demoted him to third. The winds were from the south with increasing touches of west as the day went on. The gusts were frequent, powerful and variable in direction, but mercifully brief. These conditions led some sailors to make cautious choices as to the boat they went out in. Jane Anderson was in her Topper, the two Solo skippers present retreated to crewing rather more stable Bosuns.

Jane Anderson was the first to start but had dropped to fourth by the first buoy. Vicki Duncalf in another Topper was second at the first buoy and on the way up to Inlet, these two little Toppers scrapping with the lumbering Bosuns. The Bosuns began in the order John Dabbs, Brian Pollard, Roger Heasman but by Inlet the Pollard/Gilbert boat had overtaken the Dabbs/ Hilton one. Jane Anderson was a continuing threat to Brian Pollard’s second place, the two boats converging at Dam Green on lap 3 with Jane Anderson emerging and finishing the race in second place, whereas Brian Pollard had to do a penalty turn for hitting the buoy.

Sailboat 3

The Toppers started first, Jane Anderson in the lead.  By Dam Green Vicki Duncalf headed her but they both had been overtaken by Nathan Pollard. His race followed a similar pattern to the last – leading throughout, despite a brief capsize on lap 2, but being demoted by the handicap.

The Toppers were under threat from the Heasman Bosun which had overtaken Vicki Duncalf before Pinkie and Jane Anderson before the end of the lap. However on lap 2 it was the Pollard/Gilbert Bosun which posed a threat to the Anderson Topper, finishing that lap and the rest of the race in second place. At the end the Heasman/Perrett Bosun also headed both Toppers but the Dabbs/ Hilton Bosun managed to touch a couple of buoys in the course of the race and remained firmly at the back of the field.

Many thanks (and some chocolate eggs) were given to James Pollard who volunteered to run the safety boat in the absence of any Lakes Trust operative. Thanks were also given to Linda Spiller who ran the race and to Mandy Pollard who took the photographs.