by Adam Hilton

Mandy Pollard

Bosuns PLUS 1

Brian Pollard’s Bosun, with Cilla Gilbert as crew, was the first of the Bosun fleet to cross the start line on a day of magnificent sun and generally benign easterly winds, which were nonetheless capable of gusts powerful enough to capsize the unwary. Unfortunately the Pollard/Gilbert Bosun was well to leeward of the rest of the fleet and ended up the last boat to round Dam Green. John Dabbs, with Adam Hilton on the front thwart, was the second Bosun and was able to overtake Jane Anderson’s Topper, which had actually started first, on the way to Dam Green, rounding that buoy first and retaining the lead on the run to West until eventually Bob Sampson, after a modest start, harnessed the speed of his full-sailed Laser, overtook the leading Bosuns and the flying Topper of Jane Anderson and settled into a lead on the water that was not challenged.

Bosuns Race

1. John Dabbs and Adam Hilton (Bosun)
2. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
3. Roger Heasman and Dave Perrett (Bosun)
4. Colin And Louise Witchell (Bosun)

PLUS Race

1. Jane Anderson (Topper)
2. Bob Sampson (Laser Full)
3. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)

Retired: Graham Joyce Laser (Full)

Pursuit 1

In Pursuit races the handicaps are applied before the race begins and competitors have staggered start times. Vicki Duncalf’s Topper and the Pollard/Gilbert Bosun were the first to start. A minute later Jane Anderson’s Topper and the Heasman/Perrett Bosun were allowed over the line with the Dabbs Bosun, now helmed by Adam Hilton, starting after five minutes and the fastest dinghies, Bob Sampson and Nathan Pollard’s Lasers, ten and fifteen minutes respectively after the start.

Bob Sampson was able to go through the field and finish first but it was only late on that he managed to get past Brian Pollard and Jane Anderson. For Nathan Pollard the fifteen minute handicap was more than could be overcome; he finished in fourth. The Bosuns helmed by Roger Heasman and Adam Hilton had a race long battle. Vicki Duncalf, upturned by a rogue gust, retired.

1. Bob Sampson (Laser Full)
2. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
3. Jane Anderson (Topper)
4. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
5. Adam Hilton and John Dabbs (Bosun)
6. Roger Heasman and Dave Perrett (Bosun)

Retired: Vicki Duncalf (Topper)

Many thanks were given to Sue Murray, Officer of the Day, and to Mandy Pollard who took the photographs.

Midweek Mug 6

Teatime Plate 2

by Adam Hilton

Mandy Pollard

Tamar 3

Winds of force four gusting to six were forecast and sure enough powerful blasts came screeching out of the northeast across Tamar Lake. Several single-hander skippers retreated to the comparative safety of the gunwales of two-handed Bosuns, Geoff Floyd raised a cut-down sail on his Solo and Jane Anderson chose her Topper. But Nathan Pollard and Bob Sampson, undaunted, had full-sized sails on their Lasers.

It was Roger Heasman and Dave Perrett in their Bosun who got away first on a course which went all the way up to the top of a Lake lined with fishermen in a competition.  The beats were crucial and the Heasman/Perrett boat couldn’t point high enough to get to the first buoy, Home 2, in one tack, letting most of the fleet past. This meant that the late-starting Laser pair of Bob Sampson and Nathan Pollard could assert themselves and take the lead and that the fast starting Jane Anderson and Vicki Duncalf in Toppers could follow. The Dabbs/Hilton boat led the Bosuns at this stage. Tacking up to Far buoy, with fishermen camped on the Cornwall bank, proved tricky, but did little to change the order which, on the run back to the Dam, remained first Nathan Pollard, second Bob Sampson and third Jane Anderson. At the Dam, Brian Pollard managed to slip his Bosun inside John Dabbs’ and overtake.

On the third and last lap Geoff Floyd retired from the battle he had been having with Vicki Duncalf’s Topper and Roger Heasman got his Bosun past John Dabbs’ on the run to the Dam. The handicap promoted Jane Anderson’s fine third to first.

1. Jane Anderson (Topper)
2. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
3. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
4. Bob Sampson (Laser Full)
5. Brian Pollard and Graham Joyce (Bosun)
6. Roger Heasman and Dave Perrett (Bosun)
7. John Dabbs and Adam Hilton (Bosun)

Retired: Geoff Floyd (Solo)

Tamar 4

The course was shortened, only reaching as far north as Pinkie, to reduce the clashes with fishermen, but the number of laps was increased to four. Bob Sampson, who’d got wet in the first race, put a little 4.7 sail on his Laser to make it easier to handle. John Dabbs took his boat off the water and went to crew for Brian Pollard.

Roger Heasman made another fine start but again couldn’t keep as far to windward as the other Bosun and so Brian Pollard went round Home 2 in front of him and stayed there throughout. Nathan Pollard, third over the start line, soon took the lead and kept it to the end when he was some three minutes ahead of Bob Sampson in second, and six in front of Brian Pollard in third. However these margins were not enough to give him the victory. Jane Anderson started fourth, was overtaken by Bob Sampson’s Laser 4.7, putting her in fifth, but got between the two Bosuns on lap 4 and finished in fourth, eight minutes behind Nathan Pollard; the Topper’s handicap gave her the victory.

1. Jane Anderson (Topper)
2. Bob Sampson (Laser 4.7)
3. Brian Pollard and John Dabbs (Bosun)
4. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
5. Roger Heasman and Dave Perrett (Bosun)

Retired: Vicki Duncalf (Topper)

Many thanks were given to John Buckett, Officer of the Day, and to Mandy Pollard who took the photographs.

by Penny Abbott

Midweek Mug 5

Roger Heasman, with Dave Perrett crewing in a Bosun, was in danger of crossing the line before the start gun so had to let loose his sails. This allowed John Dabbs, with Leila Farmer crewing in another Bosun, to cross the line not far behind Roger but moving much faster. Louise Witchell, with Colin crewing in the 3rd Bosun, had decided to put up smaller sails as it was quite gusty, was not far behind. John & Leila, pointing higher than Roger & Dave made it to Inlet first. The order didn’t change again and the gaps got larger over the 3 laps – I, M, Pk, Ww, H1, Dg, H1.

1. John Dabbs & Leila Farmer (Bosun)
2. Roger Heasman & Dave Perrett (Bosun)
3. Louise & Colin Witchell (Bosun)

Thanks to Bob Sampson for running the races

Teatime Plate 1

There were only 2 competitors so the race was cancelled.

It was nice to see 3 other boats out on the water. Ian Chatterton came for a sail in his Enterprise. Two members from Instow brought their Comet Versa. And Leila took out her friend Rick in her Hartley 12.2 before the race. Hopefully we will see them again.

by Jane Anderson

Mandy Pollard

Barnwell 8

With 8 boats setting off in a light to moderate breeze, it was Brian Pollard and crew Cilla who were first away at the start line, with the Lasers of Nathan Pollard (Full Rig) and Jane Anderson (Radial) in hot pursuit.  These 3 stayed together as the fleet progressed up the lake, followed by a fleet of Bosuns in full racing challenge mode.  John Dabbs with crew Penny were first in this group until a wrong rounding of Home buoy (together with Graham Joyce in his Laser who joined them) meant that both boats had to undo their course and re-round the buoy correctly, thus loosing precious time!  In lap 2 Nathan extended a slender lead ahead of Jane and Bob. Colin and Louise Witchell were going very well in their Bosun in what was becoming tricky and gusty sailing conditions in the ENE’ly strengthening breeze.  At the top of the lake, Graham, in his full rig Laser, came to grief and capsized during one of the many  unpredictable gusts which were developing.  He did manage to right his boat and carry on his way, but eventually retired.  After the handicaps had been applied to the finishing times the results were as follows:

Sailboat 8

Bob Sampson (Laser Full) was first away this time, with Jane Anderson (Laser Radial) and Nathan Pollard (Laser Full) in pursuit.  Linder Spiller joined the fleet in her Laser Radial, but the gusty conditions had strengthened over the lunchtime period, making this race rather a fight to stay upright. The rapid oscillating gusty winds had come round more to the north as the developing afternoon sea breeze interacted with the prevailing Ene’ly.   This made racing quite a challenge at the northern end of the lake as the winds whipped up and then vanished just as quickly!  In lap 2 Jane lost ground rounding a mark the wrong way and then having to return to correct the error.  This led to a battle being set up between her and Linda Spiller in her Laser Radial.  Both by this time were struggling in the heavy gusts.  Meanwhile, John Dabbs and crew Penny were sailing very well and were now competing with the 2 ladies in their Laser R’s.  At the front of the fleet, Bob and Nathan were having their own battle for first place, Nathan nipping in and taking the lead at the last mark to attain first place!

Grateful thanks to Vicki Duncalf who was race officer for the day, and kept a steadfast lookout for us all as we made our way around the course in some quite challenging conditions!

Midweek Mug 3

by Adam Hilton

All morning the Lake had been glassy while a small posse (Leila, Louise, Geoff, technical assistant Roger) had been removing green mould and putrid snails from the Club’s Toppers, but when the race started, 1 pm, there was enough westerly wind to make sitting on the gunwale possible, most of the time at least. Nicky Buckett, the day’s Officer, was watching the start line hawklike, thinking that Adam Hilton’s Solo would cross it prematurely; but no, he was able to set off on the long beat to Pinkie unrepremanded. Linda Spiller took her Radial on a different line but was behind at Pinkie; she grabbed the lead at Dam Green and led at the end of the first lap. The position was reversed for the second lap but Linda was ahead again on the third after a racelong battle between the two.

It was the tacking up to Pinkie that made or broke many competitors’ races; how high did their boat point? Had they chosen the bit of the Lake which had the most wind just then? On the first lap John Dabbs, sailing his Bosun alone, emerged in third place in front of Geoff Floyd’s Solo and the Heasman/Perrett Bosun but on the next lap the single-hander’s – Geoff’s and Robin Spiller’s Streaker – took up third and fourth places in front of the Bosuns and they kept them until the end. The handicaps tried to reverse the position. Leila Farmer took out one of the newly cleaned Club Toppers and followed in a creditable seventh.

1. Adam Hilton (Solo)
2. Linda Spiller (Laser Radial)
3. John Dabbs (Bosun)
4. Geoff Floyd (Solo)
5. Roger Heasman and Dave Perrett (Bosun)
6. Robin Spiller (Streaker)
7. Leila Farmer (Topper)
8. John Buckett (Otter)
9. Colin and Louise Witchell (Bosun)

Midweek Mug 4

by John Buckett
A much reduced fleet of three boats went out for the second race, just sufficient to make a quorum for a race.  Nevertheless, there was still a sufficiently keen competitive spirit that two boats were over the line at the start and there was a general recall.  On the second time of asking, Linda Spiller was nail-bitingly close to again being OCS but in the end got it just right and made a very fast start.  The wind had strengthened considerably from the first race and John Dabbs was pleased to take on Dave Perrett as crew.  Not only was the wind gustier, but it was also quite shifty, with the north or north-westerly breeze alternating with sudden puffs from the west, probably caused by the sea breeze building in the strong sunshine.  Linda built on her good start to draw out a clear lead, but Geoff Floyd was also going well in the Solo to stay more-or-less in touch and had already passed Zebra as Linda approached Dam Green on the second lap.  The fluctuating wind direction meant that the course had a couple of awkward gybes on the return back from Pinkie via West and Middle  (at which booms didn’t always come across when expected) to keep the competitors on their toes, but all stayed upright. On the final lap, Linda caught a gust and made a very fast transit from West to Middle, sufficient to open up the lead over Geoff.  John and Dave looked to be sailing comfortably and might well have caught the Solo on handicap, but on rounding Dam Green to beat up to the finish line for the final time, John tacked early and the Bosun then hit a header and couldn’t quite make the line, so he had to put in a couple of slow tacks, probably sufficient to push him back to third place.

1. Linda Spiller (Laser Radial)
2. Geoff Floyd (Solo)
3. John Dabbs and Dave Perrett (Bosun)

by Adam Hilton

Barnwell 7

Nathan Pollard

Jane Anderson in her Laser Radial crossed the line first on a day of very light and highly variable westerly winds. Various participants in a four boat Bosun scrap followed, the Dabbs/Spiller boat in front of the others at that point, with Graham Joyce’s Laser intervening. Adam Hilton in his Solo was slow to get over the line – sixth – but was then able to make use of the boat’s inherent light wind advantages to get past two Bosuns by the time they reached the top of the Lake and a third by the end of the lap. Graham Joyce was also in front of the Bosuns and finished third on the water. At the end of lap one it was still Dabbs/Spiller leading the Bosuns  but at the finish it was Pollard/Gilbert the first double-hander and Heasman/Perrett had had their turn leading the Bosuns in between times. Despite Jane Anderson finishing four minutes before the leading Bosun the handicap gave Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert the victory.

1. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
2. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
3. Roger Heasman and Dave Perrett (Bosun)
4. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
5. Adam Hilton (Solo)
6. Robin Spiller (Streaker)
7. Graham Joyce (Laser Full)
8. Colin and Louise Witchell (Bosun)

Sailboat 7

Nathan Pollard

Four fast-starting boats came over the line close together, the Dabbs/Spiller Bosun leading, Jane Anderson’s Laser Radial second, Brian Pollard with Cilla Gilbert third, but furthest to windward and able to take advantage of clean air was Adam Hilton’s Solo which reached West White first and stayed at the front until just after the end of the first lap when Jane Anderson took over a lead she was not to relinquish, building a gap of four and a half minutes over the first Bosun, enough, this time, to give her the victory after the handicaps were applied. The winds were a little stronger and more consistent for this race, giving time for three laps. Dabbs/Spiller mostly led the Bosuns with Pollard/ Gilbert following and Heasman/Perrett threatening to overtake from time to time.

1. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
2. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
3. Adam Hilton (Solo)
4. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
5. Roger Heasman and Dave Perrett (Bosun)

Many thanks were given to Nathan Pollard who ran the race and took the photographs.

by Adam Hilton

Midweek Mug 2

Force 4 gusting 6 was the forecast and the forecasters had it right. Black gusts and white streaks came down the waters of the Lake from the Northwest. But the assembled sailors had had enough of going to the Lake only to go home again without sailing and so three Bosuns went out; there were the two regulars – the Dabbs/Spiller boat and the Heasman/Perret boat. The third consisted of Geoff Floyd and Robin Spiller crewing with Adam Hilton at the helm.

Home 2 was the first buoy; West White the next. Dabbs/Spiller passed the first buoy first. Heasman/Perrett came next but some way to leeward of the buoy; Roger tacked and set off towards the Cornwall bank, calling starboard to the up-coming Hilton/Floyd/Spiller boat as he and they neared the buoy. The three-up boat, like the leading Bosun, stayed on port tack and went about later to approach West White on starboard. The Heasman/Perrett passed under its stern, but on the next tack Roger Heasman had got his Bosun half a length ahead. Adam Hilton failed to take avoiding action and struck the other Bosun amidships. It capsized; both boats retired.

The Dabbs/Spiller boat continued and completed the three laps, if not perhaps serenely (it was observed granny-tacking to avoid the gybe at Pinkie) but certainly triumphantly.

1. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)

Retired: Adam Hilton, Robin Spiller and Geoff Floyd (Bosun), Roger Heasman and Dave Perrett (Bosun)

Grateful thanks were given to Ian Chatterton who ran the race.

by Adam Hilton

Mandy Pollard

Barnwell 6

Dave Perrett’s Solo crossed the line first with Paul Anderson (Laser Full) second but well to leeward. It was a day of light and variable westerly winds and the light wind specialists – boats and helms – soon took over. Jane Anderson’s Laser Radial was ahead but downwind of Adam Hilton’s high-pointing Solo on the long beat to west. She rounded the buoy first. Sue Murray in another Laser Radial was next to establish herself ahead of the Solo. It was proving hard to make the most of the extra canvas of a full size sail on a Laser. Nathan Pollard got his up to second on the first lap but never caught the flying Jane Anderson. Linda Spiller’s overtook the Solo on lap 1 and Sue Murray’s Radial on lap 2, finishing in third on the water. Paul Anderson’s big Laser was cruising in sixth place when a mishap at Inlet required penalty turns and put him back. Dave Perrett eventually lost out to Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert’s Bosun with Vicki Duncalf’s Topper in the mix. The handicaps promoted Radials and Solos.

Sailboat 6

Brian Pollard (Bosun) got away first and Dave Perrett (Solo), again fast-starting, in second but both were again immediately engulfed by faster boats. The winds were still light but a little stonger and more consistent. Nathan Pollard this time made his big sail pay and was first around West White with Adam Hilton second, Jane Anderson third and Linda Spiller fourth. The Pollard/Gilbert Bosun interrupted the line of single-handers in fifth beating Sue Murray’s Radial to the first buoy. She was ahead of the Bosun after Inlet, got past the Solo and then spent the race competing with Linda Spiller and Jane Anderson for second and third places. Nathan Pollard, in clear air, extended his lead; nearly three and half minutes at the end; enough to overcome his handicap disadvantage and give him the victory. Brian Pollard, again swapping places with Dave Perrett, finished sixth on the water and the handicap rewarded him with third. Vicki Duncalf, closer to the leaders this time, was brought up by the handicap to fifth. But the biggest beneficiary of the handicapping system was again Adam Hilton’s Solo which, with a handicap thirty points better than the Laser Radials, had only to keep in touch with the scrap in front to be given second place.

Many thanks were given to Roger Heasman who ran the race and to Mandy Pollard who took the photographs.

Barnwell 5

After an initial General Recall due to over enthusiasm on the line at the start, the morning race set off again with the Lasers of Sue Murray, Linda Spiller and Jane Anderson leading the way in a light breeze. There were 8 competitors and they all settled into their own rhythm as the laps progressed.  The full length and width of the lake was used which produced an excellent course which everyone much enjoyed!

Sailboat 5

The breeze was much stronger in the afternoon which provided more of a challenge for helmsmen and women! Roger Heasman had an unfortunate capsize in his Bosun and he was forced to retire with a boat full of water to empty when he reached the Pontoon.  Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet once again enjoyed an excellent course with only the upwind legs being quite challenging in the gusty puffs!  Everyone enjoyed a great bank holiday racing day – even though the sunshine proved elusive!