Roger’s Bowl 13

The overcast skies, cool temperature and usable east wind reminded us that we are now well into Autumn.  However, it was a welcome sight to see seven boats on the water. 

The Cox family was well represented with Harriet in Bob’s Laser Full, Charlotte crewing for Roger in the Club’s Bosun, and Teresa with John in his Bosun.

The majority of the fleet crossed the start line practically together resulting in some inter-boat banter, but the sequence was more or less established as they rounded Dam Green, led as usual by Nathan in his Aero 7.   Adam, Linda and Harriet stayed in contact throughout the race with each other, some way ahead of the Bosuns.  The Bosuns were having their own tussle with John ahead throughout the first lap but lost the lead following a clumsy gybe around Inlet on the second lap.  However, during ensuing the tacking contest from Middle to the finish on the final lap, John managed catch Roger and beat him to the finish on a favourable tack.

Geoff clipped Inlet buoy on his first lap and, after completing his penalty turn, was unable to recover lost ground.

1. Nathan Pollard (Aero 7)
2. Linda Spiller (Laser Radial)
3. John Dabbs and Teresa Cox (Bosun)
4. Adam Hilton (Solo)
5. Roger Heasman and Charlotte Cox (Bosun)
6. Harriet Cox (Laser Full)
7. Geoff Floyd (Solo)

Thanks to Dave Perrett for OOD and Bob Sampson & Dave Perrett for providing safety boat cover.

Frostbite 3

The six sailors who started the race at 12 o’clock were pleased that the grey skies and light winds very quickly turned to sunshine and light to moderate breezes. Its was a clean getaway on the first of 5 laps with David Perrett in his Solo initially taking the better position on the line to take the lead, keeping it heading towards the dam from Jane Anderson (Laser Radial) & Liam Routley (Laser) close behind. Behind them were Brian Pollard & Tash Routly (Graduate) closely followed by Harriet Cox (Laser Radial) having just passed  Vicki Duncalf supporting the cast in her Topper. The positions stayed the same until the end of lap 2 when action at the Dam Bouy spiced things up for a while. Closing on the buoy, Jane first past David then, Liam passes both Jane & David and then Jane re-taking the lead with David 2nd & Liam 3rd. By the middle of the lap Liam finally manages a smart move on David to take 2nd place. Behind them Brian + Tash & Harriet were still having a ding dong battle for 4th place with Vicki never far away and sailing a good steady race. End of lap 3 Liam nips in to take 1st place again from Jane but she has the better inside line to the Dam Bouy. Lap 4 no changes, Liam lost a little time to Jane at Dam Bouy again by altering a little too early and snuggled more to make the mark but managed to hold the lead into the final lap. Harriet is now a good 4th place with Brian & Tash 5th and Viicki always close in contention. At the finish, line honours went to Liam, Jane 2nd and David 3rd. Harriet crossed the line 4th, Brian & Tash 5th and Vicki a good 6th which with handicaps applied gave her a victory that was well earned.

Results:

1. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
2. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
3. Liam Routley (Laser)
4. David Perrett (Solo)
5. Harriet Cox (Laser Radial)
6. Brian Pollard and Tash Routley.

Cup 10

The second race course was adjusted to bring in a longer course with more buoys to round and a couple of light air patches. At the gun it was Nathan Pollard who was quickest away in his Aero 7, then Jane Anderson (Laser 4.7), Linda Spiller (Laser Radial), Liam  Routley (Laser), Harriet Cox (Laser Radial), Brian Pollard + Tash Routley (Graduate), Roger Heasman + Charlotte Cox (Bosun) & Vicki Duncalf (Topper). Places remained similar for the first part of lap 1 but three of the boats unfortunately went around the wrong mark and were out of contention leaving 5 boats out of the initial 8 to continue the quest for places. More befell the fleet before the end with 2 more competitors leaving the chase to just 3 boats and Nathan having only to play it steady and cross the line first with Roger and Charlotte next and Vicki following on at the rear.

Results:

1. Nathan Pollard (Aero 7)
2. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
3. Roger & Charlotte (Bosun)

Bad luck to those who were not placed, at least the sun shone to make it a pleasurable day for all.

Thanks to Mandy Pollard for photos and to Paul Anderson for running the races and writing this report.

Roger’s Bowl 12

It was an overcast day but the morning’s drizzle had passed and there was the odd peek of sunshine to brighten the afternoon. The north-west wind, whilst not strong, was unpredictable.

Four boats took part in the race, including Charlotte, new to racing, who joined in for part of the course in a club Topper to gain some valuable experience.

Progress to first buoy was challenging, with the wind playing tricks at Inlet. Nathan (Aero 7) arrived there with a clear lead and remained ahead for the rest of the race. Leila was in charge of John’s Bosun (with John as crew) and was in second place for much of the race. Harriet (Laser Radial) caught up a few times and eventually passed the Bosun, despite making a couple of detours to check on Charlotte’s progress.

Nathan was first to finish. Harriet and Leila arrived in second and third places respectively, but the Bosun’s handicap advantage swapped these positions in the final result.

1. Nathan Pollard (Aero 7)
2. Leila Farmer and John Dabbs (Bosun)
3. Harriet Cox (Laser Radial)
   Retired: Charlotte Cox (Topper)

Thanks to Brian, Dave and Teresa who shared safety boat cover and OOD duties.

Rogers Bowl Eleven Race

Seven boats took to the water to start the race. The wind supposedly from the south east was playing dirty tricks. As a result the club Bosun being helmed by Jack Knigh and his mother Tess, both novice racers retired, before race start.

As the race started, the fully rigged Laser of Harriet Cox and the Bosun helmed by John Dabbs and crewed by Leila Farmer, crossed the line almost simultaneously. However, the Bosun had more speed and sped off towards Dam Green. Tacking for the buoy the Bosun came to a standstill, allowing Harriet to take the lead. Meanwhile, Tom Knight, another novice racer in a Pico dinghy, had also made a good start over the line, but was almost immediately was passed by Robin Spiller and Geoff Floyd in their Solo dinghies, with Bob Sampson in his re-rigged Topper Bringing up the rear.

John Dabbs and Harriet Cox, then spent the first two laps duking it out around the various buoys and having a clash of boats, at Inlet buoy. This gave John the race lead back, as Harriet did her penalty turns. (Harriet also managed to have a capsize doing an athletic roll tack!) Having quickly righted the Laser, Harriet then set of again in pursuit of the Dabbs Bosun.

Meantime, after his good start Robin Spiller was overtaken by a determined Geoff Floyd, who managed to retain his third position on the water until race end. Tom Knight was beginning to find the switch about wind really tricky and having fallen to last position on the water, decided to call it a day. (Well done Tom for your first ever race!)

Harriet’s steely determination paid off, as by the end of the race she had put distance between herself and John/Leila, who crossed the line second. Geoff who had been working hard to catch up finished in good time, was third over the line, with Robin fourth and Bob, a hard worked last.

Many thanks to Brian and Nathan Pollard for neglecting their racing, to crew the race support safety boat.

OOD: Roger Heasman.

Results:

1. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer, Bosun
2. Bob Sampson, Topper
3. Harriet Cox, Laser
4. Geoff Floyd, Solo
5. Robin Spiller, Solo
   Retired: Tom Knight Pico and Jack and Tess Knight, Bosun.

Roger’s Bowl 10

The bright sunshine provided ideal sailing conditions, although the SE breeze was a bit more than forecast. Bob and Sue hoisted the 4.7 rig on their Lasers, and Geoff settled for his smaller sail. Nathan launched with his Aero 5 rig, and John with crew Leila set out with full sail Bosun.

SWLT’s Barney kindly pushed the button to start the race sequence. Nathan was first over the start line, followed closely by John with Sue and Bob in hot pursuit.

Thereafter, Nathan pulled steadily away from the other boats. John, Sue and Bob travelled in a compact group throughout the race with several close encounters at the buoys although different tacking strategies were employed on each lap for the beat from West to the Home1 start/finish line.

Nathan completed the scheduled three laps, beached his Aero and had just enough time to reach the Race Hut and signal the finish of the other competitors.

At the finish line, John managed to squeeze in front of Sue who was closely followed by Bob.

The corrected finish times followed the actual finishing order on the water.

1. Nathan Pollard (Aero 5)
2. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer (Bosun)
3. Sue Murray (Laser 4.7)
4. Bob Sampson (Laser 4.7)
5. Geoff Floyd (Solo with small sails)

Frostbite 1

Nathan made a flying start in his Aero 7 followed closely by Brian and Tash’s Bosun, and Liam in his full-sailed Laser, in a fresh easterly cold wind. Liam soon overtook the Bosun to take 2nd place in the pack with Nathan shooting off ahead to round Inlet buoy first, followed by Liam then Brian and Tash. Even with the course taking everyone up to the far reaches of the lake, Nathan made the first lap in 14½ minutes, followed by Liam 2 minutes later and Brian and Tash a minute after that. The order remained unchanged for the remaining 2 laps.

Results:

1. Nathan Pollard (Aero 7)
2. Brian Pollard and Tash Routley (Bosun)
3. Liam Routley (Laser Full)

Pursuit 7

For the second race the winds had freshened from a north easterly direction. Conditions were getting quite challenging with the strong gusts, causing Nathan to capsize after rounding the Pinkie buoy. Unfortunately Liam had to retire halfway through the race due to a broken outhaul. After a long game of chase Brian was still in front nearing the end with Nathan trying to catch up and only a few minutes to do so. Brian finished first with only a few boat lengths ahead of Nathan.

Results:

1. Brian Pollard and Tash Routley (Bosun)
2. Nathan Pollard (Aero 7)

Retired: Liam Routley (Laser Full)

Thanks go to Bob Sampson for running the race and to Mandy Pollard for the photos.

Roger’s Bowl 8

Five boats prepared to start into a damp Cornish mizzle, blown along by a reasonable SW breeze. The start had been delayed a few minutes to allow the safety boat to be fully operational. The two Club Bosuns had hoisted their small sails in anticipation of Roger and Bob taking out potential new recruits in their taster sessions, planned to follow on from this race. Roger’s Bosun was crewed by Linda with the other Club Bosun helmed by Teresa, crewed by Bob and Charlotte. The other starters were Harriet in her Laser 4.7, Nathan in his Aero 7, and John’s Bosun with full sails crewed by Leila.

Nathan and John crossed the start line virtually together. John reached Dam Green first, but Nathan made a more compact tack and stayed well in front for the rest of the race. A gust encouraged all boats along to Zebra and then to Inlet, together with first of several heavy showers.

After Inlet was Middle, then Pinkie, by which time, Nathan was 100 metres ahead of John, with Harriet, Roger and Teresa in pursuit. The row of fishermen on the Cornish bank demanded an abrupt gybe around Pinkie to stay clear of them, especially with the reduced water level currently in the lake.

Lap 2 (of 3) saw Nathan well out in front and the rain was still falling. When John finished Lap 2, Nathan was already half way round his final lap. Harriet was travelling very well as she completed this second lap.

Nathan lapped both Roger’s and Teresa’s Bosuns before he capsized within seconds of finishing his race. Teresa’s performance was very encouraging as she is new to sailing and this was quite a challenging introduction to helming in a race. After applying the relevant handicaps, the finishing order remained the same as the actual finishing sequence, although Nathan’s lead from John was reduced from 8 minutes (actual) to under 1 minute (corrected)

1. Nathan Pollard (Aero 7)
2. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer (Bosun – full sails)
3. Harriet Cox (Laser 4.7)
4. Roger Heasman and Linda Spiller (Bosun – small sails)
5. Teresa Cox and Bob Sampson & Charlotte Cox (Bosun – small sails)

Many thanks to Ian Chatterton, Officer of the Day.

Cup 9

Our first race day of meteorological autumn was immediately recognisable as ideal for water loving species such as ducks and sailors, wide brimmed hats an asset. Watery, grey, above and below with a gusty, indecisive wind, originally blowing heavy rain from the SW. Four boats took to the lake for Cup series 9.

Sadly, Dave Perrett’s Solo approached the first buoy from the wrong direction, meeting Liam Routley’s Laser and Brian Pollard’s Bosun, with Tash Routley as crew, coming the other way. Dave happily unravelled his course, but sadly not sufficiently to fully correct his mistake, thus causing his subsequent retirement.

Meanwhile Nathan Pollard, with 7sqm Aero rig, had already taken a strong lead, unthreatened throughout the race. Behind him Dave continued to enjoy his sail, unaware of his early error. Third and fourth place remained more in question, Brian not giving up on catching Liam, who held the Bosun off to the finish. The span of handicaps juggled final results:

1. Nathan Pollard
2. Brian Pollard & Tash Routley
3. Liam Routley
   Retired Dave Perrett

Commodore 7

Fleet numbers were boosted for Commodore 7 by the launch of John Dabb’s Bosun, Rachel Cope crewing. By now the rain had become less aggressive and the wind had surprisingly rotated a full compass point, causing a complete reversal of race direction. After a pre race capsize, Nathan was again first and fast away, to lead throughout. The fickle wind gave little opportunity for overtaking by strategic tacks, but although Dave had established second place during lap 2, jousting for position between Laser and Bosuns continued to the end of the race. Places after corrected times:

1. Nathan Pollard
2. Jointly Dave Perrett / Brian Pollard & Tash Routley
3. John Dabbs & Rachel Cope
4. Liam Routley

Thanks for officiating to Linda Spiller and to Jenny Routley, photographer.

Roger’s Bowl 7

The weather was unpredictable and, due to strong gusts, a compact course was set.  Four boats bravely took to the water and Nathan Pollard in his Aero 5 was first over the start.  John Dabbs and Leila Farmer in the Bosun, in 2nd place, couldn’t quite make Zebra in a single tack and had to double-tack to get round the mark, causing the following two boats to take avoiding manoeuvres.  Linda Spiller in her Laser 4.7 retired after Inlet and unfortunately Geoff Floyd in his Solo capsized before Middle and also decided to retire.  John/Leila completed the first lap, then decided to retire.

The course was shortened, with Nathan the only one to finish the two laps.

1. Nathan (Aero 5)
   Retired: Linda Spiller (Laser 4.7), Geoff Floyd (Solo), John Dabbs and Leila Farmer (Bosun)

Thanks to Tom from SWLT for providing effective safety boat cover and Louise and Colin for Officer of the Day.

Sailboat 7

For the first race, the winds were changeable and, although gusty, much lighter than forecast with little rain.  James Pollard in his Laser Radial was first over the start, followed by Nathan Pollard in his Aero 5.  Nathan quickly built a substantial lead on the first lap, which he maintained for the rest of the race.  Liam Routley in his Laser Radial changed places with Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley in their Bosun on lap 2.  Increasing winds allowed Brian and Natasha to reclaim their position on the final lap.  With handicaps applied the results were as follows:

1. Nathan Pollard (Aero 5)
2. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
3. Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley (Bosun)
4. James Pollard (Laser Radial)
5. Liam Routley (Laser Radial)
   Retired: Ollie Williamson (Aero 5)

Pursuit 6

In this pursuit race the winds were gusty with heavy showers.  Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley were first to start in their Bosun, favourable winds allowing them to increase their lead early on.  With not the best of starts, John Dabbs and Linda Spiller in their Bosun were next to over the line.  Twenty minutes in and the wind dropped and the heavens opened.  James Pollard in his Laser Radial overtook Liam Routley also in a Laser Radial and then John Dabbs and Linda Spiller.  Nathan Pollard in his Aero 5 was last to start, overtook Ollie Williamson in his Aero 5, then Liam Routley just before the finish.  At the end of the pursuit the positions were:

1. Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley (Bosun)
2. James Pollard (Laser Radial)
3. John Dabbs and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
4. Nathan Pollard (Aero 5)
5. Liam Routley (Laser Radial)
6. Ollie Williamson (Aero 5)

Thanks to Officers of the Day, Louise and Colin Witchell, and to the photographer, Mandy Pollard.