The sun shone and the wind was blowing from the south-east when all the forecasts had said it would come from the north-east. It was brisk; strong enough for Bob Sampson to say buddy sailing wouldn’t be safe and that he would man the safety boat. Thank you Bob. Robin Spiller, volunteer OOD – thank you Robin 

– designed a short course that went south to Dam Green, west to West White, as far north as Middle and back by way of Inlet White, the inlet being mercifully free of anglers for once.

John Dabbs, with Adam Hilton crewing the Bosun, was first over the starting line with Sue Murray (Laser 4.7) next and Linda Spiller (Laser 4.7) following. John gave the Lasers too much water at Dam Green and they went past. And that was the order for the next two laps, but on lap 3 Linda overtook Sue near West White. The order stayed the same thereafter.

Many thanks to Bob Sampson in the safety boat and Robin Spiller in the race hut.

Covid 19 Sunday Race 15

Roger Heasman with Sally Wills in the Bosun were first over the start line on an improving day with moderate northwest wind speeds of around 12 mph. Jane Anderson’s Laser Radial had gained the lead by the middle of the Lake on the many-legged and testing beat up to Far. Sue Murray followed with the smaller Laser 4.7 and managed to keep the faster boat’s lead down to three minutes after an hour’s racing giving her the victory on handicap. The fleet had been reduced when Paul Anderson took to the water only to have cordage give way rendering his Laser uncontrollable. It had to be towed in by the safety boat. In addition Adam Hilton had capsized his Solo shortly before the start and took a minute and a half to get going. The Solo, pointing high in these moderate winds, managed to pass the Heasman/Wills Bosun as well as Vicki Duncalf’s Topper by the time they reached West White on the way back from the end of the Lake.

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Covid 19 Sunday Race 16

The fleet was augmented by the welcome first 2020 outing for Nicky and John Buckett’s Bosun and by Graham Joyce’s Laser Full. The Joyce Laser may well have started first (if not it was Sue Murray’s 4.7) and he certainly took the lead on the beat up to Far at which buoy the next to gybe round were Jane Anderson, Sue Murray and Adam Hilton. Behind, a battle of the Bosuns raged, Nicky Buckett just managing to round Far in front of Roger Heasman.  On the way back Graham Joyce and Jane Anderson were neck and neck at Zebra but, discombobulated by a difficult gybe at Dam Green, Graham Joyce went the wrong side of the next course buoy and had to be excluded from the results. The Buckett Bosun pulled away from the Heasman one, Nicky Buckett craftily finding her own wind corridor parallel to the Devon bank. The 8.7 square metres of Adam Hilton’s Solo sail very gradually pulled him up towards Sue Murray’s 4.7 square metres, with the Solo eventually overtaking just before Dam Green on the last lap. A twelve second lead over the finish line was not nearly enough to counter the little Laser’s handicap advantage.

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Grateful thanks were given to Bob Sampson who ran the races and to John Dabbs who took the photographs.

Covid 19 Wednesday Race 4

Bob Sampson, intrepid as ever in his full sailed Laser, led off the line, led across to Inlet, and across to West and up to Far. Bob Sampson led all four laps of the race. Linda Spiller, with a Radial sail, followed him at an increasing distance, finishing four minutes behind. There was a good deal of north-westerly wind, gusting viciously in the familiar Tamar Lake manner. Adam Hilton followed the Lasers. He had put the smallest sail on his Aero but nonetheless spent the race exposing large areas of the boat’s bottom which attracted cheeky remarks from the OOD. John Dabbs was trying out the Club’s small sails on his Bosun; they are a little bigger than the Gull sails he usually retreats to in winds like this. He spent the race a couple of boat lengths away from Geoff Floyd, whose Solo was also flying a cut down sail. Geoff led at the end of the first lap, John led at the end of the next two and would have beaten Geoff over the finish line if he hadn’t gone about a few seconds too late when tacking from Dam Green to Home 1, allowing Geoff to sneak past. Out of control kayakers may have got in the Bosun’s way.

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Many thanks to Robin Spiller who ran the race and took the photographs.

Grateful thanks to Allan Gouldson ( allan.gouldson@btopenworld.com ) for all photos on this page

Pictures from Icicle Series 1 and Frostbite Series 2 races on 9th October

With thanks to Jenny Leveridge for the photographs

After the race, several of the club took out the Falmouth Bass Boat and, with the wind dropping away to a whisper, went up to Far Buoy and back very very very slowly indeed……