Jane Anderson gets her Laser away clear as the fleet start the short beat towards Dam Green, with the Dam wall forming a windshadow from the generally south-south-easterly wind, making for a few fluky zephyrs with large flat patches
n the distance Jane Anderson has built on her good start and has already rounded Zebra and is en-route to West, with a substantial lead over the rest of the fleet
In a race which was sometimes little more than a drift, Robin Spiller has found sufficient breeze from somewhere to enable his Streaker to generate a proper wake
Brian Pollard takes over the helm on the way back to the pontoon, after the Bosun retires from the midday race
Nathan Pollard still cheerful on a day when the Topper could probably have done with more wind
n the afternoon Pursuit Race, Jane Anderson and Paul Whybrow head downwind past the fishermen lining the Devon bank
Alan Comber produces a neat rounding of Dam Green
John Savage takes out his Otter (in past years owned by former Club Secretary David Harris) on the race course, chatting to James Pollard in the Laser
Bob Sampson holds the windward spot on the line, with Jane Anderson just ahead to leeward
A trio of Lasers battling for the lead on the first beat to Middle
A difference of opinion on the tricky downwind dogleg from Dam Green to Dam Red: Elliot Pomeroy hangs on to port, whilst the other three helms have opted to gybe onto starboard at Dam Green
A warm welcome to new club member Graham Joyce, here in the foreground in his Laser
Start of the afternoon race, with Bob Sampson again in pole position by the Home 1 buoy
Nathan Pollard’s Topper still up with the faster boats on the first beat, on his way to victory on handicap
The telephoto foreshortening makes the mid-fleet group look very close together as they head back downwind from Pinky; Paul Whybrow’s red-hulled Solo looks to be going well on the plane
The afternoon race produced some unpleasantly fluky gusts at times that kept Toby on his toes in his single-handed Bosun: Elliot attempts an overtaking manoeuvre to windward
Start of the Cup 2 race, with deceptively calm conditions in the lee of the trees
Steve Axford rounds Middle and heads for West White, building an early lead over the rest of the small fleet
Despite the smooth surface of the water, Steve looks to have caught a sudden gust – something that happened time and again to most competitors during the day
On a beat back from Inlet Red to Zebra, this long shot of Steve Axford and Bob Sampson shows the deteriorating visibility that set in during the first race
Elliot and Rachael Pomeroy are well wrapped up against the driving rain as they round Dam Green
A revised course for the afternoon race, as Steve leads just four boats towards the first mark at Dam Green
Lumpier conditions as the two Lasers start the beat from Inlet Red to West White
And towards the end of the race, visibility was getting steadily worse; here Jane Anderson has got to windward of Nathan Pollard
‘Interesting times’ on the start line, as Vicki’s lone Topper, with right-of-way on starboard, stands on across the bulk of the fleet starting on port tack
Shortly afterwards, the fleet is gradually sorting itself out: Bob Sampson has got away clear, whilst in the foreground, Jane Anderson is heading towards the Cornwall bank on starboard
A nice photographic composition, with alternating Toppers and Lasers on the first leg, just after the start
Bob Sampson still at the front, but James Pollard taking closer order behind in second place
Really good to see two new additions to the club’s Laser fleet: Graham Joyce and Penny Abbot
Synchronised tacking in the afternoon Pursuit Race, as Nathan and Adam start their turns
Still enough wind across the middle of the lake in the afternoon to give James Pollard a good bow wave, in the middle of the shot
Just after the start of the re-scheduled Commodore’s cup 2 race, with the bulk of the 18-strong fleet starting on starboard, whilst Toby opts for a port tack flyer in his Bosun in the foreground
The middle of the fleet negotiates the dogleg from Pinky round to Inlet Red, which in the lee of the trees and hillside, could be a tortuous and slow business
Nicky Buckett, back in her Laser after a year’s gap, leads a group of boats back from Dam Red
Excellent close-up of Linda Spiller in her Laser
John Dabbs’ Gull chasing Vicki’s Topper in the afternoon Pursuit race
Toby Tobias and Cilla Gilbert both sitting out as the Bosun starts to harden up after Dam Green
Paul Whybrow, the eventual winner of the Pursuit race, leads John Savage, who went on to take second place
The Lasers of Bob Sampson and James Pollard catching up the Bosun, as the Pursuit race nears the end
Deceptively calm, as James Pollard, in the Laser 4.7, leads away the trio of Toppers, just after start, from Start Line 2
James Pollard at speed in the windiest section across the middle of the lake
The data from the met station at Chivenor (near Barnstaple) gave windspeeds of 23mph, gusting 31mpg for midday, so these are the sort of gusty conditions that the Toppers were probably encountering as they plane back down the lake, heading for Dam Red
All looks calm and under control in the Hilton Bosun
The three Bosuns down near the Dam; looks as though the Buckett Bosun could do with some more kicker….
A smile of enjoyment from Jane Anderson as her Topper whips up a cloud of spray – or perhaps a grimace of foreboding….
Elliot Pomeroy’s full (blue) sail Bosun made for quite a handful, even on the reach back from Pinky
Nathan Pollard rides a gust as he beats back from Dam Red
Four full-rig Lasers head the 18-strong fleet at the midday start, with Nicky Buckett well positioned to windward
Tight racing in the Laser fleet, as a bunch of four helms arrive at Dam Green, with Graham Joyce at the front of the pack
John Dabbs up at the sharp end, surmounting the intricacies of using a spinnaker (a rare sight at Tamar – but with the course including a reach from Pinky to Dam Green, a sufficiently long leg to make it worth a try)
Only a slightly smaller start for the afternoon race, with a split between port and starboard tack starters
On the reach back from Pinkie, with the Lasers showing at the front of the fleet and Jane Anderson pulling away clear
The wind picked up for the afternoon race (with the westerly probably aided by a sea breeze), giving sufficient power to get the Lasers on the plane across the middle of the lake
Good close-up of Nicky Buckett, going nicely in a quieter patch
More close quarters competition at Dam Green (apparently sufficiently nerve-racking enough to get Robin biting his fingernails)
With a course set to use Start Line 2, five boats head towards Middle on a day of intermittent drizzle/rain and low cloud
Eventual winner Jane Anderson in her Radial, between the two full-rig Lasers of Bob Sampson and James Pollard
A beacon on a grey day, the yellow-hulled Solo of Adam Hilton emerges out of the murk on a fast reach back to Dam Green
Brian Pollard busy bailing (from rainwater rather than lake water) in the Bosun; the two Toppers behind show the strength of some of the gusts, which were also alarmingly variable in direction at times
Nathan Pollard, out on his own in the afternoon’s Pursuit Race
When the low cloud rolled across the lake at times, visibility became so poor that the safety boat took up station in the middle of the lake; here Bob Sampson’s Laser is in stealth mode as it glides through the fog
The Bosun of Nicky Buckett and Brian Pollard has just managed to overtake Nathan Pollard, as the two boats emerge out of the gloom at Middle
But then finally the mist cleared, to allow a crisp shot of Sue Murray getting the Laser 4.7 onto the plane
Nathan keeping a watchful eye on the sail when heading downwind, whilst Linda Spiller undertakes the short beat up to Zebra
Round the buoy and whizz….. immediately up onto the plane
John Dabbs helming on a day not for the faint-hearted
Nathan bears away towards the turn at Zebra, almost submerging the end of the boom as he does so. The edge of the whitecaps and sizeable chop across the exposed middle of the lake can clearly be seen just a few yards behind….
