28th August 2024 Race Report

Roger’s Bowl 8

There had been very little wind in the morning but promptly at five to two a smart little
northwesterly breeze arrived to power the race. From the start line to Zebra required a boat
to be very close-hauled indeed. Linda Spiller whose big sail was not what she would have
chosen to fly on her Laser, started first but ended up having to tack twice and was fourth
round the buoy. Adam Hilton’s Solo very nearly made it in one tack and overtook to lead on
the way to Inlet. The Bosun of John Dabbs and Rick Thurlow was second. Dave Perrett’s
starboard tack didn’t work as well as he had hoped; he was third to round Zebra but did
better after Inlet gaining second place around Middle and again at Pinkie despite a fruitless
wind-chasing excursion to windward. Linda got past the Dabbs/Thurlow Bosun on the way
to West and at the end of the lap she and Dave made up time on the leader when he made
a mess of rounding Home 1. Linda passed Dave coming into Inlet.
Robin Spiller had had trouble with a miss-behaving rudder but by lap 3 was tussling with the
Dabbs/Thurlow Bosun and eventually overtook before Pinkie. Linda on lap 3 overtook Adam
and finished the race in the lead only to be demoted by the handicaps.

  1. Adam Hilton (Solo)
  2. Dave Perrett (Solo)
  3. John Dabbs and Rick Thurlow (Bosun)
  4. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)
  5. Robin Spiller (Solo)

Thanks were given to race officer Roger Heasman.

2nd October 2024 Race Report

Roger’s Bowl 13

A stiff, cool easterly breeze with forecast 20mph gusts persuaded the four entrants to
restrict their sail areas: Bob and Sue chose their 4.7 Laser rigs, Geoff his cut-down Solo sail
and John/Linda put a reef in their Bosun. Bob crossed the start line just ahead of Sue, followed by John then Geoff as they all headed for Dam Green. Bob then set a direct course to inlet and got caught in a wind shadow. The other boats, taking their cue from Sue, selected a curved course staying in the windier part of the lake. The result was that all the boats closed up as they rounded Inlet. Thereafter, Bob and Sue
set off for Inlet and the rest of the course, having their own race well in front of the Solo and
Bosun. The wind strength now started to reduce and, with no evidence of the expected strong
gusts, the Bosun and Solo began to regret their reduced sail areas. After the second lap, the
John/Linda team decided to shake out their reef which was accomplished at some cost to
their position relative to Geoff. However, this move paid off as, over the next lap, they
caught and passed Geoff. Meanwhile, with the two Lasers continued their race in close company with Bob generally in the lead, always challenged by Sue, but Bob crossed the finishing line after 4 laps, just 20
seconds ahead of Sue.

  1. Bob Sampson (Laser 4.7)
  2. Sue Murray (Laser 4.7)
  3. John Dabbs/Linda Spiller (Bosun)
  4. Geoff Floyd (Solo)

Thanks were given to Race Officer Leila Farmer, and special thanks to Dave Perrett who
provided Safety Boat cover.

18th September 2024 Race Report

Roger’s Bowl 11

Adam Hilton’s Solo was first away with Dave Perrett’s hot on its heels. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer’s Bosun followed. The winds were easterly and strong enough to have persuaded the Solo sailors to fly small sails. At the start the beat to Dam Green was easily made in one tack. After a gybe around the buoy the course went to Inlet, Middle and Pinkie and back via West. Dave Perrett took the lead before Inlet and kept it from then on despite a quick capsize on lap 2. The Dabbs/Farmer Bosun overtook Adam Hilton’s Solo going around Inlet and something of a ding-dong between the two boats followed which continued for the three laps. Dave Perrett did not manage to get far enough ahead of the Bosun to keep first place when the handicaps were applied.

  1. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer (Bosun)
  2. Dave Perrett (Solo)
  3. Adam Hilton (Solo)
  4. Geoff Floyd (Solo)

Thanks were given to Roger Heasman who ran the race.

15th September 2024 Race Report

Cup 2

Dave Perrett, Jane Anderson and Vicki Duncalf, regular fast starters, led away from the Home 2
startline into moderate west winds interspersed with vicious gusts. More remarkable was Brian
Pollard’s second place at the first buoy, West (Natasha Routley crewing his Bosun). Dave Perrett’s
Solo overtook the Bosun definitively at the top of the Lake and Linda Spiller’s Radial also passed
before they rounded Inlet. After this a short sharp beat took them to new buoy Seagull and a run to
Dam Green followed during which any boat capable of planing, planed. Robin Spiller retired with a
broken batten. Vicki Duncalf and Liam Routley sparred throughout.

  1. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
  2. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
  3. Dave Perrett (Solo)
  4. Linda Spiller (Laser Radial)
  5. Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley (Bosun)
  6. Paul Anderson (Laser Radial)
  7. Liam Routley (Laser Full)
    Retired: Robin Spiller (Solo)

Cup 9

Half the fleet started on starboard tack and half on port but it wasn’t clear which was the better
choice; Nathan Pollard, Dave Perrett and Brian Pollard benefitting from starboard tacking; Linda
Spiller and Jane Anderson doing well out of port tacks. At West and still at Pinkie the fleet was
bunched but from then on Nathan Pollard established a lead, as the helm of the fastest boat should,
with Jane Anderson following, close enough, it turned out, for the handicap to give her the victory.
Brian Pollard had another Bosun to compete with, John Dabbs’ (with Adam Hilton); the yellow boat
led the red almost all the time.

  1. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
  2. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
  3. Linda Spiller (Laser Radial)
  4. Dave Perrett (Solo)
  5. Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley (Bosun)
  6. John Dabbs and Adam Hilton (Bosun)
  7. Liam Routley (Laser Radial)

Adam Hilton ran the morning race and Vicki Duncalf the afternoon. Mandy Pollard took the
photographs.

8th September 2024 Race Report

Commodore 6

Nathan Pollard (Laser Full) was the first of a close starting bunch followed by Vicki Duncalf’s Topper
and the Bosun of Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley. On the beat to Pinkie via Home 2 Nathan
continued to lead but the high pointing Solos of Adam Hilton and Dave Perrett overtook the rest.
The winds were light, northerly and unusually consistent. Liam Routley’s Laser came next ahead of
Vicki Duncalf’s Topper and the two Bosuns. After nearly an hour’s sailing and with the fleet well
spread out, Jane Anderson, Officer of the Day, shortened the race from four laps to three.

  1. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
  2. Adam Hilton (Solo)
  3. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
  4. Dave Perrett (Solo)
  5. Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley (Bosun)
  6. Liam Routley (Laser Full)
    Retired: Roger Heasman and Graham Joyce (Bosun)

Pursuit 7

Vicki Duncalf’s Topper was first to start with Nathan Pollard’s Laser the last, twenty minutes later.
But the wind had dropped and, when the Topper reached the middle of the Lake, it almost
disappeared, the early starters looking as though they were waiting for the fast boats at the back! At
the beginning of lap 2 the wind strengthened substantially with powerful gusts. Adam Hilton and
Liam Routley retired at the end of the lap. On lap 3 Nathan Pollard took over the lead from Dave
Perrett’s Solo and sailed through the stormy conditions to win.

    1. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
    2. Dave Perrett (Solo)
    3. Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley (Bosun)
    4. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
    5. Roger Heasman and Graham Joyce (Bosun)
      Retired: Adam Hilton (Solo), Liam Routley (Laser Full)

    Thanks were given to Jane Anderson who ran the races.

    4th September 2024 Race Report

    Roger’s Bowl 9

    There had been a lot of wind in the morning and as a result some cautious decisions were
    taken for the two o’clock race. The two Solos – Dave Perrett’s and Geoff Floyd’s – flew small
    sails. Of the three Bosuns only Roger Heasman’s had full size sails; John Dabbs’ (Leila Farmer
    crewing) had a reef in the main and Adam Hilton’s (with Linda Spiller) had hoisted small
    Otter sails. Of the Lasers, Sue Murray had a 4.7 whereas Liam Routley had a full-sized sail
    and didn’t care a fig that it capsized him twice.

    The Dabbs/Farmer Bosun crossed the line first with Dave Perrett second and the
    Hilton/Spiller Bosun third. But more important was how many tacks it took to get to Middle.
    The high pointing Solo got round that buoy first but by the end of the lap Sue Murray’s Laser
    had slipped past and led from then on. Roger Heasman kept his Bosun in a very respectable
    third place. Behind him Geoff Floyd and Liam Routley swapped places a time or two. The
    Hilton/Spiller Bosun toured in last except for a brief lead over its Dabbs/Farmer sister when
    a tack went particularly well. The four laps took the leader a few seconds less than an hour
    and the tail-enders twenty minutes more.

    1. Sue Murray (Laser 4.7)
    2. Dave Perrett (Solo)
    3. Roger Heasman and Andy (Bosun)
    4. John Dabbs and Leila Farmer (Bosun)
    5. Adam Hilton and Linda Spiller (Bosun)
    6. Liam Routley (Laser Full)
      Retired: Geoff Floyd (Solo)

    Thanks were given to race officers Linda and Robin Spiller.

    1st September 2024 Race Report

    Tamar 9

    Vicki Duncalf reached the start moments too soon and had to return. Roger Heasman (Graham Joyce
    crewing his Bosun) arrived next but had infringed Nathan Pollard’s rights and at the end retired. At
    Dam Green Jane Anderson’s Radial led but by Inlet Nathan Pollard had got his big sailed Laser in
    front where it stayed. The light winds were from the southeast and the Lake was agreeably angler-
    free except for a clump near West which the course avoided, going instead all the way north to Far.
    The first lap took the leader 22 minutes so the race was shortened to two laps. Brian Pollard’s rarely
    seen Taser threatened to take third place for a while and Vicki Duncalf had a spell leading the
    Heasman Bosun.

    1. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
    2. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
    3. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
    4. Liam Routley (Laser Full)
    5. Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley (Taser)
      Retired: Roger Heasman and Graham Joyce (Bosun)

    Cup 8

    Robin Spiller got the bow of his Solo over the start line first but could only manage fourth round thefirst buoy where the trio of Lasers – Nathan Pollard and Linda Spiller with full sails, Jane Andersonwith a Radial – took over the front of the fleet. The Radial managed to hold onto second place until awell-judged tack by Linda Spiller on the long beat from Far back down to the Dam gave her the place.

    1. Nathan Pollard (Laser Full)
    2. Linda Spiller (Laser Full)
    3. Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
    4. Roger Heasman and Graham Joyce (Bosun)
    5. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
    6. Robin Spiller (Solo)
    7. Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley (Taser)

    Thanks were given to Adam Hilton who ran the races and to Mandy Pollard who took the photos.

    25th August 2024 Race Report

    Pursuit 6

    Seven helms considered racing, five signed on to do so, four started the race, two finished it. It was not so much the strength of the base winds – they rarely reached the forecast 15mph – but the chaotic nature of the gusts that made sailing so difficult. Dave Perrett launched his Solo (with a small sail), tasted the tumultuous winds in the middle of the Lake and returned to the shore. Vicki Duncalf(Topper) started this Pursuit race first. She lasted almost a whole lap before retiring. Brian Pollard with Natasha Routley as crew crossed the line next, made it to Pinkie, capsized, righted the boat without assistance and continued to the end, the crew heroically bailing out as they went. James Pollard (Laser Full) came next. He retired after a while because he was worried that he might damage his borrowed Laser. Nathan Pollard (Laser 4.7) started last, overtook the Bosun and won.

    1. Nathan Pollard (Laser 4.7)
    2. Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley (Bosun)
      DNS: Dave Perrett (Solo), Retired: James Pollard (Laser Full) Vicki Duncalf (Topper)

    Sailboat 7

    Nathan Pollard (Laser 4.7) crossed the line first in conditions that remained violent. He gradually
    increased his lead over the only two other entrants willing to brave this unrestful Tamar Lake.

    1. Nathan Pollard (Laser 4.7)
    2. James Pollard (Laser 4.7)
    3. Brian Pollard and Natasha Routley (Bosun)

    Thanks were given to Geoff Floyd who ran the races and to Mandy Pollard who took the photos.

    21st August 2024 Race Report

    Roger’s Bowl 7

    The clouds galloped across the sky from the south-west but when the race started, at water
    level at least, the winds came from the north-west, except for the gusts which came from
    any direction they felt like. Five boats signed on for the race. Roger Heasman and Rick Thurlow were out in the Bosun. Liam Routley was in his pretty green Laser. Three Solos with small sails took to the water but
    Adam Hilton had one taste of crossing the centre of the Lake and scuttled straight back to
    the slipway. Dave Perrett (Solo) crossed the line first but before the horn. He went back and started last.
    Liam Routley started well and led the field followed by the Heasman/Thurlow Bosun and
    Geoff Floyd’s Solo. The Bosun had some sort of problem leaving Inlet and let the Solos past.
    At Dam Green Dave Perrett was close behind the leading Laser which completed the lap in
    sixteen minutes. Each lap Liam seemed to have trouble getting his Laser to make the
    passage between Inlet and Middle and on lap 2 Dave was able to get past, a lead he
    retained until the end, although only by fifteen seconds on the water.

    1. Dave Perrett (Solo)
    2. Liam Routley (Laser Full)
    3. Geoff Floyd (Solo)
    4. Roger Heasman and Rick Thurlow (Bosun)
      DNS Adam Hilton (Solo)

    Thanks were given to race officer John Dabbs.