Wealden Sailability

Yesterday (22 October) was the penultimate race of the Summer Series and it was a real challenge for the 11 Racers who took part. The wind was (as it often is) the main reason for the challenge, not only because its strength  fluctuated between a slight ruffle up to a decent 15 knot breeze, but also it changed direction frequently, veering from W to NNW and  then backing to W, during the whole race.  This meant that the Racers had to adjust their sails differently for just about every leg of each lap of the race. The helms could never settle into a pattern of how to attack each leg. Also the variable wind meant that some helms delayed their decision  to tack away from the Island (west of the pontoons) fractionally after just slight wind shifts and they found themselves running aground on the rocky outcrop that runs north west of the Island.

After the normal 5 -4-1- START countdown, most of the  helms in the 303 fleet were closely bunched as the Start Whistle sounded and they took a couple of minutes to sort themselves out. Kim, although only sixth over the start line, managed to find clear air quickly on the upwind leg to the first Mark (Buoy B) and she started to pull out a 50 yard lead over Lukas, Bob and Brian Mac on the downwind leg to the second Mark (Buoy C). Peter Wagner was helming the only Liberty in the race and he hit the start line within a few seconds of his Start Whistle (3 mins after the 303 Start) and a good gust helped him to  immediately get into his stride on the beat upwind to the first Mark….. but Peter’s first Tack came to a resounding HALT when he sailed too close to the Island and went aground on the rocky bottom. Fortunately the safety boat got Peter back on his way quite quickly and he made the most of the stiff breeze upwind to round the first Mark (Buoy B) before the 303 fleet had completed their first lap.  The two Martins in the race, helmed by Mark Cayzer and Mike Blatchford, set off a daunting 8 minutes after the 303 fleet’s START but that did not put them off and Mike especially started to gain ground on the boats in front of him and worked his way through the fleet (for the first time – since he had started over a full lap behind) and he soon had the leader group, headed by Kim,  in his sights. But just after Mike had rounded Buoy K to complete his first lap, he sailed too close to the Island and ran aground (as had Peter W). Unfortunately for Mike, the safety boat took a long time get him off the rocks and back into the race and this meant that the 303s and the Liberty had escaped his clutches! The rest of the race saw Kim starting to close in on the back markers of the 303 fleet (Well done! Ed.) and, of course, maintain her lead over the chasing 303s of Patricia, Bob and Lukas and Peter W’s Liberty, which was gaining ground (as expected by their respective PYs) massively on the upwind leg but slowing down on the two downwind legs.

The changes in the wind direction and strength required constant vigilance by the helms to enable them to sail the best course whilst tacking upwind and to be patient when the wind died on the downwind legs and then to try and stay in front of the boats behind them which  were benefiting first when the wind filled in again!

All in all the race was tough and challenging due to the variable wind and made more difficult for the three helms (Yes – Peter, Mike and Brian Mac!) who went aground near the island! Well done, especially to Kim,whose victory cemented her as Summer Series Winner, and to all the helms and crews.

Result: 1 Kim; 2 Peter; 3 Patricia; 4 Lukas; 5 Anne; 6 Bob; 7 Steve; 8 Mark; 9 Mike; 10 Fay: 11 Brian Mac

Last Thursday (Oct 15) began as a drizzly, cold day with little breeze but, since gusts up to 20 mph had been forecast for later in the morning, the Session manager asked that sails be reefed when we set up the dinghies. However, once the first WS clients arrived it began to warm up and the NNE wind started to gain in strength to about 10 mph.

The Race Course (START/FINISH = K:Pontoon; then D; B; K) was set on the Race Board at 10am and the WS Racers, who arrived early for the morning session, had plenty of time to practice and enjoy free sailing on the lake prior to the Race. By noon, there were 6 Access 303s, 2 Liberties and a single Martin milling around the Start line as the first whistle blast sounded (indicating 5 minutes to the 303 Start).

Brian Mac was perfectly positioned as the 303 Start whistle sounded and he led Ann Frewer, Fay Watson and Avril Sleeman, a newcomer to WS and WS Racing (WELCOME Avril – Ed.) across the line to start the first leg up to the first Mark (Buoy D).  As always, knowing the Sailing Rules can give you an advantage – especially on the Start Line! And yesterday, there was a perfect example when Bob who sensibly was starting on a Starboard Tack (and hence he could  have held his course whilst all boats on Port Tack MUST tack or go round behind him) acted the gentleman by slowing and changing direction to enable Steve to sail straight across his bows!!

The Beat up to the first Mark, Buoy D, was made tricky because of the direction of the wind and the effect of the trees on the north bank.  This meant that the WS Racers who kept closer to the south bank made better progress. And therefore, Steve, having crossed the Start Line in 5th place, rounded the first Mark in 3rd place, following Brian and Ann.  Taking advantage of a favourable gust, Brian started to pull away, followed by Ann and the rest of the fleet on the Downwind leg towards the second Mark, Buoy B. The rest of the 303s started to bunch up as the wind quietened, especially on the north side of the lake, but by sailing their boats into the middle of the lake, Bob, Avril and Fay managed to get the best of the wind and were closing in on the Mark in 2nd, 3rd  and 4th place. Bob went round clear and headed off to the next mark whilst Avril called for Water (Mark-Room) from Fay who moved across to let her round the Mark on the inside. However, this manoeuvre was disrupted when Ann, who had been caught up and was furthest away from the Mark, collided with Fay who subsequently hit Avril. This should have resulted in somebody making a 360 penalty turn and, in view of uncertainty, probably everyone could have done that! Please remember the most important Sailing Rule is to keep clear of and hence avoid collision with/damage to other boats (even if you/the helm think you have right-of-way!)

LESSON:  There is a key Rule intended to enable two or more boats that are close to one another to round or pass a Mark without damage or injury in a fair, orderly, and predictable way that preserves the order of the boats that was established before they reached the Mark. So if two or more boats are all on Starboard Tack, have an overlap on the boat on their outside when entering the 3 boat length zone around the Mark, and want to gybe around a  leeward (downwind) mark,  the outside boats are required by Rule 18.2(b) to give the inside boats mark-room.  And since on this occasion  the WS Racers are all on starboard tack, the outside boats are required by Rule 11 to keep clear of those inside them. As a result, the inside boat is in the driver’s seat  and is therefore entitled to make a tactical approach and rounding of the mark (rather than  just make a seamanlike approach and rounding of the mark). NB. This LESSON was extracted from a lengthy article which can be read in Sailing World about the new Mark-Room Rules

The Liberty (+ 3 minutes) and Martin (+ 8 minutes) classes had started by the time Brain Mac and Bob had rounded Buoy B ahead of the rest of the 303 fleet, so Peter, Kim and Mark could see their quarry and the only question was “Could they use the extra power at their disposal to catch them?”

All the classes seemed to enjoy the Reach between Buoys B and K and made best use of the wind coming down/across the middle of the lake.  So by the end of the first lap, Brian was in 1st place leading Steve who had sailed a storming leg from B to K and went up to 2nd place, ahead of Ann, Fay, Avril and Bob,  Some distance behind but closing gradually Peter and Kim in their Liberties and Mark in his Martin were chasing down the pack of 303s.

The upwind leg from Mark K to Mark D and the downwind leg from Mark D to Mark B proved just as much a challenge to the Racers on the second lap as they had done earlier in the Race and, other than Brian continuing to extend his lead, this resulted in places being swapped among the 303 fleet as the helms either caught or lost the available wind which was at times gusting to 15 mph. Possibly due to the fluctuating wind, the Liberties and the Martin were not catching the 303s as quickly as their PY rating expects.  So by the end of the second lap, Brian had a commanding lead over Avril (possibly now getting her crew, Rick, to work a bit harder!) who had forged into 2nd place, ahead of Fay (and her crew, James) in 3rd, Steve 4th, Ann 5th and Bob 6th. Peter W had nearly caught up the 303 back-markers in his Liberty in 7th, ahead of Kim and Mark.

The last lap saw a complete change around in fortunes, with Brian Mac deciding to run aground, in the shallow water between the Pontoon and the beach, rather than tack off towards Mark D and certain victory. By the time the stand-by boat had dragged him back into deep water and even with a stalwart fight to get back on terms, Brian came in 6th! In the opposite direction, Ann who had fallen back to 5th after 2 laps, sailed a great final lap to come 1st – for the second week running! (Brava Ann – Ed)  getting in just in front of our newcomer Avril who was chased all the way home by Steve, Fay and Bob and a little ahead of Brian Mac who still beat the Liberties and Martin.

In summary, although the wind’s behaviour on the lake when blowing from NNE does not make for the easiest of sailing, the WS Race  #11 showed that resilience to keep sailing, whatever is happening around you and wherever you are on the lake,  pays dividends. Well done to all of you!

Result: 1 Ann; 2 Avril; 3 Steve; 4 Fay; 5 Bob; 6 Brian Mac; 7 Kim; 8 Mark; 9 Peter

Last Thursday (1st October) was a fantastic day for sailing. Horizon-to-horizon sunshine and the strength of the wind grew from hardly creating a ripple on the water at 8.30am to 20 knots by midday.  Of course, being Chipstead Lake, the wind was gusty as well and shifting around between E and NNE.  Quite a few WS Racers arrived early to make the most of their sailing time and practice on the water. But as the wind got stronger some decided to reef their sails (i.e. have a smaller sail surface area than normal) whilst others wanted to take on the wind. At 11.45 when most of the Racers were on shore, taking a breather and grabbing a bite to eat, they were encouraged to get back out on the water so that the Race could start at 12 noon. There were 9 entrants plus 1 volunteer, making a 7 strong 303 fleet, 2 for Liberty (3 minute delay) and 1 for Martin (8 minute delay).

The course had been written up on the board by the clubhouse since 10am so some of the entrants had been able to sail round the course, from a Start Line between Buoy K and the eastern Pontoon, a beat up to Buoy  D, a run down the lake to Buoy C and a fast reach back to Buoy K. The strength of the wind resulted in the  303 fleet being further than necessary from the Start line as the Start Whistle  sounded, nevertheless most of the 303 fleet had started the race within a minute or two of the whistle and the first boats over the line (Kim, Bob, Steve and Fay) were making good progress on the upwind leg to the first Mark (Buoy D) before the back markers had started. Three minutes later Brian and Mike in their Liberties started chasing the 303 fleet whilst Malcolm Hill and his crew, Mike Coleman, had to remain patient for another 5 minutes due to the handicap system based on the respective PY (Portsmouth Yardstick) numbers of the 303 and the Martin, over a 40 minute race. The PY means that given a Pursuit Race lasting a specified time, different classes of dinghy can start at various intervals and all things being equal  they should  arrive at the finish line at the same time.

This race showed the PY handicap for the Martin was pretty accurate, since although the leading 303s had completed nearly two laps BEFORE Malcolm Hill started in his Martin, the superior boat speed of the Martin gradually cut into the leads of the Liberty and 303 fleets and eventually on the final lap, Malcolm just passed Kim Sparkes, who had put all her skill and strength into the race, on the penultimate leg of the race to win by less than a minute. Brava to Kim for battling from the front and Bravo to Malcolm for keeping his cool and battling his way up all the way from a long way back!!

As this part of the storyline unfolded, the rest of the WS Racers were discovering the difference of sailing with and without reefed sails. Although having a reef means that you may not be sailing as fast as you might downwind and when reaching, it does mean that the wind is less likely to knock you off your course and create difficulties during the up wind legs. However, Mike in his unreefed Liberty (and even after a few more minutes delay whilst he had his jib-boom replaced just after the Start Whistle which meant he was quite quickly overhauled by Malcolm in his Martin) was able to gradually sail up the fleet to finish some distance behind Kim. What might have happened if he had not had a jib boom-malfunction? The schematic below shows how steadily Lisa, and her crew Helen, sailed to take a very well-earned (considering the tough conditions) 4th place. This was an excellent precursor to the award by Steve Thomas (WS Trustee and Session Manager) to Lisa Holland of her RYA Silver Certificate and Badge. Brava Lisa!! The remaining WS Racers all had to work extremely hard to complete the race and did so despite the tough conditions. I know because I heard a comment at lunch, “At one stage it was so difficult out there, I was going to quit!” Well that Racer didn’t quit and to all of us  involved with WS that speaks volumes of the character of all our clients. Well done to everybody who raced last Thursday!

After some torrential rain early in the day – when WS’s gallant volunteers were getting the boats in the water and rigging them (“Thank you!” Ed.) – the sun came out and a steady W / NW wind started to blow. So by mid-day 8 WS Racers and 2 volunteers were ready to race. There were 7 Access 303 and 3 Liberty milling around the Start Line and most of the 303s were over the line within a minute of the Start whistle sounding. Excellent work especially since the wind strength was fluctuating in the area of the Start Line (Buoy K to the Pontoon).

The fleet had a beat into the NW wind on the first leg to Buoy B and even though he wasn’t the first over the Start Line, Steve Farmer, sailed a great first leg and rounded the first Mark in the lead some distance in front of Kim Sparkes. Fay Watson, who had made a very good Start, gave up some water on the first leg and followed Kim round the first Mark in close quarters with Daniel, and his crew Mike C, and Brian Mac and Jim W – a volunteer new to sailing. The 3 minute delay for the Liberty Start had elapsed before the whole 303 fleet had rounded Buoy B and Peter W, Mike B and Di – a Volunteer – set off in pursuit of the back markers!

Steve was sailing very well and by concentrating hard to eliminate mistakes he increased his lead over the fleet, even though he knew that the whole fleet was trying its hardest to catch him! Steve, Kim and Fay were the only 303s who managed to hold out against the Liberty fleet up to the end of the second Lap which saw Mike Blatchford in 4th place and Peter W in 6th. Gradually Di, Mike and Peter overhauled Fay and set about trying to pass Kim. The wind was blowing hot and cold during the race and in different parts of the course, so all the Racers had opportunities to catch up or the frustrations of being caught up. A good example saw Mike B get right alongside Kim’s 303 during the third lap on the downwind leg from Buoy B to Buoy D, but he just didn’t have enough wind to pass her and she got around the downwind Mark and, with a fresh blow, escaped Mike’s clutches to sail an excellent last lap to finish 2nd. But this was Steve’s day and he even lapped some of the other WS Racers before finishing in 1st place ahead of the Series leader, Kim S!

Result: 1 Steve F; 2 Kim S; 3 Mike B (L); 4 Peter W (L); 5 Fay W; 6 Brian Mac; Bob F and Daniel = DNF

It was a near perfect day for sailing, lots of sunshine and a good NW breeze. Immediately after the presentation of the Queen’s Award, 10 boats and 14 sailors eagerly took to the water in readiness for Race 7 of the Summer Series. Four classes of boat took part, 4 entrants in 303 Access, 3 entrants in Liberty and, for the first time, 2 entrants in Martin and 1 in a Venture! The wind direction allowed us to set a course that had its Start/Finish Line between Buoy K and the Pontoon which gave a beat on the first leg up to Buoy B, rounding it to starboard, followed by a reach across the wind to gybe round Buoy C and then a run downwind back to tack around the third Mark (Buoy K).

All the 303 entrants were well positioned as the Start whistle blew and Brian Mac led the fleet upwind to the first Mark. The three Liberties also got away smoothly when their Start was sounded 3 minutes after the 303s and then, because it was their first time in the WS Race Series and the race was going to be shorter than the normal 40 minutes, the Martins and the Venture were started a generous 2 minutes after the Liberty’s Start. They also got off to a good start and were quickly in pursuit of the fleets of 303s and Liberties!

Fay, Kim and Steve were closely matched during the first Lap and kept in front throughout the Lap, but the bigger boats made the most of the good wind and even with their later Starts, they had overhauled Brian Mac in his 303 by the end of the first Lap. So Peter W, Mike B and Brian H in their Liberties, Alan and Mark in their Martin and Rosie and Allan in the Venture began Lap 2 in hot pursuit of the rest of the 303 fleet. Kim yet again demonstrated her sailing skill taking the lead from Fay and Peter W managed to squeeze his Liberty past Steve’s 303 but Steve still finished the second Lap in front of Malcolm in his Martin. Kim and Fay in their 303s were battling hard to maintain the 1st and 2nd position they had starting the third Lap, but Peter W and Mike B in their Liberties and Rosie and Allan in the Venture were all pursuing them hard. And although Kim and Fay were still leading at the end of Lap 3 and kept their advantage well into the final Lap, Fay was pipped by Peter W who had a storming last Lap to finish 2nd just ahead of Fay, followed by the more powerful Venture and both Martins!! Overall the race had done justice to the excellent sailing conditions and well done to all the WS Racers who raced on this special day for WS.
Result: 1 Kim S; 2 Peter W (L); 3 Fay W; 4 Rosie/Allan*(V); 5 Malcolm/Mike (M); 6 Alan C / Mark C (M); 7 Mike B (L); 8 Steve F; 9 Brian H (L); 10 Brian Mac *=Volunteers