Wednesday 24 August 2011

Streaker Ramblings - Deben YC July 16th 2011

As I advised in an earlier Blog I did not go to the Streaker Open Meeting at Deben this year - as far as I was concerned the forcast was for too strong a breeze for my liking. From the verbal reports I had I was right in my choice, certainly two of the entrants did not complete all three races.
The meeting was won by Mike Hanes (Deben YC) from Chris Woodard (Deben YC) with Pierre
Naude (Deben YC) in third spot. According to the usual procedure the 'winner' should have written a report which should have been sent to Yachts and Yachting and together with the full list of results should have been sent to the SCOA web site. It is also usual to pur a version of the report on the host club web site. Regretably none of these actions occured and the SCOA only received the results.
It is a shame as the report can be written (and Posted) in little more than an hour, the class fails to get any publicity as does the club and the other partipants fail to get recognition for their efforts. If I attend I endeavour to get hold of the relevant data - lap sheets (where completed) and overall result sheets - and endeavour to mention all envolved (where the numbers concerned are manageable) and then blog the event. Perhaps my efforts reach a wider audience than the Class web site but perhaps not more than a Y & Y  web site entry.
Results :-

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Helm
Club
Sail No
Race 1
Race 2
Race 3
Points
Net Points
Position
Michael Hanes
Deben YC
1655
1
1
1
3
2
1st
Pierre Naude
Ðeben YC
1620
2
3
3
8
5
3rd
Chris Woodard
Deben YC
1608
3
2
2
7
4
2nd
Amy Robinson
Blakeney SC
1686
4
5
6
15
9
5th
Dave Shuster
Deben YC
1660
5
4
5
14
9
4th
Hugh Ambery
Blakeney
1711
6
6
4
16
10
6th
Robin Parsons
Deben YC
1664
7
DNF
DNS
26
16
8th
Gary Hogan
Haversham SC
1757
8
7
7
22
14
7th
Peter Wyld
Blackwater SC
1564
DNF
DNS
8
2
18
9th
Concerning my  blog for the Bosham SC Streaker Open Meeting (July 23rd), after publishing, I was advised that the 'encroaching' keelboats were not Sunbeams but were in fact Swallows. I acknowledge my error in wrongly naming them but re-iterate my comments about their poor behaviour in charging through our start.
Alan.S 1700
 




Tuesday 9 August 2011

Streaker Ramblings - Newhaven & Seaford SC - Sailing Week 1st - 5th August 2011




A newly acquired car without tow bar had left Alan.S in an awkward position but thanks to the very generous help of Jerry Hone his Streaker arrived at Newhaven and Seaford SC on Sunday evening 31st July on time for the following week’s Racing. The full schedule would be a morning ‘fun’ race followed by two, back to back, serious afternoon race on each of day, Monday to Thursday, and only one serious race planned for the Friday

Monday morning Alan took out one of the two RFDs to help laying the marks and to stand by for rescue duty – this proved unnecessary due to the light conditions and the small number of entrants.
After lunch the racing proper started, with a Committee Boat single start in the bay and some dozen boats on a simple triangular course. Of the two Streakers present it was Alan.S (the sole visiting helm)  who pulled out ahead of Laurence Venus and Matt Springall (Laser, full rig). Rupert Smith and Chris Turner in their Fireball, Terry and Greg Jones on their Dart 18 and Jamie Lynch on his Dart 18 were the only boats (from the home club) to finish ahead of this pair on the water after a good hour’s race but it was Alan and Laurence in top spot after the handicaps were worked out.
After a short break a second very short race started in slightly more breeze. With just single lap it was Jamie.L 1st across the line, Rupert.S 2nd, Terry Jones 3rd, James Clapham and Jenny Clapham ( Dart 18) 4th and Darren Field in his Vago 5th.
Alan.S was again ahead of Laurence at the finish – but this time only just – in 6th spot but with plenty of time in hand to beat the rest of the fleet. Laurence was pipped for 2nd place by 2 seconds by Rupert.S. Matt.S did not sail in this race.

Tuesday morning Alan did RIB duty again, very light breezes so no rescues.
In the afternoon Race 3 got away, from another Committee boat start on yet another triangular course. Again it was Rupert Smith in the Fireball who led the way around ahead of Terry Jones, James Clapham then Dave Edwards and Alan Oatway in their Dart 18. Next home in his Streaker was Laurence who had been battling with Matt Springall in his full rig Laser then Darren Field and with Alan.S behind this group. After handicaps were applied it was Laurence 1st, Rupert 2nd and Alan 3rd.
Race 4, sailed over the same course lasted only two laps, saw Laurence finish ahead of Alan yet again with the pair behind Rupert’s Fireball, Dave Edwards, John Morrison and Michael Veale in a Stealth Cat, James and Dave Robertson in a Hobie 16, James and Jenny Clapham and with Darren Field ahead of Alan. After Handicapping Laurence was again in first place with Rupert 2nd and Alan 3rd.

Wednesday morning started off with the lightest of breezes and the fun race as a Le Mans start – Alan opted for 2 x 360 deg turns at the gun – he even did a second set after the first lap and yet another set at the finish but still could not be beaten.
Race 5, after lunch, was over a traditional Olympic course – Triangle and Sausage  - with, as usual the faster Fireball and Cats leaping into the lead. At the end of two full laps first home was Jamie Lynch then Rupert Smith followed by Terry Jones, James Clapham. Next home having managed to fend off Matt.S was Laurence and behind these two Alan.S This time it was the Streakers one, two with Rupert in third spot on handicap.
After another short delay, Race 6 and all were off on the same course once more with Jamie Lynch well ahead then Terry Jones, James Clapham, Rupert, Matt, Laurence and then Alan. The results were calculated with top spot going to Rupert followed by Laurence, then Alan, Jamie and Matt.

The Evening Scheduled race did not look as if it would be run, no boats on the beach but eventually six more came along to join Alan. With a reaching start and an increasing breeze it looked as though it might be a bit congested at the start mark but it appears that the chop which had developed kept the small fleet well separated.
Alan got a cracking start and was immediately off onto the beat, led fortunately by the Rib, as the pillar buoy was all but invisible. The second mark seemed to be on just an extension to the first beat and was well over towards the Harbour. Then followed a short but foisty reach towards the beach ending in a gybe and then a long downwind back to a mark off the club and a final short reach to the mark at the beginning of the next lap. Tom Taylor sailing his Megabyte was a short way behind Alan for the first lap and in fact for the subsequent laps, making up a bit of ground on the offwind legs but making no gain upwind. Third place was taken byGraham Hardy in his Laser followed by Jason Tooth in his Dart sprint and Hanah & Erica Pepe in their Pico. Simon Suter in a Laser failed to finish the course.

Thursday dawned as forecast – well almost – with strong wind and an increasing surf. It did not look promising and both the wind increased (up to 27 knots) and the surf got higher so racing was abandoned for the day with the hope that a second race could be added to Friday’ program.

Friday dawned, almost calm, with plenty of sunshine and Alan was off on the Rib for the last time in the morning. After lunch two races were planned , as had been hoped for, but with shore starts this time. Even though the line was angled well back to the east the wind was very southerly and the second (outer) lane start for the Squibs and Cats gave them a substantial advantage. The course was a trapezium giving a very close reach and then a long downwind, down wave leg finishing off with a close reach along the beach. Some 23 boats entered race 7(8?) – the most all week.
Jamie lynch was soon in the lead followed by Terry Jones, Rupert Smith, David Edwards,  John Morrison and then James Robertson. In seventh place his Laser was Matt Springall who had been battling with Laurence Venus and a bit behind this pair was Alan.S. After the handicapping it was Laurence, Rupert and Alan in that order.
So to the final Race (8 or 9?) again with a shore start and over the same course.
The breeze had come up even a touch more so the Cats were off and away Dave Edwards finishing in top spot ahead of James Robertson, Terry Jones, then Rupert Smith in the Fireball.  Next home, having had yet more grief with Laurence was Matt.S with the Laser 2 sailed by Jack Turner sneaking in ahead of Alan.S.

And so another, sucessfull, Sailing week concluded. The weather was kind, sunny, warm and mainly light breezes which allowed all levels of competence to imbibe. Thursday was an unfortunate aberration but all was not lost with the inclusion of the extra race on Friday.

The results were split up into several categories, Overall, Fast Fleet, Slow Fleet, Multi Hulls, Cadets and Fun Races. For the full results follow this link to the NSSC site - http://www.nssc.org.uk/results2011.htm. but the short hand version is as below:-

Overall – 1st Laurence Venus, 2nd Alan Simmons, 3rd Rupert Smith and Chris Turner.
Fast Fleet – 1st Rupert Smith and Chris Turner, Darren Filed and Fin Gartland Jones,
                      3rd Terry and Greg Jones ,
Slow Fleet – 1st Laurence Venus, 2nd Alan Simmons, 3rd Matt Springall.
Multihulls – 1st Terry & Greg Jones, 2nd Jamie Lynch, 3rd Dave Robertson.
Cadets – 1st Nathan Bloss (Laser Radial), 2nd Louis Gorringe & Ross Turner (Laser )
                3rd Stuart (Topper)
Fun Races – 1st Rupert Smith & Gabriel H (Laser 2), 2nd PennySpringall &  CarolynTurner(Squib), 3rd Louis Gorringe & Ross Turner (Laser 2)

Alan. S 1700

PS To those whose names I did not mention, my apologies, with some 30 boats entering at least one race it is difficult to find enough space.
PPS. Thanks go also to Laurence.V for ferrying my boat back to Lancing Sc on Friday evening.