Monday 15 April 2013

Streaker Ramblings - Bough Beech - 23/03/2013


The following Report is courtesy of Steve Garrett - as I missed this event due to lousy forecasts:-
The forecast of 1C temperatures, Snow flurries and a Force 5 Gusting 6 wind forecasted on Friday, it was no wonder the Streaker Sailors decided to stay wrapped up in there duvets Saturday morning. Travelling to Bough Beech in morning, gave a lovely winter wonderland image on higher ground, but at lower levels the snow was not settling. Bough Beech was clear of snow and 22 participants arrived for joint Streaker/Laser open meeting. The reality was, Temp 1C, Snow Flurries in morning, Races 1-3 sailed in Force 2-3 NE increasing to Force 3 Gusting 4 for last race of day. 3 Boats entered the meeting, with Chris Smith visiting from Island Barn SC, joining locals Steve Garrett and Peter Jones who was experiencing his first Streaker Open event since purchasing new Streaker last year. The event was based on 4 Races 3 to Count, with a duration of 40mins each race. The Laser’s set off first, followed by Streakers.
The first two races were sailed back to back before lunch, with a Triangle and Sausage course set. With Steve known for his late arrival at starting line Chris and Peter set off up the first windward leg. Chris pulled out a lead from Peter and with Steve starting 3 mins late was gradually catching them, passing Peter, before race completed with Chris taking honours. With the snow flurries and wind chill from NE wind. The last thing all competitors wanted was a general recall from Laser Race 2 start followed by a postponement. By this time the Race officer decided to set the Streakers off first, but by this time delay and all the chat in the warm clubhouse at lunchtime, many had experienced hands and feet going numb during this time only to recover feeling once Race 2 got well under way.
 Race 2 started with all 3 boats closely bunched up first windward leg. Steve opened up a slight lead only to sail into a wind hole which made for tricky/lottery sailing conditions at windward mark for Chris to take lead with Peter just behind. Chris held onto lead down the 2 downwind legs, with Steve regaining lead down 2nd windward leg, taking advantage of wind shift, staying further out. Steve pulled out a comfortable lead to take 2nd race followed by Chris and Peter. The Race Officer decided to keep the Streakers starting off first, for the two back to back afternoon races and a change of course to a P-Course layout.
Race 3 started with all 3 boats close together again up to the windward mark, Steve rounded mark first followed by Chris & Peter. Positions remained the same throughout race 3 with a fair distance between boats at finish. By the time Race 3 had finished, the wind had increased to a force 3 with some gusts of force 4 which gave for some downwind fun, but tricky gybeing conditions.
With all to race for between Steve & Chris, Race 4 started with Steve and Chris changing places after tacking across each other, twice up first windward mark, with Chris leading from Steve at first windward mark. During first downwind mark Peter was caught out by gust and healed up to windward which let Steve thru, Steve pulled away from Peter, who also got caught up with a Laser sailor sailing upwind, down the next downwind leg. Steve took the honours overall from Chris followed by Peter.
The racing was good and everyone enjoyed the days sailing, especially Peter with his first experience of Open Racing, with all competitors going home with a bottle of wine to warm up.
Results:-
1st Steve Garrett 3pts Bough Beech SC
2nd Chris Smith 5pts Island Barn SC
3rd Peter Jones 9pts Bough Beech SC
Steve Garrett

Streaker Ramblings- Emberton Park SC - 13-04/2013

This should have been the second Streaker Open Meeting in the south for us but the bad weather, serious snow on the A3/M23 and the fact that Bough Beech was on the country roads meant that we did not venture up there. As it happened the levels of snow locally were not significant here but enough to make them call off the meeting  at Tamworth which was due to be held on the same day. Anyway the Bough Beech meeting went ahead with just the three boats who turned up. A report for Bough Beech, courtesy Steve Garrett is published above.
On Saturday morning (13th April) we set off from Hove at 7.30 am and after one comfort stop at Toddington we found our way to this a new Southern Area venue by shortly after 9.30 am. A light rain was falling as we set off but had ceased by the time we arrived. For a Southern Area meet the attendance was well up, with twelve Streakers coming to the start line for the first race. Alan Gillard, from Sheffield Vikings, was the furthest north visitor whilst ‘yours truly’ was the furthest south.
Race one, held over a zigzag course in the larger northern part of Heron Water with the start in the north eastern corner. With the wind a good top end force three initially, from the south, it was Alan Gillard soon into the lead, a position that he maintained through out the race with John Burgoyne (Tamworth SC) up into second place and ahead of Veronica Falat (Waveney & Oulton Broad YC). Ian Bradley (Ouse ASC) was lying in fourth place at the end of the first lap with Matthew Whitfield just ahead of dad Ian (both from Tamworth SC) in fifth and sixth. At seventh Nick Lovell (Ouse ASC) was ahead of Bill Strange and then Ian Parish (both from Stewartby SC). The rear end consisted of Gary Hogan (Emberton) in tenth place ahead of Alan Simmons (Lancing SC) and finally Nick Carter (Burgfield SC).
The breeze freshened a little, to a mid force 4, but was very gusty leading to quite a few tip ups, the gybe mark (No2) midway up the western side proved a ‘popular’ area. In lap two Veronica.F passed John.B to lie second well behind Alan.G. Matthew.W also went ahead of Ian.B into fourth place and Ian.P passed Bill.S to go 8th. Further back the relative positions remained unchanged.
 
Lap three saw John.B lose another place to Ian.B who, having also passed Matthew.W on the way, thus pulled up to third. Nick L managed to get ahead of Ian.W  and thus up to sixth. At the back end Alan.S passed Gary.H to go into tenth spot. There were no further place changes in laps four or five. Lap seven saw the last of the place changes when Nick.L  overtook Matthew.W to take 5th place which he held to the finish. Nick Carter had suffered a capsize, near mark No2, in lap 7 and having been assisted back aboard by the safety boat subsequently retired and did not sail again.
 
After lunch, the wind having shifted somewhat further eastwards, and the rain started, a new course was set with two marks used in the area, just off the clubhouse, to the south of the island. There was a distinct absence of breeze adjacent to the two marks here. Alan.G was soon off into the lead with Veronica.F hard on his heels and Matthew.W third up by the end of the first lap. Nick .L was lying fourth, John.B at fifth, Ian.W was sixth ahead of Ian.B, then Ian.P in front of Bill.S, Alan.S and lastly Gary.H at eleventh.
Lap two saw John.B forge ahead of Nick.L, Matthew.W and Veronica.F to lie second.

Matthew.W was even passed by dad Ian.W dropping to seventh and Ian .B lost another place to lie 8th. The second best gain was made by Ian.P who shot up to lie fourth whilst Alan.S squeezed up to 9th passing Bill.S on the way as did Gary.H.


Lap three saw yet more place changing with Veronica.F regaining second place ahead of John.B. and Nick.L also gained a place to lie fourth. Ian.P dropped back one place but still ahead of Ian.B who had overtaken both Ian.W and Mathew.W, himself having been passed by dad Ian.W. Gary.H overtook Bill.S to lie in 10th just behind Alan.S in 9th. Lap 4 saw more changes at the front of the fleet with Nick.L climbing up to second place in front of John.B and Ian.B, who had all relegated Veronica.F to fifth. Each time the leaders came to round the westerly of the two marks south of the island there was a good deal of bunching – due to the lack of breeze – a good deal of calls for water or starboard and a lot of place changing plus a few penalty turns. Ian.W gained a place to sixth whilst Ian.P dropped to seventh.
All the while Alan.G stayed well out in front in clean air until he started coming across the back markers, he too succumbed to a capsize whilst gybing at the No 2 mark and being caught by a heavy gust, he quickly recovered and nobody was close enough to overtake.  Lap 5 finished with Alan G in front of Nick.L still in second place whilst John.B capsized at the south eastern mark – just off the clubhouse - and had several boats across his sail, spent a long time in the water and was eventually assisted by the safety boat leading to his retirement. As a result Ian.B moved up to lie third with Veronica fourth and Matthew.W shot up into fifth passing Ian.P and Ian.W on the way. Alan.S was thus lying eighth ahead of Gary.H and Bill.S. Lap six and the only changes were at the back where Gary.G passed Alan.S into eighth spot. Lap 7, the final lap, saw no changes in the leading four boats but Ian.P gained two places to take 5th having passed both the Whitfields and Bill.S retiring.
Race three, held back to back with race two, was held over the same course with if anything a bit more breeze, it was certainly more gusty with some planeing on the reach out from behind the island and then across the lake to mark 2. For this race Alan.G had decided, having already won the meeting, to use the Wave sail. The rest of the fleet however was well up the first beat, across the longest stretch of the lake, before Alan even got to the start line. In this start it was Veronica who came out in front although Nick.L was in close contention. John.B was third at the end of lap1 with Matthew.W in fourth, Ian .B fifth. Ian.P was sixth and Ian.W seventh. At the back Alan.S was lying eighth ahead of Gary.H and Alan.G  - until Alan.G passed Gary.H.
Lap two saw Nick. L get ahead of Veronica.F, John.B retained 3rd place whilst  Matthew.W stayed ahead of Ian.B  and Ian.W passed Ian.P . Alan.S managed to stay ahead of Alan.G but was gradually being overhauled. Lap 3  saw Veronica.F back into the lead  followed by Nick.L, then John.B with Ian.B pulling back a place ahead of Matthew.W. next up in sixth place was Ian.P ahead of Ian.W. Alan.G, with the reduced area Wave sail,  still had sufficient speed to overtake Alan.S into eighth place with Gary.H back in tenth. Lap 4 saw Alan.S and Gary.G up a place each when Alan.G retried, there were no changes to the top seven positions. In lap 5 Ian.W went up to sixth place overtaking Ian.P on the way, Alan.S closed up on Ian.P too only to lose out the gains he had made in the following lap. There were no place changes in Lap 6 and in lap 7, the final lap, Ian.W went up to fifth passing Matthew.W on the way but there were no other changes of position.
 
Overall Results:-
 
Alan.S 1700