Streaker Ramblings - Freeman Iceberg Races 3 & 4 - 12.11.2017

Blue skies with big fluffy grey clouds and a stiff northerly breeze as we left home for Piddinghoe and  round two of the Freeman Iceberg on Sunday (12.11.2017). with a forecast of 21knots and above. On arrival at the Pond the breeze was rising and although some 16 boats entered there were one or two helms who decided to wait until after the two minutes silence at 11.00 before making a final commitment to sail. Yours truly felt that it was a bit too much and that it would be survival conditions and so de-rigged and packed the boat away. In the end some thirteen boats went afloat in very testing conditions

Chris Turner as RO, aided by Terry Jones as ARO and with E Clack and Barry Lowden in the Safety Boat set a course in an ‘M’ shape – similar to last week – with the start from the south bank close to the slipway opposite the Island, as shown below.

At the gun Rupert Smith (Streaker, NSSC) was first away at the outer end of the line with Matt  Springall (Laser full rig, NSSC) just behind but upwind and Duncan McDonald  (Streaker, NSSC) third closer to the south bank.

 

At the windward Mark, in front of the clubhouse, Rupert rounded ahead of Matt with Duncan a length or two astern. Rupert romped away down the reach. Lucy McCaig (Laser 4.7, NSSC) was next to set off for the middle of the pond mark with Bill Wates (Laser Radial, NSSC) astern of her. It was an exciting broad reach and the gusts caught out quite a few helms and it was similar on the following beat back to the mark off the Fisherman’s Bay. The run back along the east shore was equally as exciting and the need to gybe along the route caused several capsizes but at the end of the lap Rupert was still leading with Duncan now in second place, Matt having already had at least one capsize just held onto third place. Paul Ryan (Laser full rig, Hardway SC) who had had a very late start due to gear problems, was lying fourth, Michael Veale and Mike Rosier (RS200, NSSC) were fifth.  Yves Horent (Laser Radial, NSSC) who had had an even later start than Paul – seen coming from the far side of the island at the gun, having failed to hear the sequence perhaps – was sixth ahead of Lucy in her 4.7 with Bill eighth, Zoe McCaig (Laser Radial,NSSC) lying ninth, Jazz Turner (Slipper,NSSC) tenth, Anne Bush (Laser Radial,NSSC) eleventh, Ed Rollestone (Oppie,NSSC) twelfth. David Murley (Laser Radial, NSSC), Kattie Trollope (Topper, NSSC) ,Tim Mellor (Laser Full Rig) did not finish all having capsized at some point.

 

Lap 2 had Rupert in the lead initially from Duncan until that back run, along the east side, when he gybed only to be hit by another huge gust before he was fully in control. The resulting capsize saw him blown into the reeds in the south east corner, unable to get sailing again. Duncan then went into the lead and Paul went ahead of Matt, when he took another dip, with Paul only to suffer the same fate but recovered to cross the line in second place. Behind Matt, Michael went up to fourth due to Rupert’s retirement, and Yves also went up a place to lie fifth with Bill, having had a swim or two, in sixth place ahead of Jazz. Ed was a good way further astern in eighth place with Anne astern and Zoe astern of her having had the odd swim. Lucy also retired on this lap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lap 3 and only five boats remained contending. Duncan, he too having had the odd spill, led the small fleet with Paul in second place Matt in third and Yves in fourth place having passed the upside down Michael who finally recovered to finish the lap.

Race 4 was held back to back but with a reduced entry of seven boats – and only five of them finished. At the gun it was Michael who was first away at the outer mark end of the line, pursued by Duncan with Matt behind him and Paul just a bit further astern. Michael was first to round the windward mark, just off the clubhouse but almost immediately suffered an major roll to leeward as the trailing three rounded and set off on the broad reach towards the middle of the Pond. Michael eventually recovered but by then Paul had passed him and taken a dip himself and let Bill through.

Duncan fell in on the beat back towards the mark at the Fisherman’s bay allowing Matt to get ahead. Yves, who had had another late start, fell foul to a big gust on the first broad reach and subsequently retired. Jazz also retired but is thought to have stayed upright, just having to bail hard to stay afloat. At the end of the lap the order was Matt in the lead from Duncan with Paul third Bill fourth and Michael fifth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lap 2 and Bill capsized on the beat up to the clubhouse mark but repassed Yves who got his mast stuck in the mud and needed help from the safety boat to get free from his capsize in lap 1.

 

Matt led up the beat along the south shore only to capsize and allow Duncan to pass him with Paul giving chase not too far behind. Along the east shore proved the nemesis for Duncan when he fell in again and by the time he was upright and back in control Paul had snatched the lead to cross the finish line ten seconds ahead with Bill a minute astern and Matt nearly  two minutes later.

Short though the races were they were fast and furious and apart from the Oppie and the Slipper it is thought that everyone else had had at least one capsize – yours truly is confident that staying on the shore was a sensible thing for him to have done or otherwise he was certain to have been another casualty. The safety boat was kept well occupied in both races and all who finished the races are to be congratulated for their tenacity in the face of some seriously testing conditions - those who did not finish are also to be praised for trying.

Results:-  

R3 - 12.11.17

Rank	Boat	Class	SailNo	Club	HelmName	CrewName	H'Cap	Elapsed	BCE	Points
1	Chops	Streaker	1934	NSSC	Duncan McDonald		1132	16.23	0.00.00	1.0
2	Night Boat	Laser	156163/49864		Paul Ryan		1097	17.00	0.01.07	2.0
3		Laser Radial	158365	NSSC	Chris Turner		1139	OOD		3.0
3		Comet	473	NSSC	Terry Jones		1204	OOD		3.0
3		Laser Radial		NSSC	Eric Clack		1139	OOD		3.0
3	Clownfish	Laser Radial	174581	NSSC	Yves Horent		1139	17.52	0.01.23	3.0
7		Laser	153670	NSSC	Matt Springall		1097	17.42	0.01.49	4.0
8	Skimmer	Oppie 'c'	2530	NSSC	Ed Rollestone		1665	18.07	0.02.03	5.0
9	Hot Toddy	RS 200	582	NSSC	Micheal Veale	Mike Rosier	1047	17.58	0.02.49	6.0
10	Smart	Slipper	53	NSSC	Jazz Turner		1385	16.24	0.03.02	7.0
11		Laser Radial	26/133416	NSSC	Bill Wates		1139	15.31	0.04.32	8.0
12	Sailfish	Laser Radial	174910	NSSC	Anne Bush		1139	19.59	0.09.00	9.0
13		Laser Radial	64200	NSSC	Zoe McCaig		1139	21.35	0.10.36	10.0
14		Laser Radial	142208	NSSC	David Murley		1139	DNF		16.0
14	Scoundrel	Streaker	1681	NSSC	Rupert Smith		1132	DNF		16.0
14		Laser	178297	NSSC	Tim Mellor		1097	DNF		16.0
14		Topper 'c'	45139	NSSC	Katie Trollope		1347	DNF		16.0
14		Laser 4.7	138161	NSSC	Lucy McCaig		1200	DNF		16.0

 

 

 

R4 - 12.11.17
 

1	Chops	Streaker	1934	NSSC	Duncan McDonald		1132	12.00	0.00.00	1.0
2	Night Boat	Laser	156163/49864		Paul Ryan		1097	11.50	0.00.12	2.0
3		Laser Radial	158365	NSSC	Chris Turner		1139	OOD		3.0
3		Comet	473	NSSC	Terry Jones		1204	OOD		3.0
3		Laser Radial	26/133416	NSSC	Bill Wates		1139	13.18	0.01.14	3.0
3		Laser Radial		NSSC	Eric Clack		1139	OOD		3.0
7		Laser	153670	NSSC	Matt Springall		1097	14.18	0.02.40	4.0
8	Hot Toddy	RS 200	582	NSSC	Micheal Veale	Mike Rosier	1047	15.04	0.03.58	5.0
9	Clownfish	Laser Radial	174581	NSSC	Yves Horent		1139	DNF		7.0

                                               Alan.S 1700PS. For the Series overall results refer to the NSSC web site, Results page.