Streaker Ramblings - NumBum Races 9 & 10 - 03.02.2019

 

Blue, cloudless, skies and no breeze as we left for Piddinghoe. Conditions were much the same on arrival. 10 boats entered for races 9 & 10 and Rupert Smith (Streaker, NSSC) set up a figure of eight shaped course, as shown below, more in hope than anger. He was assisted by Emma Briggs with Michael Veale and Mike rosier (RS 200, NSSC) in the safety boat. Rupert delayed the start until 10.45 am in the hope that some breeze might arrive - but it did not and it was difficult to get to the start line at all.

 

 

When the gun fianally sounded Zoe McCaig (Radial,NSSC) was first across the line nearer to the shore end with Laurence Venus (Streaker, NSSC) closer to the pin end and Alan Simmons (Streaker, Lancing) at the pin end. Laurence, with his usual good boat speed, found a zephyr to gain enough space to allow him to tack to the right ahead of the rest of the fleet.

 

After an age, so it seemed, he eventually rounded the mark off the east shore with Ed Thorburn (Finn, NSSC) second to round having just drawn ahead of Alan.

 

The next leg started out as a beat but by halfway to the mark in the south east corner of the pond, just before passing the Island, the wind freed off to give a ‘reach’. Ed closed right up on Laurence just before that corner mark as did Alan only for the latter to lose what breeze there was.

 

The two leaders were cheek by jowl up to the original start mark which Laurence rounded first to the sound of the shorten course gun. The breeze then died allowing him to cross the line nearly two minutes ahead – over some 20 meters or so on that last short leg.

Alan, lying third up the leg along the south bank nearly got back to the original inner start mark only for the breeze to die and shift by 90 degrees. He eventually rounded the mark as the breeze filled in and crossed the line five minutes behind Laurence. Next home was Chris Foster (Laser full rig, Lancing) with Zoe fifth, Thomas Harland Smith (Radial, NSSC) sixth, Bill Wates (Radial,NSSC) seventh, Richard Beal (Radial, NSSC) eigth, Ed Rollestone (Laser 4.7, NSSC) ninth and Penelope Duncan (Radial, NSSC) tenth.

 

Bill complained that he had got himself too close to the banks at one time and ended up in the ice that was present all round the edges of the pond.

With handicaps applied Laurence was the outright winner with Ed second and Alan holding off Zoe in fourth place with Ed.R fifth. With so little wind there were few chances to gain or lose place in this single lap ‘race’.

R9

 

Rank	Class	SailNo	Club	HelmName	CrewName	PY	Elapsed	BCE	Points
1	STREAKER	1706	NSSC	Laurence Venus		1128	28.26	0.00.00	1.0
2	FINN	595	NSSC	Ed Thorburn		1051	30.05	0.03.35	2.0
3	STREAKER	1700	Lancing	Alan Simmons		1128	33.30	0.05.04	3.0
3	RS 200	582	NSSC	Michael Veale	Mike Rosier	1046	OOD		3.0
3	STREAKER	1681	NSSC	Rupert Smith		1128	OOD		3.0
6	LASER RADIAL	64200	NSSC	Zoe McCaig		1142	34.52	0.06.05	4.0
7	LASER 4.7`	207462	NSSC	Ed Rollestone (C)		1207	36.58	0.06.33	5.0
8	LASER	171864	Lancing	Chris Foster		1098	34.04	0.06.23	6.0
9	LASER RADIAL	72341	NSSC	Thomas Harland Smith (C)		1142	35.34	0.06.47	7.0
10	LASER RADIAL	133416	NSSC	Bill Wates		1142	35.54	0.07.07	8.0
11	LASER RADIAL	43382	NSSC	Richard Beal		1142	36.18	0.07.31	9.0
12	LASER RADIAL	81	NSSC	Penelope Duncan		1142	39.20	0.10.33	10.0

 

After a short ‘coffee break’ Rupert set a new course, basically a triangle but in the opposite direction, as below.

 

At the start Alan, close to the IDM was quick off the mark with Ed.T further out but a little behind and Chris just above Laurence still further down the line.

 

 

Ed was first to round the south west corner mark with Chris next followed by Laurence and then Alan with Ed.R close behind. Laurence gybed onto port tack shortly down the run to the mark at the southeast corner. This tactic paid off as he rounded in second place ahead of Chris and not far astern of Ed.T.

By half way up the ensuing beat Laurence was leading Ed.T and crossed the line some 40 seconds ahead with Chris third20 second behind Ed and about the same ahead of fourth placed Ala. Zoe was fifth to cross with Thomas next the Ed.R. Richard was eighth, Penelope ninth and Bill tenth.

Lap 2 and Laurence had pulled further ahead but Alan managed to pass both Ed.T and Chris to lie second. Ed.R went up to lie sixth behind Zoe passing Thomas as did Richard who was then in eight place. Bill also went ahead of Penelope to lie ninth.

Lap 3 had Laurence nearly a minute and a half ahead of Ed.T who had regained second place with Alan now third with Chris just five seconds behind. Zoe and Ed.R stayed fifth and Sixth respectively as Thomas went ahead of Richard to cross the line seventh. Bill and Penelope stayed ninth and tenth.

Lap 4 saw Ed.T making ground on Laurence to cross the line,now a minute adrift, with Chris snatching third place from Alan by fifteen seconds. There were no place changes behind Alan.

Lap 5. and Laurence almost ran out of breeze as Ed.T finished the race just six second astern, Chris was third, Alan fourth and Zoe fifth.

With handicaps applied Laurence was the winner with Alan second, Ed.R third, Chris fourth and Ed.T fifth.

 

R10

Rank	Class	SailNo	Club	HelmName	CrewName	PY	Elapsed	BCE	Points
1	STREAKER	1706	NSSC	Laurence Venus		1128	42.30	0.00.00	1.0
2	STREAKER	1700	Lancing	Alan Simmons		1128	44.00	0.01.30	2.0
3	RS 200	582	NSSC	Michael Veale	Mike Rosier	1046	OOD		3.0
3	STREAKER	1681	NSSC	Rupert Smith		1128	OOD		3.0
3	LASER 4.7`	207462	NSSC	Ed Rollestone (C)		1207	47.12	0.01.43	3.0
6	LASER	171864	Lancing	Chris Foster		1098	43.24	0.02.02	4.0
7	FINN	595	NSSC	Ed Thorburn		1051	42.36	0.03.00	5.0
8	LASER RADIAL	64200	NSSC	Zoe McCaig		1142	46.56	0.03.54	6.0
9	LASER RADIAL	72341	NSSC	Thomas Harland Smith (C)		1142	47.40	0.04.38	7.0
10	LASER RADIAL	43382	NSSC	Richard Beal		1142	48.59	0.05.57	8.0
11	LASER RADIAL	133416	NSSC	Bill Wates		1142	43.38	0.09.13	9.0
12	LASER RADIAL	81	NSSC	Penelope Duncan		1142	44.32	0.10.07	10.0

 

 Conditions for the first race this morning were dire, it really was a ‘drifting match’ with the one consolation that Rupert called it a day after just the single lap. With the breeze changing direction and strength after Laurence and Ed.T had finished who knows what might have occurred. The second race was much more amenable. The forecast  as I write, for next Sunday, is for 15 to 21 knots so a bit more breeze is expected!

Alan.S 1700

PS. I am more than happy to report that my Bett has returned to take the pictures in this report – 98 shots taken!