Streaker Ramblings - New Years Day -01.01.2020

As we left home for the pond at noon on New Years day it was grey overcast skies with not a breath of wind and on arrival it was no different. Yours truly had volunteered for Safety boat helm and Rupert Smith stood in as RO, there being neither safety boat crew nor ARO attending. 

Rupert set up the course, as below, more in hope than anger as even a few minutes before the due start time there did not appear to be much more than a whisper of breeze. With a bit of re-positioning the course was laid and Rupert joined Alan in the safety boat for a Committee Boat start to the west of the Island.

Seven boats, Laurence Venus’s Hadron H2, Geoff Sheridan’s Byte CII and five Laser Radials came to the line with Laurence first across the line at the Pin end, Thomas Harland –Smith just to leeward and Ed Rollestone-using a Radial Rig instead of his more usual 4.7- make a port tack start by the safety boat. 

Thus began the drift towards the mark off the Fisherman’s Bay.

Laurence eventually managed to reach the mark and round it with Zoe McCaig some good way astern, followed by Geoff and then Ed.R with Thomas behind him.

Sixth to round was  Lewis with Penelope last but a long way back having lost what little air movement there was by going too far towards the east bank.

Laurence was first to round the marks off the clubhouse and start to reach towards the mark off the east shore, albeit very slowly. Zoe was next along this western leg with Geoff close behind but they both mistakenly rounded the pink mark not the blue one in the far corner and as a result were disqualified.

Those following rounded the blue mark correctly and set off on the reaching leg. By this time Rupert had decided that, with so little breeze, he should shorten course so he and Alan set off for the mark off the east shore. They got there before Laurence arrived and were able to give him the winners hoot.

Geoff was next to arrive followed by Zoe but they were no longer in the picture – their corrected times (for the course they actually sailed) were both better than Laurence’s. Thomas was next to finish followed by Ed.R then Lewis and lastly Penelope.

 

Rank	Class	SailNo	Club	HelmName	PY	R1 01.01.2020	Total	Nett
1st	HADRON H2	138	NSSC	Laurence Venus	1034	1.0	1.0	1.0
2nd	LASER RADIAL	72341	NSSC	Thomas Harland-Smith	1145	2.0	2.0	2.0
3rd	LASER RADIAL	201967	NSSC	Ed Rollestone	1145	3.0	3.0	3.0
3rd	STREAKER	1681	NSSC	Rupert Smith	1128	3.0 OOD	3.0	3.0
3rd	STREAKER	1700	Lancing	Alan Simmons	1128	3.0 OOD	3.0	3.0
6th	LASER RADIAL	179808	NSSC	Lewis Johns	1145	4.0	4.0	4.0
7th	LASER RADIAL	91329	NSSC	Penelope Duncan	1145	5.0	5.0	5.0
8th	LASER RADIAL	64200	NSSC	Zoe McCaig	1145	8.0 DSQ	8.0	8.0
8th	BYTE CII	2625	NSSC	Geoff Sheridan	1138	8.0 DSQ	8.0	8.0

 

With Handicaps applied and times corrected Laurence just scraped home ahead of Thomas with Ed.R third, Lewis fourth and Penelope fifth. Once all were ashore changed and coffee’d up Laurence was presented with the NYD Trophy by Rupert.

An extreme lack of breeze made for a very frustrating race for all. It hardly needs saying but seconds after Rupert sounded the shortened course signal a waft of breeze appeared, by which time it was of course too late!

On Sunday next – 5^th Jan 2020-  the Elford Numbum series starts and runs every Sunday (Weather permitting) until 23^rd Feb 2020. The forecast for the first race (c/o XCWeather). is for 8 to 10 knots.

Alan.S 1700