Elford Numbum 2025 - 12.01.2025

 

Elford Numbum Races 3 & 4 –12/01/2025

Not a good start to 2025 with the New Years Day race cancelled due to strong winds and then the first two races of the Numbum series also cancelled for the same reason, however on arriving at the pond on Sunday 5^th January the wind was not as strong as forecast and had there been any young, strong and fearless takers it would have been testing anyway.

Come Sunday 12^th Jan it was a lovely sunny morning upon leaving Hove. breeze however was noticeable by its absence and upon arrival at the Pond there was not much in evidence. Ed Thorburn was RO – the writer did not find the name of the ARO on the Lap sheets and the safety boat Skipper was listed as Geoff?

 Ed found some breeze, from the north and set an ‘X’ shaped course, as shown below, avoiding the south west corner of the Pond which was still covered in Ice as far east as the first slipway. 

Ed also set an unusual Start (and Finish) line, the former between two ‘pink’ buoys with only the one nearest the shore as the Finish (slightly hooked).

Twelve boats took to the water, Red Sheridan although with his Oppy rigged felt too cold to venture out, although he did do so in the second race of the day.

                                    Photos by Bett Simmons

At the gun it was Lorien Howard McDonald (Topper) who crossed the line first. Alan Simmons (Streaker) was next just nosing ahead of Rupert Smith (OK) both at the outer end of the line. Fourth away was Geoff Sheridan (ByteCII) just to weather of Julian Dobson (Laser full rig). 

Alan and Rupert tacked off soon after crossing the line whilst Geoff and Julian held on towards the clubhouse to the edge of the Ice before tacking towards the mark off the Fisherman’s Bay.

Rupert was first to round the mark off the Fisherman’s Bay to set off on the run to the mark to the south east of the Island. Alan was next to go with Julian third and Geoff fourth. 

There were no changes in position in the early part of this lap until Julian pulled up and went ahead of Alan to finish the lap in Second place. Geoff was fourth to cross the line with David Hitchens (Laser Radial) fifth, Jo Brugenwerth (Laser Radial) sixth, Lorien seventh, Carolyn Turner (Laser Radial) eighth, Dave Murley (Laser Radial) nineth, Jazz Turner (Hansa s/h) tenth, Adam (Hansa s/h) eleventh and Dave Parkyns (Laser Radial) twelfth.

Lap 2 Saw Rupert pull further into the lead and second placed Julian pull away ahead of Alan lying third. Geoff Caught up with Alan on the run across the pond and passed him only to be repassed on the upwind legs and crossing the line just 2 seconds ahead. Jo went in front of David.H crossing the line five seconds in front. Dave.M crossed the line in 7^th place having passed Lorien as she fell back behind Carolyn. Jazz was in 10^th place, as in lap 1, with Dave.P went ahead of Adam to cross in 11^th place.

Lap 3 Rupert crossed the line 2 minutes and 10 seconds ahead of second placed Julian with Alan and Geoff continuing to battle it out on the water and Alan then 12 seconds ahead at the line. Jo retained 5^th place  with David.H still astern and Dave.M 7^th behind him. Carolyn went ahead of Lorien with Jazz, Dave.P and Adam  behind her, these last three and Lorien being finished here.

Lap 4 Rupert just stretched his lead over second placed Julian by 6 seconds. The lap sheet shows Alan still ahead of Geoff but the writer recalls that Geoff had overtaken Alan and that he, Alan, had a Jammed mainsheet on the final reach across the pond and thus finished behind him. Jo was in 5^th place ahead of David.H and Dave.M  next in 7^th place with Carolyn 8^th and last to finish this Lap.

Lap 5 was sailed only by Rupert – as he was so far out in front at the end of lap 4.

With handicaps applied and calculations completed the winner of the race was Jazz with Rupert second, Adam third Geoff fourth and Jo fifth – see results below:-

Race 3 - 12/01/2025

Fleet	Boat	Class	SailNo	Club	HelmName	CrewName	PY	Elapsed	BCE	Points
Menagerie	Violet	HANSA s/h	848	NSSC	Jazz Turner		1580	38.53	0.00.00	1.0
Menagerie	Saxon	OK	2239	NSSC	Rupert Smith		1100	45.21	0.00.14	2.0
Menagerie	Phoebe	HANSA s/h	28	NSSC	Adam Billany		1580	40.45	0.01.52	3.0
	Mothers Ruin	BYTE CII	3394	NSSC	Geoff Sheridan		1132	40.08	0.02.59	4.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	1644421	NSSC	Jo Bruggenworth		1154	41.03	0.03.11	5.0
Laser Hull		LASER	7	NSSC	Julian Dobson		1102	39.18	0.03.08	6.0
Menagerie	TFB	STREAKER	18932	Lancing	Alan Simmons		1124	40.35	0.03.42	7.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	122461	NSSC	David Hitchens		1154	42.12	0.04.20	8.0
Menagerie		TOPPER	8177	NSSC	Lorien Howard McDonald		1369	37.37	0.03.56	9.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	142208	NSSC	Dave Murley		1154	44.36	0.06.44	10.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	158365	NSSC	Carolyn Turner		1154	45.11	0.07.19	11.0
Menagerie		FINN	595	NSSC	Ed Thorburn		1049	OOD		12.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	2063	NSSC	Dave Parkyns		1154	39.26	0.11.02	12.0
Menagerie	Seahorse	OPTIMIST	4769	NSSC	Red Sheridan		1628	DNC		18.0
Laser Hull	Bruce	LASER RADIAL	46	NSSC	Zoe McCaig		1154	DNC		18.0
Menagerie		SUPERNOVA	526	NSSC	Mark Ramsay		1077	DNC		18.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	26	NSSC	Bill Wates		1147	DNC		18.0

Race 4 was to be sailed over the same course with the breeze a bit lighter than in race 3. 

At the gun Rupert and Alan were first away again with Rupert to windward of the pair. Next to start was Geoff towards the pin end of the line followed by David H then Jo followed by Julian. 

 

The order was the same at the mark off the Fisherman’s Bay and on the run to the south east. The fleet began to be stretched out on this leg and the subsequent legs with Rupert extending his lead over Alan to a minute and 3 seconds as he crossed the line. Geoff was lying 3rd, 31 seconds later with Julian next 20 seconds later. David.H was 5th just 4 seconds ahead of Dave.M. Carolyn, 7th, was next 10 seconds later. Jo was 8th to cross the line 51 seconds later with  Jazz next in 9th place with Adam 58 seconds behind her and with Red in 11th place 52 seconds later. David.H and Lorien did not take part in this race.

Lap 2 had Rupert continuing to stretch his lead over Alan to a minute and 31 seconds. Geoff lost a bit of ground on Alan to cross the line 48 seconds later but still ahead of Julian. Dave.M was now 5th having passed David.H and with Jo behind him, having gone ahead of Carolyn. Jazz, Adam and Red held onto the same relative places.

Lap 3  and the fleet order remained as in lap 2, for the first six places, although Geoff made up ground on Alan to lie 14 seconds astern at the finish. Carolyn passed ahead of Jo to finish in 7th place  with the last three in unchanged positions.

Lap 4 was once again sailed only by Rupert, who found a bit of extra breeze.

With handicaps applied the winner of the race was Rupert with Geoff second, Alan third, Jazz fourth and Dave.M fifth.

See results below:-

Race 4 - 12/01/2025

Fleet	Boat	Class	SailNo	Club	HelmName	CrewName	PY	Elapsed	BCE	Points
Menagerie	Saxon	OK	2239	NSSC	Rupert Smith		1100	48.49	0.00.00	1.0
	Mothers Ruin	BYTE CII	3394	NSSC	Geoff Sheridan		1132	37.50	0.00.09	2.0
Menagerie	TFB	STREAKER	18932	Lancing	Alan Simmons		1124	37.36	0.00.11	3.0
Menagerie	Violet	HANSA s/h	848	NSSC	Jazz Turner		1580	36.01	0.00.57	4.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	142208	NSSC	Dave Murley		1154	40.24	0.01.59	5.0
Laser Hull		LASER	7	NSSC	Julian Dobson		1102	38.48	0.02.07	6.0
Menagerie	Seahorse	OPTIMIST	4769	NSSC	Red Sheridan		1628	38.41	0.02.34	7.0
Menagerie	Phoebe	HANSA s/h	28	NSSC	Adam Billany		1580	38.19	0.03.15	8.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	122461	NSSC	David Hitchens		1154	43.15	0.04.50	9.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	158365	NSSC	Carolyn Turner		1154	44.30	0.06.05	10.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	1644421	NSSC	Jo Bruggenworth		1154	45.53	0.07.28	11.0
Menagerie		FINN	595	NSSC	Ed Thorburn		1049	OOD		11.0
Menagerie		TOPPER	8177	NSSC	Lorien Howard Mid***		1369	DNC		18.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	2063	NSSC	Dave Parkyns		1154	DNC		18.0
Laser Hull	Bruce	LASER RADIAL	46	NSSC	Zoe McCaig		1154	DNC		18.0
Menagerie		SUPERNOVA	526	NSSC	Mark Ramsay		1077	DNC		18.0
Laser Hull		LASER RADIAL	26	NSSC	Bill Wates		1147	DNC		18.0

 

With the light breezes experienced conditions were quite difficult for most competitors, except for Rupert who loved it. The distances between the boats were subject to ups and downs but without much changing of places. Certainly concentration was king in both races.

The outlook. Forecasts, for Sunday 19th Jan, is for much of the same – at the time of writing, 17th Jan.

Alan.S 18328