Streaker Ramblings – Mengeham Rythe - 21/09/2013

Mengeham Rythe is one of our ‘local’ clubs, just over an hour away, down in Chichester Harbour. We set off under grey skies, dry and barely a hint of breeze and arrived in plenty of Time for the Pinnel and Bax sponsored Streaker Southern Area Open Meeting. At the briefing we were advised that as well as the companion Solo event, they started each race 5 minutes before the Streakers, there was an event being held from Hayling Island Sailing club for Feva dinghies with some 50 of these little boats expected. Fortunately there is more than sufficient space – at high water – for both events not to impinge upon one another.

 

Launching from the club was just possible and the breeze just filled in from the west to give a good force 3 for most of the day. The course was laid in mid harbour, well away from the Feva’s site, in Olympic format with a very long beat almost straight into the current, which by the time we started was running at just about full spate. The tide was not fully up however and to the west of the committee boat Alan Simmons (LancingSC) still managed to hit bottom which did not do his dagger board a lot of good, taking a good chip out of the rear edge. The Solos had some dozen boats from Mengeham but this was reinforced by another dozen or so from Hayling. They, starting before the Streakers helped as they showed the way up the first beat.
First away, in the small Streaker fleet of six boats, was Graham Butler ((Frensham Ponds SC) with Alan.S just to leeward and Frank Catt (Downs SC) a bit behind but close up under the committee boat. Behind these three were Nick Carter ( Burghfield SC) and Gary Hogan (Emberton SC). Bringing up the rear was Basil Messenger (Megeham SC) just back from a trip to France and rather a late launcher from Mengeham.Frank.C quickly tacked off to starboard and Alan.S and Graham.B held on to port tack for a while longer with Graham.B speeding off but Alan.S sailing higher. There were several tacks up the beat for everyone, each trying to read some sense in the currents which was extremely strong. Frank.C was first to the windward mark followed by Graham. and then Alan.S and with Nick.C fourth to round having been forced to tack just behind him as the current pushed him to the east of the mark at the last minute. Alan was also pushed towards the mark and just brushed it and had to do a turn on the following leg. The leading pair began to pull away and continued to do so on the second beat by now having got to grips with the vagaries of the current. They continued to extend, and exchange places until Frank.C made an error at the final leeward  mark letting Graham.C ahead on the final beat to the line. Alan.S pulled out ahead of Nick.C to take third place with Gary.H some way back and Basil.M at the rear.
In the second Race, held back to back with the first, the start was as the first with Graham.B first away then Alan.S and Frank.C third. This time Graham.B led from start to finish, Frank.C next and Alan.S third. Although these three were never far apart there were no place changes and behind them this time Gary.H managed to get ahead and stay ahead of Nick.C.. Basil.M did not start this or the final race and returned to the club house. By the end of this race the strength of the current was easing but it turned almost instantaneously to begin to ebb out the main Birdham/Itchenor channel.

In race three, again back to back with race two, it was yet again Graham.B who was first across the line at the start. Both he and Alan.S were a few seconds early and had to duck back, Graham.B managed to get under Alan.S’s stern and hit the line just in front. There was a single Laser 4.7 – from Mengeham – racing with the Streakers and he managed in this race to just get inside Graham.B by the Committee boat but was soon left well behind. Frank.C was yet again third Streaker to start but soon passed Alan.S. Graham.B, having made some sail setup adjustments between the races, soon pulled out in front of Frank.C and Alan.S. The breeze seemed to have dropped a little and the Tidal stream had changed to the ebb so there was yet again a question as to the best side of the course to take. To head straight out towards the harbour entrance seemed to be a good idea but nearer to the windward mark the current was from the west, out of the Mengeham channel. Graham.B obviously made the right choices and pulled out ahead of Frank.C with Alan.S initially still in third place. The RO decided for this race to change the course to two triangles one either side of the sausage and he also brought the windward mark back a bit towards the Committee boat. On the second beat Graham.B continued to pull ahead of Frank.C whilst Alan.S struggled to keep anywhere near either of them. On the second beat Alan.S was to see his third place position usurped by Gary.H and had to follow him down the run. Gary stayed ahead of Alan.S up the third beat but was gradually reeled in on the following reaches and by the time they reached the bottom (Leeward) mark just scraped back into third place which he held until the finish line. Nick.C brought up the rear in fifth place. Graham.B pulled out a convincing lead, as he later said , finished ahead of at least half the Solos whilst Frank.C was unable to make any impression on him and was not that far ahead of Alan.S.

On the way back to Mengeham there was enough water to bypass most of the long twisting channel back to the club and it was only in the last few hundred yards that it was essential to stay in the deeper channel. Alan.S caught up with Frank.C and thse two were having a tacking duel of their own when Alan lost the breeze, failed to make it to the upper side of the boat and ended up capsizing. He got the boat upright but was unable to haul himself aboard when the outgoing current turned the boat around and capsized it again. Finally he got back aboard and completed the fifty or so yards back to the landing area.

Results:-

Posn	Helm	Club	Sail No	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Total	Nett
1	Graham Butler	Frensham Pond	1760	(1.0)	1.0	1.0	3.0	2.0
2	Frank Catt	Downs	1696	(2.0)	2.0	2.0	6.0	4.0
3	Alan Simmons	Lancing	1700	(3.0)	3.0	3.0	9.0	6.0
4	Gary Hogan	Emberton	1757	(5.0)	4.0	4.0	13.0	8.0
5	Nick Carter	Burgfield	1828	4.0	(5.0)	5.0	14.0	9.0
6	Basil Messenger	Mengeham Rythe	1784	6.0	(7.0 DNC)	7.0 DNC	20.0	13.0

 PS. due to the distance from the club to the sailing area - about 30 minutes sail - there are no pictures of the actual racing, sorry!

Alan.S 1700

Streaker Ramblings – Broxbourne SC – 1st Sept 2013

A nice bright, sunny morning as we set off for Broxbourne up in the Lea Valley , north of London. We first had to negotiate the road works on the A23 south of Handcross – 40mph speed limit -184 violations in the previous week, so we took it very carefully. Once on the M23 we opened up a bit and turned off at Junction 8 onto the M25. Almost immediately there were more road works which last all along the south eastern stretch, up to the M26 turn off (about 12.5 miles) with a 50mph speed limit. Luckily after that, on the way to the tunnel and on the other side of the Thames up to junction 25 there were no further hold ups. We arrived at the Sailing club just before 9.50am, a bit tight form my liking but we got the boat rigged and I changed in time for the briefing around 10.30am. Twelve Streakers and had entered this Pinnel and Bax sponsored Southern area Open Meeting which was combined with a fourteen boat Laser event.

The course, somewhat convoluted, was started from the shore with a short beat to the West of the club. From there the next leg was back to the East and then to the North and then into the 'Box' at the Eastern end of the water. After a couple of marks it was then back into the main area to a mark in the centre before turning back to the South West corner and then to the start line once more.

First off the line in Race 1 was Alan Gillard (Sheffield Vikings) with Alan Simmons (Lancing) close behind and Gerry Ledger (Upriver) closest to the shore. Alan.G tacked off very quickly and the later starters found themselves in a bit more wind down at the pin end of the line. At the first windward mark there was a decided lack of wind with quite a bit of bunching. By the end of lap one Veronica Falat  (Waveney & Oulton Broad) had caught and passed Alan.G and Mark Langston (Beccles) was lying third. The middle order was led by Gerry.L in fourth, Ian Bradley (Ouse) fifth. Bill Strange (Stewartby) sixth and Scott Bonner (Durleigh) in seventh.  At the back of the fleet Geoff Town (Broxbourne) held eight ahead of Alan.S in ninth, Richard Dean tenth, Nick Carter (Burghfield) eleventh and Jane Hill in twelfth.
Lap 2 saw several changes, due to the fickle wind strength, with Alan.G back in the lead ahead of Veronica.F with Mark.L still in third. Ian.B gained a place to fourth whilst Gerry.L had dropped back to seventh. Fifth place went to Scott .B and Bill S was still in sixth place. Alan.S had gained one place up to eighth having passed Geoff.T.  Richard.D held onto tenth place whilst Jane.H overtook Nick.C.
In the final lap the process continued with Veronica.F passing Alan. G once more to take the gun and Ian.G made another place to finish third ahead of Mark.L. Gerry.L claimed two more places to finish fifth. Scott Bonner regained one place to finish sixth ahead of Bill.S. Jane.H took three scalps to finish eighth ahead of Alan.S in ninth Geoff.T in tenth, Nick.C in eleventh and Richard.D in twelfth.

 

For Race two, after a break for lunch, the course was changed by removing one of the two marks in the ’Box’ and adjusting the position of the first windward mark. Yet again Alan.G was first away with Ian.B just a bit upwind at the shore end of the line but with Veronica.F a good bit closer to the pin end and in clear air. She was first to round the windward mark with Alan.G behind and Scott.B third and just ahead of Ian.B and with Bill.S close behind him. By the end of the lap Alan.G had passed Veronica.F as had Ian.B,  Mark.L lying fourth. In fifth was Bill.S ahead of Scott.B in turn ahead of Richard.D in seventh. Lying eighth was Gerry.L with Alan.S ninth, Jane.H tenth, Nick.C eleventh and Geoff.T in twelfth.

Lap two saw it all change again at the front with Veronica coming through to top place, Scott.B racing up the order to second spot, Ian.B dropping one to third and Alan.G falling back to fourth. Mark.L gained a place up to fifth and Alan.S gained three to sixth. Bill.S dropped two to seventh, Gerry.L stayed at eighth whilst Richard.D gained two to ninth. Geoff.T pulled back two places to tenth, Jane.H fell back to eleventh and Nick.C dropped two to twelfth.
In the final lap Veronica.F held onto first place, Ian.B regained second place, Scott.B held third ahead of Alan.G. Mark.L also held on in 5^th as did Alan.S in sixth. In the remainder of the fleet there were no changes from lap two with Bill.S holding seventh, Gerry.L eigth, Richard.D ninth, Geoff.T tenth, Jane.H eleventh and Nick.C twelfth.

After a short break the course was reset, totally within the main water area, without entry into the ‘Box’. The same first leg to the west was followed with a run to the east then back to the north corner. This was followed by another run down the north eastern side before turning back along the eastern side before turning northwards to the start/finish line.

Alan.G did not start in this last race and so it was left to Gerry.L to start first, near the shore, with Veronica.F in the middle of the line, Mark.L further down and Ian.B almost at the pin end, these four hitting the line almost simultaneously. By the windward mark Veronica.F was ahead with Ian.B a close second and Scott.B lying third with Bill.S fourth. There was no change in position for these front runners at the end of the lap. Alan.S was fifth, Mark.L sixth, Gerry.L seventh, Geoff.T eigth, Richard.D ninth, Nick.C tenth and Jane.H eleventh. 
In lap two Veronica.F held first place, Ian.B second and Scott.B third place. Mark.L pulled up two places to fourth as did Gerry.L to fifth. Bill.S dropped back two places to sixth and Alan.S also dropped two to seventh. Richard.D gained one place to eighth while Geoff.T went down one to ninth. Nick.C and Jane.H remained at tenth and eleventh respectively. Lap three saw the four front boats remain in the same relative position with Veronica.F out in front. Bill.S  passed Gerry.L into fifth place whilst Alan.S remained in seventh spot. Nick.C gained two places and went up to eighth with Geoff.T holding onto 9^th. Richard.D dropped back two position to tenth but Jane.H remained in eleventh.
In the final, fourth, lap it was still unchanged at the front with Veronica.F leading from Ian.B, Scott.B in third place and Mark.L fourth. Fifth place was still held by Bill.S ahead of Gerry.L with Alan.S in seventh. Jane.H gained three places to finish eighth ahead of Nick.C in ninth, Richard.D in tenth and Geoff Town in eleventh.
The positions at the end of each lap do not give a complete picture as there were place changes throughout each lap, back and forth, due to the fickle strength and direction of the breeze during each of the races.
The overall winner of the meeting was therefore Veroncia.F with three top places and Ian.B coming second ahead of Alan.G in third place. A well deserved fourth place went to Scott.B, a newcomer to the Southern Area circuit. Jane.H in a new class of boat and her first Streaker open, and considering the top talent (at least three from the top ten sailors in the class, including a  National Champion,) did amazingly well  to finish ninth overall.

Results

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Club	R1	R2	R3	Pts
1	1654	Veronica Falat	Waveney & Oulton Broad YC	‑1	1	1	2
2	1817	Ian Bradley	Ouse Amateur SC	‑3	2	2	4
3	1832	Alan Gillard	Sheffield Viking SC	2	4	(DNS)	6
4	1803	Scott Bonner	Durleigh SC	‑6	3	3	6
5	1664	Mark Langston	Beccles Amateur SC	4	‑5	4	8
6	1850	Gerry Ledger	Up River SC	5	‑8	6	11
7	1791	Bill Strange	Stewartby Water SC	‑7	7	5	12
8	1700	Alan Simmons	Lancing SC	‑9	6	7	13
9	1691	Jane Hill	Broxbourne SC	8	‑11	8	16
10	1607	Richard Dean	Broxbourne SC	‑12	9	10	19
11	1828	Nick Carter	Burghfield SC	11	‑12	9	20
12	1608	Geoff Town	Broxbourne SC	10	10	‑11	20

  

For the official Report visit Facebook – Streaker Dinghy Sailing at :- https://www.facebook.com/groups/171933142816771/

or Yachts and Yachting at :-

http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/172008/Streakers-at-Broxbourne

Alan.S 1700