Streaker Ramblings - Freeman Iceberg Races 11 & 12 - 08.12.2019

Bright skies, not quite blue, with little cloud but a stiffish breeze as we  left Hove, the forecast was for 27 knots (force 6). On arrival at Piddinghoe it was obvious that it was blowing quite strongly with the gust showing quite clearly on the water. There was a whistling sound coming from the rigging of the masted boats on the shore – always interpreted by the writer as a ‘good force 6’. 

There was little activity visible, as it happened two cadets were getting ready well down the south side of the pond. Bill Wates (Laser full rig), Ed Thorburn (Finn) and finally Rupert Smith (Streaker) indicated that they would race. Alan Simmons (Streaker) and Laurence Venus (Hadron H2) considered it wiser to stay ashore and watch!

Terry Jones, RO for the day with Dave Murley and Barry Lowton in the safety boat, set a somewhat complex course with three beats, three runs (and Gybes) and a broad reach – behind the Island – as shown below:-

So five boats took to the water and in the few minutes before the starting sequence began Bill had got stuck in the reeds on the west bank, Thomas Harland-Smith (Laser Radial) capsized and his boom broke in two at the kicker attachment area. 

Rupert also capsized and on recovery found on shroud pin had dropped out so he downed sail and drifted ashore south east of the Island.

At the gun only Ed was anywhere near the line, then Bill made it and finally Lewis Johns (Laser Radial) actually started to race. Bill capsized fairly quickly on the downwind leg and Lewis went up into second place. 

Both Bill and Lewis had more capsizes, either near the east bank to the south of the Island or over in the north west corner, near the Fisherman’s bay. 

Ed eventually finished three full laps and crossed the line over sixteen minutes before Lewis finished and Bill was another eight and a bit minutes later still. See below for the lap\\positions:-

Race 11

Posn	Class	Sail No	Lap 1	e time	Lap 2	e time	Lap 3	e time	Posn
1	Finn	595	Ed Thorburn	9.44	Ed Thorburn	17.34	Ed Thorburn	25.50	1
2	Laser Radial	179808	L  Johns	11.22	L Johns	25.47			2
3	Laser	26	B Wates	14.35	B Wates	34.11			3
4	Streaker	1681	R Smith	DNS					4
5	Laser Radial	72341	T Harland-Smith	DNS					5

The finishing positions, after applying the handicaps, were as the above lap positions.

R11 - 08/12/2019

Rank	Fleet	Boat	Class	SailNo	Club	HelmName	CrewName	PY	Elapsed	BCE	Points
1			Finn	595	NSSC	Ed Thorburn		1051	25.50	0.00.00	1.0
2	Cadet		Laser Radial	179808	NSSC	Lewis Johns		1145	25.47	0.07.01	2.0
3			Comet	473	NSSC	Terry Jones		1207	OOD		3.0
3			Laser	26	NSSC	Bill Wates		1099	34.11	0.16.10	3.0
3			Laser Radial	142208	NSSC	Dave Murley		1142	OOD		3.0
6		Scoundrel	Streaker	1681	NSSC	Rupert Smith		1128	DNS		32.0
6	Cadet		Laser Radial	72341	NSSC	Thomas Harland-Smith		1145	DNS		32.0

The same course was sailed for Race 12 – starting at 11.25 – this time with all five boats on the water. Rupert had borrowed a shroud pin from Alan and Thomas had found the club Laser boom to fit to his boat. 

This time, at the start gun, all five boats were nearer to the line. Thomas came storming in from the pin end only to find Ed about to tack off the shore end and had to tack hastily himself. Rupert, starting at the pin somehow went into irons and was still there as Lewis started with Bill last to go towards the clubhouse.

Thomas did not last long before his first swim of this race and both Bill and Lewis fell in near the Island at the end of the first run. 

Bill did not finish the first lap and retired ashore- older and wiser as he put it. Ed continued to hold the lead into lap 2 but Rupert was beginning to catch up rapidly, by the end of the second lap he was just 16 seconds behind and in the following lap he went ahead by 13 seconds.

Thomas and Lewis continued to battle it out for third place on the water with both taking further dips in the 'ogin', with Lewis the holder of the ‘more wet’ title, Thomas completed three laps to Lewis’s two.

In the final lap Rupert put more water between himself and Ed to cross the line nearly a minute ahead.

For lap positioning see below:-

Race 12

Posn	Class	Sail No	Lap 1	e time	Lap 2	e time	Lap 3	e time	Lap 4	e time	Posn
1	Finn	595	Ed Thorburn	9.09	Ed Thorburn	16.36	R Smith	24.16	R Smith	31.28	1
2	Streaker	1681	R Smith	9.45	R Smith	16.52	Ed Thorburn	24.29	Ed Thorburn	32.25	2
3	Laser Radial	72341	T Harland-Smith	11.14	T Harland-Smith	21.57	T Harland-Smith	31.51	T Harland-Smith	Finished	3
4	Laser Radial	179808	L  Johns	23.01	L  Johns	32.41	L  Johns	Finished			4
5	Laser	26	B Wates	DNF							5

With Handicaps applied and times corrected Rupert was the winner with Ed second, Thomas Third and Lewis fourth.

R12 - 08/12/2019

Rank	Fleet	Boat	Class	SailNo	Club	HelmName	CrewName	PY	Elapsed	BCE	Points
1		Scoundrel	Streaker	1681	NSSC	Rupert Smith		1128	31.28	0.00.00	1.0
2			Finn	595	NSSC	Ed Thorburn		1051	32.25	0.03.06	2.0
3	Cadet		Laser Radial	72341	NSSC	Thomas Harland-Smith		1145	31.51	0.07.54	3.0
3			Comet	473	NSSC	Terry Jones		1207	OOD		3.0
3			Laser Radial	142208	NSSC	Dave Murley		1142	OOD		3.0
6	Cadet		Laser Radial	179808	NSSC	Lewis Johns		1145	32.41	0.16.43	4.0
7			Laser	26	NSSC	Bill Wates		1099	DNF		32.0

A very breezy day, surprising really that even five boats went afloat. Apart from Ed in his Finn the other four had a good few dips between them. After the races the two cadets stayed out for ‘Thrash’ for quite a while, finding the reaching – without course limitation – highly delightful. Presumably their youth is a great source of Energy!

Alan.S 1700