Lincoln Radio Sailing Club

Ok a bit of a reduced turnout today , not sure why it was a cracking day forecast and a cracking day it was. Very early on the scene was Roger Bowtle but rather than sailing he came up to put a new belt on the mower and a few other jobs on the said machine , following on fairly quickly was Darin and Tim who took control of the OOD’s duties sorting out the course etc etc . Not sure how warm it was but a few of us had coats on and some were in shorts , felt a bit chilly to me.

So everything ready 9 skippers on the start line, fired up and ready to go, we lost Micky boy before anybody crossed the line with a broken jib downhaul, but the fleet got away and with the usual suspects taking a 1/2/3 and and Cooperman fresh from an enforced layoff cam storming thru with a great 4th place in his Venti, race two and the suspects again but in a different order with Tim taking the top step, Micky B again did not start as the repair took time, a kinda fiddly magnate !!! Race 3 looming and it was imperative to get a good start Darin led from start to finish and Mick’ Alioth finally got some points on the board with a second, Rob W took 3rd spot with Tim having his worst race so far back in 6th. Race4 and Sam P just pipped Mick to take the first of his two 4th’s, it was pretty close racing overall but it was a Brit Pop day for sure, only a couple of Venti’s on show, and 3 Alioth’s almost like a plastic invasion, and I hear thru the grapevine that 3 Proteus models are coming on stream, from what I am told they are very good value for money, and I for one look forward to their progress. Race 6 and another disaster for the Alioth of Mickthis time it turned out it was a receiver battery, must have been brain fade as I thought I had changed during the coffee brake !!!1.

So just have a look at the scores, Darin discarded two 2nds and won the morning after 10 races with just 8 points, Tim had a couple of bad ones ( by his standard) and rounded out with 16 points and Rob after last weeks success at the Martin Lambert finished third, Mick had no favours given and finished 1 point behind Sam who seemed to take a liking for attaching himself to our buoys , But we got to say the winners would not be winners if the rest of us stayed at home but we all tried our best. And it did not rain by the way . .

Many thanks to all who helped get the stuff put away and look forward to seeing you all on the bank in the not to distant future .

Well done all especially the winner , Big D

Wow what a day we had, Darin Ballington fresh from his World I.O.M experience was our OOD for the day and he had all the help he needed with a multitude of helpers , and you all know who you were, There was a great breeze from just west of South West when we arrived and we had 22 skippers take to the line for the first race which was to be on the East bank, This and race two was won by Pete W 678 it was a good breeze I would say 70 % A rig but was veering all the time, Dorian C 682 one of our loyal visitor’s took 2nd spot and another visitor Paul M 06 topped out with third , Same course on the East bank for the 2nd race which yet again was won by Pete W , Michael R 350 took 2nd and Neil W 40 took third , the visitors revelling in the fresh breeze.

The OOD then called a halt to racing whilst we all moved over to the South bank, and this is where we would be would be for the rest of the day, We raced as one fleet and so it was a little tricky to get your start sorted on the crowded line. Race three was one by one of our favourite visitors Chris More 102 and is a favourite because him and his wife Sadly missing today , have done many video’s of Radio Racing including quite a few at our club, Tim H 44 took 2nd and Ben W 65 3rd. The OOD Darin ran things really well and we all had plenty of time for Coffee/Tea breaks and a decent break for lunch, There was a fair bit of walking involved but we had plenty of cloud cover so it was not scorching hot. Up came race 4,, and I remember this well because I won it Mick C 46 , I got a great start and never relinquished the lead , the was a smile from ear to ear, 2nd spot was our eventual winner of the event Rob W who is always a bit of a slow starter and 3rd went to Gary P 109 from way up North .

The conditions were just about perfect for racing and if anything the breeze increased a couple of Knot’s as the day wore on. There were quiet battles going on up and down the fleet and some not so quite, with cry’s of Starboard and ” you cant go in there ” and so on , comical really and so glad for once I stayed clear of it ” yes I hear you say ” you sure , but it was all in good humour and I feel that everybody had a great day of racing and that is what it is all about. The visitors just out numbered the club members and I am pretty sure this has been one of the best turnouts for this trophy that we have had. Tim Hand a worthy winner of the trophy last year , had to give up the trophy to a very deserved Rob Wilson and so we kept it in the club for another year despite strong opposition from the visitors, maybe local knowledge played a part who knows .

Many thanks to all who helped get packed up in no time at all , and also many thanks to Graine Lambert for present the prizes to the successful skippers , Thanks to all and hope to see you all again soon .

Micky Boy C 46

Pictures Jen Hand

At 0830 the sun was beating down but the lake was as flat as a… very flat thing….

Mike W had most of the kit set up … we just needed some competitors… and some wind.

The competitors arrived … fresh faced and eager to race…. But still no wind. So we waited….

After a while it filled in a bit from NE which was a bit worrying as all the weather apps were showing light SWlys but Hey Ho and off we go with a very short course on the East bank.

Sam was quickly into his stride taking the first two races but Paul had other ideas for the third and grabbed top spot from Micky.

That took us to 11 o’clock and the wind was still very light and fluky so we had a break.

Taking a break was a good decision… the wind picked up a little and went SWly (as advertised) so we just reversed the course and set to again. Mike W liked the SWlies and took the next race and so did Micky who took 4 of the remaining 6 with Paul and Sam adding one each to their 1st Place honours.

So what started out as an unexciting prospect ended up as a good day of interesting and very good natured competition.

The whole thing was very much a team effort… everyone pitched in … and it worked…so thanks to all.

Ron.

Somewhat down on the usual numbers owing to many helms either competing or helping at the IOM worlds, 10 hardy souls still turned out on what was a cold and grey Sunday. Sailing was to be on the east bank but owing to the wind direction the beat was to be in two parts with a dog leg in it, this was then followed by a run before beating back to the finishing line, these short races allowed the race officer to get in thirteen races. With the first race of the day going the way of Mark Nicoll in his Alioth the bulk of the wins went the way of Rob Wilson and Mick Chamberlain, the only others to take a win were Sam Parker, Paul Kelly and Richard Jutsom with Richard only failing to take a second win in race six being passed in the dying stages of the race. The way to the front on the day was to make a good start, with most wins coming from a good start in clear air and rounding the windward mark first. Jeff Clarke in his (new to him) Venti also appeared to be getting to grips with it, improving race by race until coffee time after five races when he snapped the underdeck sheeting, putting him out for action for the rest of the day. Another victim of the dreaded string failure was Ron Austen, when his jib tie-down failed before the start of race eleven, putting an end to his day. The racing was good natured all day with penalties being taken when required and start line duties being done by everyone based on the order you signed on. Also, many thanks must go to Ron Austen who stepped up again to do assistant race officer duties, and to everyone else who helped pack up at the end of the days racing.

Sam (Race Officer)