The forecast looked good for racing and that is exactly what the 15 competitors got , the sun was shining, the westerly wind whilst not being the best direction was around 8 to 12 knots, Racing took place predominantly on the South Bank with a couple of course changes to try and get the best possible beat. Darin 98 showed his class winning the first 4 races with a variety of pretenders coming in second spot. Somebody took the master out in race five Giving Mick C’s under performing V9 an opportunity, Dave Burke came in a close second before going on to win race 6. I got the feeling that quite a few people were pleased with their performance on the day notably Bert W 34 and Phil H 43 , I also think a few skippers learned quite a bit from the more experienced skippers, The starts were quite tricky today and it is one of the main things to learn , Once you have mastered where to start and are able to control your boat on the start line , when you do get away and have clear air , your task to the first  mark is so much easier. The Rules , they may seem a pain but we do need to learn maybe 6 basic rules that will hold us in good stead for most of the time . There is a rules section that is a bit of fun on this website , have a few goes at it, start with elementary and work your way through it , once you have a grasp of the rules your racing will be so much more enjoyable.

Thanks everybody for a great mornings racing. results below .

Mick

Admin

11 Competitors came to the line in what was to be some of the best sailing of the year , A one minutes silence was observed at the lakeside for the events that had unfolded in Paris over the previous 48 hours . The forecast was for 26/40 knots , in truth the mean wind was around 20 knots and one or two gusts around 30 knots , The weather was cloudy but very warm probably around 14/15 C and dry . Britpops still rule I am afraid with Darin Ballington showing his class and beating the V9’s of Mick Chamberlain and Dave Thomas, Chaz Jordan was pretty consistent throughout the morning and Norman Fish showed at times that the Gadget can go . Young Joe Harpham continues to get better and had a good day with the Stealth gaining a couple of 5th places .           9 races were completed in a very relaxed atmosphere, and a few gained some valuable tips from the very experienced Darin which was nice to see . Results below and thanks everybody for a great mornings racing

Mick Admin

Another great days racing at Scotland farm . It rained for about half an hour and then cleared up to give some exciting races , 12 were completed in the time, and top suit was used through out, a few tales of woe , Joe Harphams RG 65 was the first with a failed rudder servo and no replacement, next Mick C had a failed rudder servo, he was kindly given a spare by Dave Burke , missed three races , but was then back in the hunt only to see the new one fail just before the last race of the day. Alan Newman seemed to have ongoing problems which we must try to get to the bottom of. Jim Dinmore showed some flashes of excellence in getting a 2/3/4th , Gordon Bennett posted a couple of bullets and four 3rds, so things are improving with the white Dragon. Jen Hand showed some consistency in her racing and I am sure will be pleased with the overall performance of her boat, As you can see the RG 65 came in top of the pops but Dave Burke carries an early lead into the Dragon series by the skin of his teeth, some trim problems did not help the last few races. So there you have it , 10 competitors had a great time. The guys that did not show or could not show,  are missing a fab series that will only get better.

The seres results will be posted as two separate results ie RG 65 and Dragon Force in due course

The first round of the winter championship was not supported as well as it might have been. Seven skippers came to the line on a foggy morning,  and for those of you that decided to give it a miss because of a light winds forecast ,, you were all wrong, by a long way ,,,,, there was NO wind, we managed to get in five races and this was mainly due to the Coots passing wind as we drifted past them, frustrating it was,  but I am sure we all went home a little wiser on our sail settings and tactics, The sun came through eventually and tea break was very pleasant. Brit Pops did the business and well deserved. Results are below ,, and a well done to Bert Whitehead and also Geoff Burrell for winning one of the races for what was probably their first time .

Mick

Admin