Race Report - Sunday 25th September 2011....

A brilliant morning greeted the Fleet today. Several regulars absent for some reason but we still mustered six boats at the slipway. I suppose that we maybe had 10mph of breeze and it crept up to 13-14mph as the race session progressed. The Big Deal in town though was that Mike and the Admiral had borrowed the drop-dead gorgeous, wood decked 3342 for the day. It looked just amazing....stunning even. (See the FF Blog for photos...)

Howard and Richard were still replacing boom outhauls at gone ten, and were last in but made it !!!

There was a large 29er event on at the same time today, so we were captive of the south end of the lake. It was an odd course, and for a change laid to starboard. There was a huge pin end bias which meant the last few seconds got a bit frantic. Mike and Phil, aka "The Woodentops", in 3342 were just slightly too early at the pin and had to peel off down the line, leaving Howard/Richard, The Humes, and John/David to smack their way up the right hand side of the beat. It was a one tack beat really - almost a fetch.... At the top mark, it was Howard/Richard then The Humes, John/David and The Stensons all in pretty tight order - the Woodentops lying fifth.

It was one of those "get in front, stay in front" kind of days (Mark and Tony get them all the time....). I was about to say that we didn't get much overtaking - a bit processional.... but not so. The Woodentops flew downwind in that old silver, and passed two boats to get into third. The boat was a bit reluctant to go uphill though, but on our olympic courses that might suit well.... It turns out that the VC is swooning about the boat understandably, and would consider selling both his other two boats in order to buy it. This is a major problem, as our fleet would lose its "largest UK fleet status" if he did so!!!!

Race two got away cleanly too. The VC, being all muscle, ripped the genoa turret clean out of the Wooden Marvel and they had to retire. Doesn't know his own strength sometimes.... Roger and Tony went off coaching... so the four other boats took off. The course was reversed to port rounding and things did not go at all well.... The beat was still hopeless, and Howard/Richard almost used the wrong gate - and anyway crossed last in the final moments (pity - we had prepared a timed run into the other gate!). A couple of tacks and we were at the top mark - The Humes in a super first place, followed by John/David, Howard/Richard and The Stenson Family. It was good fun, but I think we just stayed like that all the way round. Leg two became almost another boring tight fetch, and we had a couple of boring runs. Not very pleased we were.... And getting around that windward mark was a tricky approach actually - it was lying pretty close to the wall and you could only really come in from the left.

It was a pretty good day though - plus McLaren's Jenson Button came second in Singapore.... so an excellent day for the Country !

Datchet Race Report - Bank Holiday, Sunday 28th August 2011...

As a Bank Holiday weekend, the Club was as quiet as the grave.... except, that is, for the Flying Fifteen Fleet!!! Despite seasonal absences, we had an excellent 7 boats racing today.  Breezes were Westerly, probably 8-12 knots and as fickle as can be.....!!!  Today was pretty much all about reading the shifts upwind, but the downwind legs were not without their moments!!  

The PRO laid a short 15 second line in the moorings, which was novel but seemed to work just fine. We had to dodge Osmo at the outset and it was a fabulously long first beat right over to Windsor Castle, thankfully using as much of the lake as they could manage!! The first race got away with a small pin end bias, and Mervyn/James, Roger/Tony and Howard/Richard got a bit locked in down there.  Hiking across to the pier, we found that Thames were suddenly pumping in large volumes of water (thank you, Rain Gods!!), which with volumes of water coming out in an unseen direction caused havoc in the apparent wind there. We all got hammered by those who tacked off for Windsor early. Coming off the middle of the line and at the top mark, it was The Humes making the pace. The Millars were right there with them, as were Mervyn and James.  Howard and Richard were not at all pleased, rounding fifth - and I think a very grumpy Admiral Firth may have been 6th.

On the next reach, Howard/Richard pulled out past a few and I think hit second place by the wing mark.  There was a right old tussle going on in mid fleet as Dom and Non-Dom set about opening a handsome lead.  Up the second beat it was again so easy to pick the wrong path. Mervyn and James leapt up into second, ahead of Howard/Richard, The Millars and The Admiral, sailing today with celebrity crew, Richard Stenson. 3536 went left on the long, long run downhill, but The Humes, Howard and Richard and the pack went right - a much better breeze out there on this occasion.  Mervyn, fighting a new but slipping spinnaker halyard cleat, ate spray and dropped into third. Somehow in the following bit, the Admiral crept past to the third position and that's how it finished. Words aboard 3536 have not been published.....

Race two took off in similar conditions, but the fleet trying largely to take the centre of the line to avoid the water melee off the pier head. Osmo escaped again, and the fleet took a more right handed track toward the top mark. This time The Admiral had made no mistakes and was right up there vying for the lead with the Humes.  Then a little shift here and a little veer there, and the Humes were through and away.  A fierce battle commenced between The Admiral with Richard Stenson, and Howard and Richard. Tacks were swapped and at very close quarters the pair of boats approached the top mark. Both tacked on to port to lay the mark with the Admiral ahead. Howard and Richard opting to sit on the Admiral's stern port quarter as the mark arrived, effectively locking down the Admiral. This was never going to stop Mike and Richard who threw in a tack to starboard right on the mark - much shouting and Zimbabwean swear words, but Howard and Richard squeezed past - then a puff in the big black spinnaker and they were gone.... Lots of place changing in the pack in this race I would say - and at the finish, after an ever so tight and puffy spinnaker reach, The Admiral took 3rd, The Millars sailed really well into 4th, Mervyn/James 5th (Still cursing that slipping halyard....), John Watling in his fabulous woody (going worryingly quickly for a first race) was 6th, and Roger/Tony a close seventh.

The VC was apparently touring rowing venues for a summer holiday .....     

Datchet Race Report, Sunday August 14th - Fickle, Fickle, Fickle!!...

Considering it's holiday season, we had a great turnout today - 9 teams competing!! Even the VC was back aboard The Admiral's Barge after a long absence - and seemed to be pretty clued up as to what the fluffy sail was for!! In fact, Mike said they passed someone on every single downwind leg of today's racing and it was superb spinnaker work wot did it !! Quite right, but I was told in the Bar afterwards that it was the same boat that they passed on every leg - ha ha ha !!!

Well - it was really quite an attractive day. Thirteen Wayfarers were having an Open Meeting and that all looked very good. Won by a team from my old Club at Medway I'm told. We had 10 knots of westerly breeze, but it was shifty and picky as can be. And the undoing of many.....

Race one got away with a pretty strong pin end bias, with many of our number plumbing for the Committee Boat end - but it was one of those days where the swings were so big it might have been committee boat when you tested it!! Best start at the pin was a closely contested affair between Steve and Simon (sailing excellently today) and Howard and Richard. The fleet picked it's way up the middle trying to figure out the best path. At the top mark, Mark and Vice Cap'n Hanson took the lead by two boat lengths from Howard and Richard and with Steve and Simon in third. The fleet was already a bit strung out in the fickleness of breeze. Within about 80 yards, Howard and the big black spinnaker had munched past Mark and John, and pulled out maybe three or four boat lengths of lead. No obvious shouting aboard 3860 to their credit !!! It stayed like this until the second beat - Howard and Richard took to the middle, and Mark and John just 100 yards to the right, and with the rest of the fleet (!) roared past!! Howard and Richard found themselves about 5th and out of the game. Mark never lets a chance like that go and popped off into the distance as usual !! At least when Tony's in the boat, it goes a little bit slower...!! To be honest , I'm not sure of the placings and timings for the finish (I couldn't see that far ahead) - you'll have to check the "Last Sunday's Results" button on the Right Hand Side of this webpage.

For Race Two the line was a good bit squarer - Steve and Simon made another tip-top pin end start, closely followed by the Admiral/VC and Howard/Richard on Starboard and right in the groove. Howard and Richard split tacks and well ..... went all pear shaped again somehow. HQ is at a loss to explain where that beat went, but they popped out at mark one in about seventh. Mark and John looked well away with it but there were some excellent performances in the pack. I've mentioned Steve and Simon, but The Stensons sporting a Hayling number 60 on the bow (average age in the boat?!!) were having a really good day. Roger and Tony also were ahead of both The Admiral and Howard/Richard at various times and their boat looked in good shape going upwind today. Mervyn and Callum (he of the gashed head!) were also right on the money in Race Two - so some very pleasing performances to be seen today (3934 excluded!!).

It's Helen Selden's birthday this week. Twenty Fifth, I'd say ! Next time you see Helen, just raise your eyebrows and snigger slightly when you say, "Good Morning!" !!!

Datchet, The Admiral's Race Report - Sunday August 7th

Sailed the first race only today having a lunch to attend (on Sunday! Highly unpopular)

VC not available so I sailed with Mark! Mervyn with Callum, Andy with Mark, Roger and Tony. It was a super morning - some sun and a lovely if somewhat flukey wind, F3 gusting 4 and a tight first reach which rewarded those who resisted the temptation to put up spinnakers. All were roughly on the line for the first start with Andy in particular going fast and pointing high. He was first at the windward mark and then up went his spinnaker. Firths caught up by the end of the first reach and were ahead at the lee mark after a splendid planing run. . Wind flukes made the next two beats chancy but we maintained sufficient lead to the finish. Andy and Mervyn fought closely over second place. (I think Andy made it).

John Watling was there with his beautiful woody but did not race.