Author: Keith Sykes

A good south westerly breeze, which rise for race 2 causing several capsizes, greeted the fleet for Rollesby’s Winter Regatta on 2^ndDecember.

The direction meant a long initial beat down the broad, which later in the day needed splitting in two, and a run / broad reach back which at times proved an exciting ride. Continuing their excellent form in what became a Wayfarer fleet race, David Houghton & John Symonds flew their spinnaker with great effect on the run of race one for a comfortable win from John Saddington & Dennis Manning. This however was their undoing in race two asa double capsize with kite up let the Saddington & Manning through and they took the meeting.

The single handers were much more mixed up! Mike McNamara unsurprisingly led the fleet round in race one in his Harrier, however hot on his transom throughout was Phil Highfield’s Streaker who won comfortably on handicap, Ian Ayres and Matt Boreham in Solos led home the rest of the tight pack some way back in 3^rd and 4^th.

The wind rose for the start of race two before briefly rising to some people’s survival limit on the second lap. McNamara led up the first beat from James Letts (Laser) and Highfield, whilst Daniel Bull had also joined the front pack in his Laser Radial. On the second run McNamara capsized (adopting anew coaching position – mid- broad on a centre-board?) and Bull took off to win by a good margin from Highfield with Carl Buck (Laser) also enjoying the down wind ride for third.

Only single handers took to the water after lunch and the fleet was tightly packed for a perfect false start 5 minutes early! Keith Sykes caused some mayhem at the restart, putting his Laser in a rapidly disappearing gap but thankfully all remained upright. Bull and Highfield enjoyed some excellent match racing, just in front of the Solos, doing the same thing.Highfield piped Bull on the line but not on handicap and the first five finished with tired limbs in regatta order, Bull, Highfield, Ayres, Boreham and Whitby……. with Sykes also finishing.

Multisails (5 entries)

1. John Saddington & Dennis Manning (Wayfarer)
2. Dave Houghton & John Symonds (Wayfarer)

Single Handers (15 entries)

1. Daniel Bull (Radial) – 2 pts
2. Phil Highfield (Streaker) – 3
3. Ian Ayres (Solo) – 6
4. Matt Boreham (Solo) – 9
5. Steve Whitby (MiniSail) – 9
6. Carl Buck (Laser) – 11
7. Bob Hawkings (Solo) – 12
8. Keith Sykes (Laser) – 15
9. James Letts (Laser) – 18
10. Mike Horwitz (Solo) – 20
11. Phil Alison (Solo) – 22

Those who looked out at the flat water before the start of raceone and opted not to rig probably thought themselves wise until they missed out on an exciting ride through a squally race two and a pleasant race three at Rollesby for the completion of the Autumn series.

Mike McNamara must have taken note of some of his own instructing (elsewhere in the Broads) as he produced two good starts in his Harrier to lead round the course in both the mornings’ single hander races. Given the very lightwinds for race one he was probably surprised to win on handicap; with John Saddington (Solo) and Tamsin Highfield (Streaker) leading home the main pack in second and third. Second place gave Saddington the series without having won a race.

The sky darkened and the breeze kicked in for race two and there were several calls for water at the three downwind marks as the pack compressed and stretched out behind McNamara whilst the gusts came and went. Steve Whitby brought his MiniSail home in mid-fleet to take second on handicap and the series; he didn’t win a race either!; with Phil Highfield third in the family Streaker.

In the Multisails Dave Houghton & John Symonds (Wayfarer) had already won both series but were pushed harder than usual by Ian & Sharon Ayres in their Leader. These two finished nearly half a lap clear in race one after escaping the rest early on the downwind part of the course. As the wind picked up for race two Richard Foster & Tony Ingram brought their Xenon to the front and as these three boats arrived overlapped and planing with kites up at the first gybe of race two there was a moment of ‘it’s not like Rollesby’ panic before a successful synchronised rounding! Houghton & Symonds eventually stole just enough distance to win by a few seconds from the Ayres’. 

McNamara continued his good form after lunch to win from Ayres (now in Solo mode) and Saddington and take the afternoon series.

Multisails
Race 1 (7 entries)

1. Dave Houghton & John Symonds (Wayfarer)
2. Ian & Sharon Ayres (Leader)
3. Bob Sparrow & Steve (Wayfarer)

Race 2 (6)

1. Dave Houghton & John Symonds (Wayfarer)
2. Ian & Sharon Ayres (Leader)
3. Richard Foster & Tony Ingram (Xenon)

SingleHanders
Race 1 (13 entries)

1. Mike McNamara (Harrier)
2. John Saddington (Solo)
3. Tamsin Highfield (Streaker

Race 2 (14)

1. Mike McNamara (Harrier)
2. Steve Whitby (MiniSail
3. Phil Highfield (Streaker

Mixed PM Race 3 (9)

1. Mike McNamara (Harrier)
2. Ian Ayres (Solo)
3. John Saddington (Solo)

Autumn Series Results Overall

Multisails
Race 1 (15 entries)

1. Dave Houghton & John Symonds (Wayfarer) – 3
2. Bob Sparrow & Steve (Wayfarer) – 7pts
3. Daniel Harvey & Andy Smith (Wayfarer) – 8

Race 2 (18)

1. Dave Houghton & John Symonds (Wayfarer) – 4
2. Bob Sparrow & Steve (Wayfarer) – 9pts
3. Jim Anderson (Wayfarer) – 19

SingleHanders
Race 1 (27 entries)

1. John Saddington (Solo) 7 -pts
2. Tamsin Highfield (Streaker) – 8
3. Matt Boreham (Solo) – 12

Race 2 (29)

1. Steve Whitby (MiniSail) – 8
2. Ian Ayres (Solo) – 9
3. Phil Highfield (Streaker) – 13

Mixed PM Race 3 (13)

1. Mike McNamara (Harrier) – 4
2. John Saddington (Solo) – 8
3. Ian Ayres (Solo) – 13

Eels Foot Series (41 Entries)

1. Ian Ayres (Solo) – 8
2. John Saddington (Solo) -8
3. Ian Hanson (solo) – 13

The fine weather and slightly lighter breeze than the previous week brought out a fantastic turnout at Rollebsy Broad on Sunday 18^thwith 38 sailors taking to the water at some point during the morning.

In the multisails; Chris Sallis & Matthew Frary won both raceson the water in their Tasar; but they couldn’t pull out enough of a lead overthe pack of five Wayfarers, Dave Houghton & John Symonds wrapping up the Autumnseries with a week to go by winning both races on handicap. Bob Sparrow &Steve completed the podium places with a third and a second place.

The short first beat meant the eighteen boat single-hander fleet remained more mixed up on handicap. Mike McNamara (Harrier) and David Frary (Finn) managed to break clear of the pack in race 1. Steve Leigh in his OK led the mid fleet pack before a navigation error brought him back into the clutches of Tamsin Highfield’s Streaker and John Saddington & Ian Ayres Solos. After pulling well clear on lap 2 a further course reading error by Ayres cost him the race, giving Saddington third; Steve Whitby hung on to the back of the pack in his MiniSail to take fourth.

It looked like the same service at the first mark in race two; but some smart downwind sailing by Phil Highfield (Streaker) and Gareth Thomas (Phantom) meant these two had the lead after a lap, with Ayres in closest pursuit. McNamara did eventually get clear on the water but could only count 4^th on handicap with Highfield well clear of the rest and Whitby again in close enough proximity, this time for second.

The weather was even nice enough to entice eight boats back out after lunch!

Multisails

Race 1 (7 entries)
1. Dave Houghton & John Symonds (Wayfarer)
2. Chris Sallis & Matt Frary (Tasar)
3. Bob Sparrow & Steve (Wayfarer)

Race 2 (8)
1. Dave Houghton & John Symonds (Wayfarer)
2. Bob Sparrow & Steve (Wayfarer)
3. Chris Sallis & Matt Frary (Tasar)

SingleHanders

Race 1 (18 entries)
1. Mike McNamara (Harrier)
2. David Frary (Finn)
3. John Saddington (Solo)
4. Steve Whitby (MiniSail)

Race 2 (17)
1. Phil Highfield (Streaker)
2. Steve Whitby (MiniSail)
3. Ian Ayres (Solo)
4. Mike McNamara (Harrier)

Mixed PM Race 3 (8)
1. Ian Ayres (Solo)
2. Mike McNamara (Harrier)
3. John Saddington (Solo)

Who has the fastest survival mode, was the order of the day at Rollesby Broad this Sunday; following a delayed start to observe two minutes silence at 11 am.

The singlehanders made up the majority of the sailors on the water, with Chris Toothill rightly leading the fleet round the course in his Phantom in both races. However an ability to stay upright was more important than outright speed and Ian Ayres led (all be it by a long way) a trio of Solos to handicap victory with Phil Alison and John Saddington having survived the rather scary long run second and third.

A zig-zag downwind with several gybes proved a more stable course in race two, favouring the Lasers of Keith Sykes, who worked really hard in the later stages to catch Stuart Highfield, as they enjoyed some great planing reaches; neither however could quite get far enough ahead of Ayres as he won by a handful of seconds.

In race one for the multisails, Dave Houghton & John Symonds put their Wayfarer into hyper-drive by flying their spinnaker and left the opposition lagging far behind. The only other finishers were Daniel Harvey & Andy Smith with a somewhat more cautious but very seaman like performance. When Houghton & Symonds performed their ‘once a year’ capsize before the start of race two the rest of the fleet elected to stay ashore, only to watch them very nearly repeat the feat on lap two!

Multisails
Race 1 (5 entries)
1 Dave Houghton & John Symonds (Wayfarer)
2. Daniel Harvey & Andy Smith (Wayfarer)

Race 2 (2)
1 Dave Houghton & John Symonds (Wayfarer)

Single Handers
Race 1 (11 entries)
1. Ian Ayres (Solo)
2. Phil Alison (Solo)
3. John Saddington (Solo)

Race 2 (8)
1. Ian Ayres (Solo)
2. Keith Sykes (Laser)
3. Stuart Highfield (Laser)