The third race of our summer pursuit season started under auspicious circumstances; it was not too cold and the wind was moderate!
It was good to see a couple of people who had not sailed before in a Rollesby race amongst the turn-out of 13 boats. We hope to see you back next week!
There was one Wayfarer, flying the flag for the double-handers! The wind behaved (as well as Rollesby wind ever does) and the sun sank slowly as the race progressed.
The Officer of the Day team was kept busy tracking movements up and down the fleet, so they never did manage that second cup of tea.
The result:
R Bailey (Wayfarer)
K Edwards (Solo)
C Foster (Laser)
Perhaps all of us who, after the race, heard the bittern booming over the Broad were winners.
There was a lack of wind at 6 pm and some members decided to give the race a miss. By the time the race got going though the sailors who stayed had the benefit of a gentle South West breeze. The breeze gradually increased giving a lovely evening sail.
Jack Ibbotson joined the evening sailors this week and started in his Finn on a “scratch handicap.” Jack soon got to the front and stayed ahead to win the race. Next time he starts a minute latter and will soon establish his personal handicap.
The forecast for strong winds kept many regular participants at home. Six keen members went out however, to enjoy the pursuit race, with the north wind blowing down the broad.
With fast lap times Ellie Edwards in her Splash completed the first lap as the four Lasers were just starting.
The laser sailors had many capsizes and Ellie kept pace with them to keep the lap ahead and win. Clive Girling eventually pull clear other the other lasers for a second place.
Special mention of our new member David Taylor. With limited experience Dave set of sailing his GP 14 single handed and managed several laps of the course to finish the race still dry,
Twenty-six boats truned out for our first event of 2021! on a bright sunny morning with a reasonable if somewhat patchy south-westerly breeze. Three diagonal beats were set across the Broad with long downwind return allowing those with spinnakers to fly them.
With the wind shifting occasionally to south, before it rose and settled, Roger Wilson was able to get a port flyer in race one as a lull passed across the fleet in the last minute before the start leaving many drifting around at the wrong end of the line. Matt Boreham also stared well and these two led through the upwind legs on the first lap. Howard Astley-Jones hoisted his spinnaker at the far end of the Broad and was able to lead after the first lap, with Dave Houghton and John Symmonds using theirs to great effect too, recovering from an early navigational error!
On the downwind leg Phil Highfield and Richard Brown escaped from the pursuing pack to join the front bunch. The spinnaker flyers could not gain enough on the Solos who took the first two places on handicap.
In the middle of the fleet a large pack arrived at the last mark on a puff descending on an unfortunate Steve Leigh and Stuart Highfield who had led them into the wind hole at the mark. Eight boats crossed the line in a 5 second period! With Ellie Edwards gaining most having raced well with the faster craft and enabling her to take third on handicap.
Race two saw a slightly increased breeze in a more steady direction, indeed it rose on lap two enough to provide a couple of capsizes. Daniel Bull took advantage of his boatspeed to lead for much of the race, but had to settle for second a mere couple of seconds behind Dave and John who were enjoying the spinnaker run.
There was a very close second bunch with Jack Ibbotson, Roger, Matt, Phil, Daniel Harvey, Pete & Rachel Smith and Steve Whitby all largely abreast at one point on the first run. Phil did escape from the rest on the second lap, but couldn’t quite clear Roger and they tied on handicap for third place.
A great turnout for our fist sail of the year with prizes distributed throughout the fleet.
Despite a heavy downpour during pre-race rigging, nineteen boats took to the water for Rollesby’s 2020 Autumn regatta.
In the multisail fleet, only the Wayfarers had listened to the sailing instructions, starting on time but enjoying a close race with Bob Sparrow & Steve Gibbons taking a narrow but important win from Auriel Gibson and Lindsey Nettleton. In race 2 Howard Astley-Jones was hot of the line in his Vareo and did a horizon job on the Wayfarers. Sparrow took second and the class cup!
In the much larger single-sailed fleet the racing was much more mixed; indeed the overall winner counted two thirds it was that mixed up! In race 1 Richard Brown and Chris Foster in Lasers led from Ian Ayres’ Solo early on. Daren Pike took his Phantom past them all but could not establish a large enough lead and it was Roger Wilson in his Solo who recovered from a slow start to take the win from Ayres with Ellie Edwards sitting comfortably well in mid pack in her Splash.
In race 2 the slower boats all wanted to get onto port tack as soon as possible, but only Wilson cleared the faster craft, who chose to start on starboard and he established a good lead early on. The breeze was somewhat erratic, but enough to capsize several of the leading bunch, including Wilson. The Lasers of Dan Bull and Matt Boreham (despite some penalty turns) were able to take advantage of this and pull out good distance as the rest recovered. There was a good ladies race going on in the bunch with Edwards beating Tamsin Highfield (Streaker) by just 4 seconds to give her the overall win over Wilson and Bull.
The Autumn (Oct / Nov) series begins next weekend with separate starts. If we manage to get catering back up and running as as is planned we may even get some afternoon racing in!
Multisails (4 Entries)
1. Bob Sparrow & Steve Gibbons (Wayfarer) – 3 pts 2. Howard Astley-Jones (Vareo) – 4 3. Auriel Gibson & Lindsey Nettleton – 5
Single Handers (15 Entries)
1. Ellie Edwards (Splash)– 6 pts 2. Roger Wilson (Solo) – 7 pts 3. Dan Bull (Laser) – 8 4. Ian Ayres (Solo) – 10 5. Matt Boreham (Laser) – 12 6. Tamsin Highfiled (Streaker) – 12 7. Richard Brown (Laser) – 14 8. Chris Foster (Laser) – 14 9. Jack Ibbotson (Finn) – 19 10. John Saddington (Solo) – 20 11. Richard Foster (Laser) – 25 12. Tom Quale (RS300) – 27
With the lockdown restrictions still in place, today saw the commencement of the second e-series. This follows the conclusion of the clubs initial series last week in which Phil was crowned overall winner and hence having the responsibility of representing the club in the e-sailing regional championship.
With the ‘newbies’ to the game now getting to grips with their craft the racing is proving to be closer with just about everyone heading the fleet at some point. And with the exception of one race everyone finished with 46 seconds of each other, another indication of how everyone was improving.
It proved to be a slow start for our newly crowned champion as it took a couple of races to get back to his winning ways !
In race one Tamsin, Dan & Keith led the fleet by some distance with Phil having to go back after a premature start. On the final downwind leg Tamsin appeared to have the race until the technical gremlins ejected her from the game leaving Dan to take the win. The has led to a new race classification of GBO !
Dan took an early lead in race two which he held throughout the race with Keith, Phil and Dave fighting over the next three places. On the line Keith crossed just ahead of Phil then Dave. Just behind Antony and Ian enjoyed a close tussle throughout the race with Antony crossing the line 1.5 seconds ahead. Tamsin again ‘disappeared’ from the water, perhaps she needs to speak to technical support !
The fleet were closely bunched up the first windward leg in race three. Dan was choosing the upwind routes well and edged round the windward mark first followed by Dave. By the final downward leg Dan had opened up a good lead over Dave who was just ahead of Keith and Phil who were covering each other, Phil eventually crossing the line half a second ahead of Keith.
Phil finally got back to his winning ways in race four after leading Dave and Dan round the course with Dan edging Dave out of second place by 0.1 seconds and Keith and Ian just behind.
In the final ‘official’ race of the day Phil again lead the fleet closely followed by Dan. Only a few seconds separated Dave and Keith on the final downwind leg with Dave just managing to hold on against a charging Keith.
So Dan takes an early lead in the series but Phil is close behind. With the racing thus far taken place in 49er’s the general consensus was to try another craft for next week. This lead to the decision to try all them so for the following weeks we will be sailing, Stars, Formula 18, F50, J70, Offshore Yachts and finally the Nacra 17. So in order to prepare for this Keith kindly set up a few practise races in Stars, F18 and F50.
This week is was time to put all the training to good use in the RYA eSailing Spring Club Championships – Qualifier, each registered club puts forward a Club Champion to go onto the Regional Heats to be completed by 24th May. Recent form had 2 clear favourites in Phil Highfield and Daniel Harvey who were neck and neck in the Spring E-series. It was going to be 5 races of 3 laps in the 49er with 3 to count. (The higher discard count to cater for unforeseen technical difficulties) .
In the First race the usual 2 suspects were at the front in a close battle, Phil just pipping Daniel to the line by 2 seconds with Tamsin not far behind in third. Race 2 a close battle to the end, Phil first over the line with Keith pushing Daniel back into third. Phil was looking good to be club champion just needing 1 more win to claim the title. Race 3 – Another closely fought race this time Daniel taking the win by 3 seconds and Dave finding his form in Third. So at this stage Phil the Daniel with a three way tie for third. Race 4 – Would Phil seal the deal? Not this time, for a change Phil was back in the pack, Dave wining, Daniel and Keith 3rd. Still it wasn’t over if Daniel could take the win the title would be his. Race 5 – Phil got away at the windward mark with Dave a few seconds back and Daniel hot on his heals. Phil managed to hold for a comfortable win and the title, Daniel overall 2nd and Dave 3rd.
So Phil is off to the RYA East regional Qualifier (more details to follow), and he also takes the RBSC E-Spring Series title from Daniel and Tamsin in 3rd.
In a post race interviews when asking the top 2 for their race tips.
Phil – “Auto Vmg is very good on a phone or tablet, but it can hide the shifts a bit”
Daniel – “I tend to keep an eye on the top left circle and the darker areas where the wind is stronger (Phil really uses this well!) This is especially beneficial at the start. Also, if behind on the downwind leg, try and use your wind shadow to slow the other boat. A good WiFi signal helps too, it’s really frustrating when in a good position and you get kicked out! and good footwear too, I nearly came a cropper between races walking to get another beer!”
So next week a new series, format as to be confirmed, although it will still be five races each week.
The racing is getting closer and a bit more tactical. So come and Join us next week. (we can always do some informal races before Sunday if required.)
The fourth instalment of the Rollesby Broad e-Spring series was held on the 12th April in Cagliari (Italy) with a few missing from previous weeks. Phil was leading the series but Daniel had been challenging him lately. The fleet opted to stay in the now familiar 49er.
The first 2 races saw Daniel then Phil take the wins with the other 2nd, Races 3 and 4 and Daniel got out in front but Dave then Tamsin pushing Phil back into 3rd.
Race 5 and positions back to normal with Daniel taking the win from Phil. So with 1 week to go in the series it really couldn’t be closer as both are tied on 15 points
As we have entered the RYA ESailing championship and we need to have a club champion by 3rd May thats on Sunday. It looks like it will be Daniel or Phil on current form but you never know. The format is a 5 race series using the now familiar “49er” – We will have the 5 race series on the 3rd May and also include the results in the current series. (Its 2 discards in 5 to cater for technical issues).. Keith ERO
If you haven’t tried it yet it is relatively straightforward. It is easy and free to arrange an account, there is a ‘Training School’ to take you through the basics and a practice option to allow you to sail each of the craft. If required we could hold another practice session next Saturday if anyone would like to try before joining the racing on Sunday. If interested ping a message on the RBSC Sailors Chat WhatsApp group.
All these tips also apply to the real thing – And a good explanation!!
The second instalment of the Rollesby Broad e-Spring series was held on the 12th April in sunny Keil (Germany) with a few new helms joining the racing. Club members opted to stay with the 49er’s for the second set of five races. It did appear that the short journey had caused a a few glitches with the boats. (That’s my excuse- Keith)
Some Bimbling complete and Anna sticking to safety rulesLeading ladies
The ladies got off to a good start in the first race with Tamsin Highfield and Anna Zmura leading at the windward mark. Phil however managed to slip through on the final lap to just take the win, an annoying habit he’s very good at!
Tamsin managed to reverse this in the second race by just beating Phil in what was the closest finish of the day with two seconds between second and fourth place.
After a DSQ and a DNC Dan Harvey finally got back on track in race three, beating Phil by two seconds after a race long tussle.
In race four Dave Houghton had a rare moment leading the fleet for just about the whole race only to see Phil cross the line one second ahead.
Phil nicks Dave’s win!
It was a family one two in race five with Phil taking another win and Tamsin just beating Antony Barnes who took his second podium position of the day.
Overall Phil Highfield continued his good form finishing in the top two in every race and now has a clear series lead.
This week’s sailing proved to be more competitive and despite the larger fleet the time difference between first and last positions was smaller than last weeks.
If you haven’t tried it yet it is relatively straightforward. It is easy and free to arrange an account, there is a ‘Training School’ to take you through the basics and a practice option to allow you to sail each of the craft. If required we could hold another practice session next Saturday if anyone would like to try before joining the racing on Sunday. If interested ping a message on the RBSC Sailors Chat WhatsApp group.
All these tips also apply to the real thing – And a good explanation!!
Spring e-series overall (top five) 1st 49er 836 P Highfield (8pts), 2nd 49er 666 D Harvey (19pts), 3rd 49er 748 K Sykes (20 pts), 4th 49er AntB A Barnes (29 pts), 5th 49er Tazhi T Highfield) (34 pts)
Now this really is a First, 2 reports for 1 event!!!!!
Training started on Saturday – with 7 crews getting to grips with the 49er (or how to Login) which concluded with 3 quick races, Young master Highfield (Phil) taking the honours in all 3 and by a considerable margin of around 20secs after just 6 mins of racing. So we all had a clue how next the days racing would go.
Phil – Showing us how it’s done – Race Training.
Sunday.
The fleet gathered at the slight earlier time of 10am. (A Stunning day for sailing but we wont go there!) With the Fleet traveling to Aarhus – Weather a good F4 coming of the shore and a W/L course (2 laps) We were in for some exciting if not unpredictable racing!. Some pre-sailing whatsapp banter, a virtual cuppa and E-ccles cake and the fleet were ready to launch. There were some hopeful faces as the first boats launched, then those faces fell. “Dam there’s Phil!!!”
Race 1 started A good start saw Phil and Keith get away from the rest of the fleet heading for the upwind mark, It was all very tight at the mark, Keith on Starboard and Phil coming in hard on Port, Phil decided there was room and tacked in front, Keith failed to avoid (was there room!!), The Jury said yes, and a Keith took the Penalty, Phil now with a near 100m lead and Daniel taking 2nd spot, Phil must have made a mistake as Daniel closed to within 2 seconds at the finish but couldn’t quite overhaul him, Keith in 3rd some 15 seconds behind. Phil was still looking good but not quite as convincing as the night before.
“Probably shouldn’t have run into the back of Phil” – Keith
“I probably shouldn’t have clipped the committee boat at the start 🙄” – Daniel
“I started doing 360s at the start !!” – Dave
Race 2 Finished in the Same order as Race 1 with Anthony just outside the top 3.
“Sorry to whoever’s boat I cut in half, send me the bill 🙄
“I think I ploughed thro Anthony just after the start. Sorry – Dave “No Probs” Anthony
“I thought I had a great start, the OOD disagreed” – Keith (Sadly no Protests) “Welcome to my world” -Dave
Race 3 Racing was even closer just 8 seconds between the top 3, Keith – Just pipping Phil to the Line by 1 second, Daniel then Dace just behind.
Race 4 Phil and Daniel in that order just separated by 7 seconds the Anthony taking a well deserved 3rd.
Race 5 This was the closest race , with all 5 finishers within 40 seconds, It may have been Phil’s Day with 3 bullets and 2 seconds to discard but this race when to Daniel by just 1 second having battled hard all day.
The Fleet returned to shore to lick there wounds and do some major repairs,
Back on shore………..
“I think Phil should be given a handicap (maybe tie one hand behind his back? Or he has to have Henrietta on his lap to ‘help’ with pressing buttons?) 🤪” – Daniel “She was wondering in and out while he was playing…but I can arrange for her to sit on his lap…” Tamsin Thanks, it’s only fair! 😇 – Daniel
Click image for full results, including Race tables.
Same Time next week…… The more the merrier. (Max 20 boats, 1st come basis)
Keith
Great Minds or Buses?? (Busss I think!)
Now this really is a First, 2 reports for 1 event!!!!!
With the current situation preventing all sporting events normal club sailing has temporally been cancelled until further notice. However, this has not stopped members of RBSC who took to their pc’s and tablets to join in the Spring e-sailing series. Using one of the best virtual sailing platforms members swapped their normal craft of Solos. Lasers and Wayfarers for 49er’s, sailing around a course in Aarhus in Denmark!
With races lasting for less than ten minutes five races were held. Penalties are automatically enforced for any rule infringements and the Virtual Race Officer takes a dim view when you plough through the Committee boat at the start!!
Phil Highfield and Dan Harvey were the front runners in the first two races with Highfield just holding of Harvey by a few seconds each time.
In race three Keith Sykes was first off the line and took an early lead. Highfield slowly closed the gap over the two lap race and at the finish Sykes crossed the line just one second ahead.
Unfortunately for Sykes he was unable to produce another perfect start ending up last over the line in race four. Highfield and Harvey lead the fleet opening up a good lead with Highfield taking line honours. Antony Barnes led the rest of the fleet home to finish third.
In the final race the usual suspects were again at the front of the fleet with just a few seconds separating Highfield, Harvey and Sykes. This remained right up to the finish with Harvey beating Highfield by just one second.
With everyone appearing to enjoy the friendly competition all were looking forward to the second installment next Sunday.
