| Thanks to Kevin for these.
Check them out on our Flickr Page its easier to view and offers a full screen slideshow.
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Full size images can be down loaded from the RBSC Flickr Page, How To Downlaod a Photo from the RBSC Flickr page 2014 |
It was definitely a game of two halves; to mix sporting metaphors; at Rollesby Broad this Sunday (3rd March). Race officer Matt Boreham chose to set 4 gybes on a downwind slalom as opposed to the three previous weeks of long runs.
Race one was bit of a damp squib (literally) as the gentle force 2 the race started in came down the broad in varying puffs accompanied by occasional drizzle. Dave Houghton & John Symonds won the Wayfarer race by a margin from Bob Sparrow & Steve Gibbons who only just pipped John Saddington & Dennis Manning for second. In the single-handers David Frary in his Finn, slowly pulled away from the fleet of 14 led by the Solos of Robert Hawkins and Ian Ayres to take the win.
As the noon start time for the second race approached the postponement flag was raised and hung limply from its hoist as the sailors wandered around ashore quaffing coffee and pondering whether or not to give-up and go home! At 12.15 a few ripples appeared on the water, the flag was lowered and launching commenced. The first capsize (Keith Sykes in his Laser) was less than 5 minutes away as the anticipated storm Freya arrived with aplomb.
Only three Wayfarers started; Houghton wobbled down the first short run with Saddington in pursuit; Sparrow already on third, decided to wear round at the first gybe, only to end up in the reeds. Houghton took a somewhat cautious approach from there on but was able to hold on for a narrow win from Saddington.
Meanwhile the single-handers were either relishing the breeze or stretching the rescue services. More than one sailor was seen to head ashore even before the start. Ayres went for the port start in a cloud of spray, he had to duck a couple of transoms, but only the Laser of Daniel Bull went with him to the right. Thomas suffered the indignity of his mast coming down recovering from a capsize after only 100yds. Bull led round the windward mark, but then put in a double capsize at the first gybe mark. Phil Highfield took the lead in his Streaker only to lose his mainsheet at the last (fourth) gybe of the lap; yes they were all still in the course. Ayres took the lead as a charging James Letts (Laser) flew into second before a wipeout broach at the leeward mark. The next beat proved less eventful but as the fleet turned downwind on lap two the wind was rising; Ayres capsized briefly at the first gybe this time, giving the lead back to Bull and Phil with Stuart Highfield bringing his Laser into contention. By lap 3 the hardy few left racing hard were starting to manage the conditions; but they were still glad to hear the shorten course signal! Bull led Phil across the line but not by far enough; Ayres was third with Stuart fourth on the water, but with Hawkins – the first finisher to stay upright close enough to take him on handicap.
Multisails
Race 1 (4 entries)
Race 2 (3)
SingleHanders
Race 1 (18 entries)
Race 2 (17)
| Thanks to Kevin for these.
Check them out on our Flickr Page its easier to view and offers a full screen slideshow.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rollesbybroadsc
Full size images can be down loaded from the RBSC Flickr Page, How To Downlaod a Photo from the RBSC Flickr page 2014 |
Angie will not be at the club this Sunday and so no food will be available, please bring your own snacks and sandwiches etc. Sorry for the late notification. Stuart.
Two things happened with the fleets at Rollesby this week; that were almost as rare as the un-February like weather. Firstly the multis-sails outnumbered the single-handers an event no-one can recall in recent years, and secondly the singlehanded fleet was entirely a Solo fleet in race 2 after the single Phantom who joined them in race 1 stayed ashore, the Lasers had already decided there was insufficient wind; which may have been true at 10.30 but there was a comfortable breeze by midday!
And so whilst Gareth Thomas (Phantom) did for a while lead the single-handers round in race 1, it was winter member Terry Palmer who took the win for the Solos from John Saddington and Steve Leigh. In race 2 Kevin Postlethwaite had a good lead at the first leeward mark with the remainder of the fleet rounding four abreast. However unable to defend both sides of the beat Saddington and Palmer were both able to get close to Postlethwaite and take full advantage of a perfectly timed (for them) gust at the windward mark to catch and pass him on the run back down the broad.
In the Multisails it was spinnakers to the fore in race 1; the three boats with, coming out on top. Ian & Sharon Ayres in their Leader were able to use their greater tacking agility to keep in touch with the faster straight line speed of Dave Houghton & John Symonds and Peter and Eileen Dearnley in their Wayfarers. However as the wind slowly rotated to the east giving less options upwind, the Wayfarers took the spoils. In race 2 Val & Chris Hanson along with Pete & Rachel Smith both started at the less obvious but breezier leeward end of the line and as those at the windward end succumbed to a hole, were able to sail out underneath them and create a tight top four at the windward mark. As the wind had shifted to stop ‘goose-winging’ the spinnakers of Dearnley and Houghton paid even more and they slowly pulled away with the Smiths leading home the rest of the pack.
In the afternoon it looked like Saddington and Leigh might hold on the Wayfarers and for a lap they were certainly close enough to challenge, but once again the lopsided upwind leg saw the Houghton and Dearnley pull away to take the top two spots.
Multisails
Race 1 (8 entries)
Race 2 (8)
SingleHanders
Race 1 (5 entries)
Race 2 (5)
Mixed PM Race 3 (9)
| Thanks to Kevin for these.
Check them out on our Flickr Page its easier to view and offers a full screen slideshow.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rollesbybroadsc
Full size images can be down loaded from the RBSC Flickr Page, How To Downlaod a Photo from the RBSC Flickr page 2014 |
A delightlyfully bright sunny morning and a forecast force 4 straight along the Broad, saw 32 boats take to the water for the first race at Rollesby on Sunday 17th February.
With a slightly lighter breeze in reality, the 9 multi-sails were first away; it took a little while for the fleet to settle into an order, but Steve Grey quite rightly led after a lap in his D-One. With a long run it looked like Dave Houghton & Jon Symonds and John Saddington & Dennis Manning flying their spinnakers would have a big advantage, but it was Ian & Sharon Ayres taking a wider route in their Leader who led the main pack at this point. The Wayfarers showed their pace upwind with Houghton eventually winning from Ayres and Saddington.
Those spinnakers paid more as the wind rose in race two however Peter and Eileen Dearnley sailing without a kite were flying up the beats and split the other Wayfarers to take second from Houghton this time around.
In the single-handers with 23 boats on the line a clean start was clearly in order; David Frary (Finn) and Mike McNamara (Harrier) were able to use their additional boatspeed to establish a small lead on the first beat, however the midfleet were ignoring handicaps and swapping places regularly. Richard Brown and James Letts represented the Laser push early on with Daniel Bull catching them on the second lap, however as the race progressed they were losing out to the Solos of Robert Hawkins and Terry Palme, indeed had Palmer not misread the finish they would have been 1 & 2 but instead they were split by McNamara. The increased breeze in race 2 saw Frary put the hammer down and establish a good lead, however Phil Highfield in the ‘family’ Streaker had other ideas downwind as he came back at the leaders on every lap to eventually tie with Frary for the win, with McNamara 3rd and Brown 4th.
The good weather encouraged 16 starters for the mixed afternoon race and there were two distinct bunches, the Wayfarers, with three boats less than a minute apart and the Solos whose first three finished within 15 seconds of each other! But who would come out on top; it looked like a Houghton win and indeed it was but Dearnley and Saddington had to wait for the calculated results to confirm they had indeed beaten the Solos by a very narrow margin.
Multisails
Race 1 (9 entries)
Race 2 (9)
SingleHanders
Race 1 (23 entries)
Race 2 (19)
Mixed PM Race 3 (16)
Courses will run on Saturdays
April 27th
May 11th
May 25th
June 8th
From 10:00 to 16:00
Please pass on to any interested parties.
The course will be run by club members in both members’ boats and our own club boats.
The course will be open to both youngsters and adults.
Sailing is perceived as being an expensive sport. Nothing could be further from the truth. You don’t even need to own a boat since we have a fleet of club boats available.
For more information all Rachel or Pete on 01953 606334.
The air temperature had certainly seen the day’s title as ice was cracked off of covers and decks for Rollesby’s Frostbite Regatta on Sunday 3rd February; fortunately the sun was out and the wind relatively light so everyone felt much warmer than the 4 degrees air temperature. Unusually, only 2 Wayfarers joined the 18 mixed single-handers; so it was decided to run the racing as all in, rather than in separate fleets.
Phil Highfield (Streaker) and Ian Ayres (Solo) took the furthest left and right hand routes up the initial beat before rounding the first mark overlapped, with Mike McNamara (Harrier) in closest pursuit. McNamara rolled over the two slower boats on the first reach and rapidly built a lead. Dave Houghton & Jon Symonds (Wayfarer) recovered well from having been a long way over at the start! dragging David Frary in his Finn up to the top group with them. On the last lap some large gaps opened with McNamara taking a 15 second handicap win from Ayres; compared to the 3 minute gap back Highfield and Frary who almost dead-heated in third and fourth.
A change of wind direction and course saw Steve Leigh (Solo) with an almost perfect start; however he and Ayres were quickly sandwiched by the faster travelling McNamara and Frary and by the time they could take remedial action were back in the pack led by Daniel Bull and James Letts in their Lasers. Highfield had taken full advantage of the bunching behind to sail along the bank and lead round the first two marks. The wind increased as the race progressed benefitting the faster craft most and McNamara took another narrow win, this time with Frary second and Houghton third.
A slightly reduced but still substantial fleet of 13 took to the water after lunch; McNamara and Highfield were best away with Houghton close behind, however the wind had swung a little further and Ayres and the second Wayfarer of John Saddington & Dennis Manning were the first to spot this, closing in at the first windward mark, this pack all finished within 25 seconds on handicap! McNamara rightly led on the water, but a better spinnaker course gave the win to Houghton. Highfield and Ayres had a bit of an epic cat and mouse race with Ayres close enough behind on the water to just take second place on handicap and for the day overall.
| Thanks to Kevin for these.
Check them out on our Flickr Page its easier to view and offers a full screen slideshow.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rollesbybroadsc
Full size images can be down loaded from the RBSC Flickr Page, How To Downlaod a Photo from the RBSC Flickr page 2014 |
