A fine day, and a nice westerly breeze of about fifteen mph, allowed us to set a triangular course of two laps per race, using about three quarters of the lake, for the five skippers who turned out, with new recruit Malcolm Clement joining us for the first time.
The wind was a little unpredictable at times and it became a good challenge, with every race being different each time. As usual it was Derek who mastered the conditions the best, and with his experience it was no surprise that he took the honours on the day.
The wind had picked up a little after our half time cuppa, and it had become very cold, and we had just about had enough after our eight races, and we were more than ready to call time and get back into the warm.
Our next outing for the 95 is on Saturday 15th February, 12 noon start.
The Club as part of its 90th year celebrations is staging the IOM National Championships over the August Bank Holiday 29th-31st. We are hoping that this will attract an entry of 84 skippers and it promises to be a spectacular event. The entry for the event is £50 and entry can be made though the MYA Online Payments System. An entry form can be obtained by clicking the following link – https://mya-uk.org.uk/event/iom-national-championship/
Entries will be prioritised to MYA members up until 1st April, whereafter entries will be open to overseas competitors.
Seven skippers turned out for the first IOM club racing session of 2020. With the wind coming from a reasonable SW direction it was anyone’s guess whether A or B rig was the correct choice, most opting to watch me ( B rig ) and Doug ( A rig ) practicing before still not being sure, in the end all started with B except for Doug.
Racing started just after 10:30 on a course set over 1.5 laps using 3/4 of the lake. Plenty of shifts & plenty of gusts to keep us thinking followed by a bit of a lull during race 4. We decided we would complete the next race before changing up to A rig, a good choice since in the end Doug changed down a rig as the wind increased for race 6.
The top two positions in most races were fought for by Rob & Derek with a bit of a repeating pattern of results occurring. With 10 races completed we went in for lunch at 13:00, two of our number having to leave for other commitments & with damage to Doug’s viper meaning he could not continue either. Four hardy skippers continued for a further 4 or 5 races until the rain beat us into retreat as well.
All in all, a good session particularly for the time of year and hopefully this will be a kick start to regular IOM club racing.
As opposed to the fickle and unkind wind direction during the Twixmas weekend the first DF65 racing of the year was blessed with a constant westerly breeze with no rain, an unseasonal temperatures with the added bonus of ‘no crabbers’.
One notable absence: our ever present Captain Bob Jolly fell victim to the dreaded winter cold and our thanks go to Darren McCaul for the race officer duties.
The day began with eight skippers and all but Bob Jones opted for their B rig which, for the first five of the ten races proved to be the correct when, in a diminishing breeze, the A rig came into its own.
Sadly, Ken C suffered with a servo problem with brother Michael and Ian Hawtin also having their involvement shortened with gear failure.
All-in-all a most enjoyable day with good banter, a couple of drink breaks and a time for lunch.
Event four and the penultimate event of this series is on Saturday, 8th of February at 12 noon.
For day 2 of the Twixmas Regatta at Fleetwood it was the turn of the IOM fleet. The forecast was for 9 knots from the S or SSE, but unfortunately it was mostly 3 to 5 knots with some large shifts although predominantly straight across the lake. The course consisted of a long fetch/close reach from the clubhouse to the first mark and spreader and then four reaches and beats across the lake finishing in a close reach to the finish at the clubhouse end.
After a presentation of the MYA Chris Dicks Award to this years winner Dave Hollom and a short briefing, racing got underway promptly at 10:00. With a total of 23 boats finally registering on the morning, the fleet was split into two seeding heats to try and avoid congestion at the first mark with the wind direction. Mick Chamberlain (Sedici) and Rob Walsh (Britpop) won the two seeding races, with both of them establishing a useful lead at the first mark and then extending this as the race progressed. Race 2 was won by Rob, with Mick second and James Hadden (Alternative) third, a boat self built this year and on its first open event airing. Race 3 was taken by Derek Priestley (Dead Reckoning), with Dave Hollom (Dead Reckoning) second and John Sharman (Vision) in third. There was then a short break for mince pies and mulled wine (or tea/coffee), before a heat reschedule and racing re-started. Race 4 was again won by Derek, with Rob second and John Berry (Viper) third. In Race 5, it was another win for Mick, with Dave Darwell (Moster) second and James third.
After lunch, Rob must have been suitably refreshed as the afternoon belonged to him, with a win in Race 6, James in second and Dave Darwell third. He followed it up with another win in Race 7 and a second for John and third for James. With the light still being good, a final race 8 was run which provided two discards for the fleet. This was once again won by Rob with Shaun Priestley (In-Transition) second and Derek in third.
This ended a good but tricky days sailing with the podium ending up as Rob in first, with James having a consistent day placing second and Mick in third.
A separate prize was awarded to the person who was best placed over the two days of racing and this was won by John Sharman on 5 points, with Mick Chamberlain second on 9 points, Derek Priestley third with 10 points and Peter Baldwin fourth with 11 points.
Thanks must go to Bob Jolly and Judith Baldwin for running the racing and scoring over the two days of racing together with Maureen and Elaine in the galley keeping everyone fed and watered.
Report by
Peter Baldwin
….and some piccies, again from (Flying) Tony Wilson
In the end, 20 sailors registered for the first day of the Twixmas event at Fleetwood Model Yacht and Power Boat Club. After a short briefing by Derek Priestley, racing got under way shortly after 10:00 under the watchful eye of Bob Jolly as RO assisted by scorer Judith Baldwin.
The fleet raced as one on a course with two beats at a slightly different angle to try and make the best of the shifty 5 to 10 knot breeze. Dave Burke was quick out of the blocks to win Race 1. Derek took wins in Races 2 and 3, with Dave then picking up Race 4.
This was followed by a short break for mulled wine and hot mince pies and then resumed with Race 5 where it was the turn of Mick Chamberlain to take the win, followed by Jen Hand picking up Races 6 and 7 by a good margin from the rest of the field. The final race (number 8) before lunch provided yet another winner in the form of John Sharman.
After a quick break for lunch, John again showed the fleet a clean pair of heels to win Race 9. Race 10 then provided another new winner in the form of Chris Chatfield, followed by the first win for Peter Baldwin in Race 11. Derek picked up Race 12 from Peter right on the finish line, the final race which may have been unlucky for some was won by Peter as a small compensation for narrowly missing out on Race 12.
When the final scores were added up, only one point separated the top three, with John Sharman (Keighley) taking the win on count back from Dave Burke (Lincoln) and Peter Baldwin (Birkenhead) in third just one point behind them.
