Race Report: 27th and 28th June

Sailing Report 27^th and 28^th June

There was silverware on offer for the yachts as the Town Festival Cup was contested on Saturday. Cold Steel made the quickest get away ahead of Samaki but just as the fleet were settling into a steady leg towards Sandsend the wind shifted dramatically to the west and dropped to near nothing. There was some desperate manoeuvring to escape the hole which Cold Steel again did best at, pursued by Teemane and Qantro.

These 3 pulled clear as the rest of the fleet struggled. Qantro got up second, but she lost the wind and Teemane regained the position. Cold Steel rounded the mark and set her spinnaker for the run back to the bell bouy. All seemed to be going well for the leader but then she sailed into another wind hole. Teemane went inside, while Qantro went out, as they tried to avoid the same fate. Teemane was proved correct as she took the lead. Worse was to come for the early pace-setters as the entire fleet, led by Sky Walker, found the wind and caught up.

Teemane led around the bell bouy and, with the race officer deciding 1 lap was enough in the conditions, seemed set for line honours only to be caught out by yet another wind-shift and re-passed by Cold Steel. Sky Walker was third home hot on Teemane’s heels and easily close enough for the handicap win. A bit further back Samaki, Masquerade, Lady Hamilton and Qantro all reach the bell bouy at the same time, rounding it 4 abreast. Qantro found the speed to beat Masquerade to line with Samaki next then Lady Hamilton, but the close bunch meant the handicaps would decide it and Lady Hamilton took 3^rd.

Result: 1^st Sky Walker - P Brown, 2^nd Cold Steel - Dey, Jarvis and Gowland, 3^rd Lady Hamilton – M Stuart

Sunday saw the Summer series get underway in a brisk Southerly breeze that had most boats sporting reefed sails at the start. Qantro made a good get away, leading to the first mark but Teemane had impressive speed, pulling alongside as they headed downwind towards S mark and taking the lead as the sails were hardened in to head towards Sandsend. Qantro miscalculated the mark’s location and headed too far in allowing Masquerade to take second while Samaki, Lady Hamilton and Sky Walker were all close behind.

It was a quick reach to the bell bouy next which didn’t alter the positions. Teemane tacked around the mark to start the beat back inshore ahead of Masquerade. Qantro stood on a short distance to gain some clear air before starting her chase and this time the she had her tactics right as she overhauled both her rivals to lead at the end of the lap. 

Lap 2 was the same route as the first. Qantro now had her bearings sorted and was able to hold off Teemane. Masquerade was still 3^rd and now had a useful lead over the rest of the class B boats.

The order remained the same as the short lap 3 started but the wind was dropping and the reefs were being shaken out of the sails. Those with furling head-sails could also unfurl to give full power, and worryingly for the leader this included the two boats behind her and so she decided a change to her big genoa was required. This caused a few anxious moments aboard Qantro but proved to be the right decision as she led the fleet home.

Masquerade led home class B but Sky Walker was also going well in the lighter conditions, flying her spinnaker on the downwind leg she overhauled Lady Hamilton and got close enough to the others to take the class win on corrected time.

Result: Class A 1^st Qantro – N Drake, 2^nd Teemane – M Dixon: Class B 1^st Sky Walker - P Brown, 2^nd Masquerade - D Miller, 3^rd Lady Hamilton – M Stuart

Race Report: Pursuit 4 - 14th June 2015

Sailing Report 14^th June

With some crews still recovering from the overnight race from Sunderland, and others put off by the Northerly wind, just 5 boats headed out for round 4 of the pursuit series. They were greeted by a fresh breeze, most deciding that reefed mainsails and small head-sails were in order.

Sky Walker was first away and made swift progress on the windward leg to the bell buoy. Masquerade and Qantro followed 6 minutes later, both making reasonable getaways, but Qantro was a bit too eager to go for the first buoy and had to put in an extra pair of tacks to find space at the mark giving her rival the early advantage.

Two minutes later Samaki was away, with Cold Steel having to wait a further 5 minutes before starting her pursuit. By this time Sky Walker was around the Bell Buoy and with spinnaker set was speeding towards Sandsend. The others were more cautious and continued under white-sail, making little impression on the leader.

Rounding the Sandsend mark sails were hardened in for the return to the Bell Buoy. The positions remained unchanged. Sky Walker was still well infront and looked unlikely to be caught. Masquerade was going well in 2^nd but the gaps behind were changing as Qantro found her chosen sails a bit too small and dropped back, while Cold Steel was closing on Samaki.

Unfortunately Sky Walker’s navigation wasn’t as efficient as her sailing as she headed straight back towards Sandsend at the start of lap 2 instead of rounding the Bell Buoy. This gifted the lead to Masquerade but, having changed to a larger head-sail, Qantro was starting to claw back ground and with Samaki and Cold Steel also closing the result was suddenly looking very uncertain.

Masquerade had a short lead from Qantro as they started another run to Sandsend, Cold Steel was up into 3^rd ahead of Samaki and closing on the leaders. At this point Qantro decided that even more sail was required, shaking out the reef to give full sail area, and the plan was quickly rewarded as she pulled alongside Masquerade. Getting past though was harder as she went for the inside line and found herself in the wind-shadow.

As the final minutes ticked past the lead pair were locked side-by-side and as they fought each other Cold Steel was looming up behind. Then in the closing moments they reached the Sandsend mark. Qantro took advantage of her inside line and got her nose infront, Masquerade though wasn’t giving up and with a swift jibe around the mark was quickly up back up to speed, Cold Steel was quickly round too but the clock ran out at just the right moment for Qantro to take her second win of the series.

Result – 1^st Qantro, N Drake. 2^nd Masquerade, D Miller. 3^rd Cold Steel, Dey, Jarvis and Gowland

Race Report: 30th May

Sailing Report 30^th May

Double D was the first of 12 boats away in a patchy Westerly breeze for the second race of the pursuit series. She immediately encountered a gusty patch making progress along the first short beat hard work. Bugs Bunny was 2^nd away, was soon gaining. Lady Hamilton and Serenade of Parkstone were 1 minute later starting but were a bit shy of the line giving Sky Walker, a further minute back, an early opportunity to gain places.

Bugs Bunny used their spinnaker on the short run to the bell buoy pass Double D into lead. By this time Qantro was starting and was soon into her stride, quickly passing Serenade of Parkstone. B&B meanwhile was struggling with some of their new gear and retired. Masquerade then Samaki were next away, and started a battle between them which would last the duration of the race. A short gap then to Cold Steel starting then a longer gap before the quickest boats, Icon and finally Antix were away.

Bugs Bunny, was now well on her way up the beat to Sandsend. Sky Walker was up to 2^nd, but the larger Qantro was already bearing down on them, and passed Sky Walker as they approached the Sandsend mark.

A run back to the Bell buoy gave Bugs Bunny some breathing space as she made use of her spinnaker while most of her pursuers were more cautious. Further back Cold Steel were using their spinnaker too to gain places. Icon and Antix launched theirs too but the handicap finally seemed to have caught up with them as they struggled to bridge the gap to the fleet. Serenade of Parkstone was struggling too and became the second retirement.

Zig-zagging around S and H marks to the end of lap 1 Bugs Bunny still led but the rabbit was about to be caught. A reach back to S at the start of lap 2 gave Qantro the chance to stretch her legs and the lead was hers. Her joy quickly changed to concern though, as Samaki, Masquerade and Double D were all approaching the same mark from the other direction as they completed lap 1. Qantro was forced to take a wide line and Bugs Bunny was back in contention.

The race would end on the next beat towards Sandsend. Qantro pulled back infront, but Bugs Bunny had another trick up her sleeve, putting in a series of short tacks, each of which Qantro had to respond to for fear that her opponent would find the patch of breeze she required. It was a dangerous game however as Sky Walker and Cold Steel tacked inshore and gained significantly. As the clock ticked down Sky Walker grabbed 2^nd, and Cold Steel was hot on her heels, just edging Bugs Bunny off the podium, but Qantro had done enough and took her first win. Result; 1^st Qantro – N Drake, 2^nd Sky Walker – P Brown, 3^rd Cold Steel - Dey, Jarvis & Gowland.

8 of the fleet returned to the bay after lunch for the next race of the Spring series. The wind was still from the west so it would be a beat to Sandsend and a run back. A competitive start saw most of the fleet contesting the pin end of the line. Icon and Qantro had other ideas and went from the beach end, but found it impossible to weave their way through the right-off way pack and had to tack.

Antix established herself at the front, tacking close to shore to stay out of the tide. Icon found her way through into 2^nd, Sky Walker, leading class B, was also hugging the beach. Qantro decided that clear air would be more beneficial than avoiding the tide and tacked out.

At the mark Antix had a short lead over Icon who surprisingly had Qantro for company with Cold Steel 4^th. The usual 1, 2, 3 was re-established on the run back as Qantro decided not to fly her spinnaker and dropped down. Sky Walker did use her spinnaker to good effect to hold off the larger Masquerade and Lady Hamilton.

Lap 2 was repeat of lap 1. Antix and Icon again hugged the shore and made swift progress. Cold Steel tried tacking out hoping to make-up lost ground but found this was a mistake as Qantro re-passed them to be 3^rd around the windward mark again. Masquerade had a good leg, rounding close behind Sky Walker. At this point Double D decided that they would require engine power to make the bridge and retired.

Antix was far enough infront of Icon to take the win. Cold Steel again used her spinnaker to take 3^rd ahead of Qantro, although a few tricky moments during the drop almost allowed her rival to snatch it back. Sky Walker held off Masquerade for line honours in Class B, and an easy handicap win, with Lady Hamilton coming home 3^rd. Result: Class A – 1^st Antix, 2^nd Icon, 3^rd Cold Steel Class B – 1^st Sky Walker, 2^nd Masquerade, 3^rd Lady Hamilton.

Race Reports: 21st - 25th May

SAILING BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND

The yachtsmen had a busy time over the Bank Holiday weekend with a total of five races over a 5 day period. It started on the Thursday evening with a race in the continuing midweek series. Icon led the fleet away and quickly established the lead she would keep throughout. However the remainder swapped places constantly all through the race. Samaki led the trailing bunch in with Skywalker and Masquerade just about dead heating on the line and Teemane led in Bugs Bunny making her first sail of the year. However, the handicaps would reverse this order. Result: 1^st Icon, Neil and Lorraine Williamson, 2^nd Bugs Bunny, Andy Martland, 3^rd Skywalker, Pete Brown.

The White Rose cup was the silverware on offer on Saturday for the Yacht Club fleet. As is traditional this prize was decided by 2 races, a coastal race taking the boats out of the bay first, followed by a race in the bay. The coastal race would provide an extra test of the crew’s navigation skills as they would be required to round a virtual mark – that’s a GPS position which must be sailed around with no physical mark to be seen.

Samaki made the best start, rounding H mark and setting off on the long run to the virtual mark with her nose infront, but speedier spinnaker work soon had Antix at the front chased by Icon and Cold Steel. Qantro was steadily gaining on Samaki too, while Masquerade was doing well without a spinnaker to hold of Lady Hamilton who had their cruising chute set.

Reaching the virtual mark position first, Antix dropped their spinnaker and took a cautious wide line around it. Icon followed but Colin’s homework on Cold Steel paid off as a tighter rounding promoted them to 2^nd. Qantro finally caught Samaki at the mark, causing them both to run wide as they battled each other while trying to home in on the invisible buoy. Masquerade, Lady Hamilton and Double D each located the mark in order and the headed back into the bay.

The order was maintained on the reach into C mark, and then the sails were hardened in for a final beat to the finish. Antix managed to pull enough lead out to take the win ahead of Cold Steel who were delighted to take 2^nd ahead of Icon. Qantro held off Samaki to be 4^th home but the handicap would swap them round.

After a short break for lunch, the fleet headed back out for the deciding bay race. The wind had now freshened and shortened sails were in order. This caught some out, Icon and Qantro being particularly unready. Despite being short on crew, Samaki was as ready as anyone and made another good start.

Antix and Cold Steel again found their way quickly to the front, Samaki running 3^rd. Masquerade and Lady Hamilton were having a close battle which would continue for most of the race, and Icon had set about making up lost ground but Qantro was still struggling to sort her sails and set off with only mainsail up.

The fleet made speedy progress around 2 laps towards Sandsend and back, and so the race officer decided they could sail the complete course. This meant 2 more short laps. Antix maintained her lead, with Cold Steel on her tail. Icon had found her way up into 3^rd pushing Samaki down to 4^th. After swapping positions a few times Masquerade established herself ahead of Lady Hamilton, but the handicap was still favouring the latter. Qantro had finally got going and was steadily catching the tail of the fleet.

Antix completed a second victory to take the cup. Cold Steel securing the runners up place, even the full 4 laps not giving Icon quite enough time to recover any higher than 3^rd. Samaki was a fairly lonely 4^th by the end, well clear of Masquerade, Lady Hamilton and Qantro, who’s pursuit of the slower boats just failed as she was last home by a few seconds.

Overall Result: 1^st Antix – John Allen, 2^nd Cold Steel – Dey, Gowland and Jarvis, 3^rd Icon – Neil Williamson

Gorgeous sailing conditions returned on the Sunday, although the wind was a little gusty, when nine boats competed in the continuing Bank Holiday series. Antix took her usual position at the front, with Icon and Cold Steel snapping at her heels. Samaki led Class B with Masquerade and Lady Hamilton in pursuit. B & B quickly retired and Serenade of Parkstone took an incorrect route so was excluded, just leaving the leading 3 to man the podium. Result: Class A 1^st Antix, 2^nd Icon, 3^rd Cold Steel. 

Class B 1^st Samaki, 2^nd Lady Hamilton, Malcolm & Joanna Stuart, 3^rd Masquerade, David Miller

Stronger winds returned on Monday on a depleted fleet as the effort of racing on early morning starts weighed on the fleet. Class A was reduced to two and Antix showed Icon the way round the course. Class B with four boats were a bit closer and Skywalker and Samaki swapped places as they made their way to the windward mark off Sandsend and Lady Hamilton and Double D kept in touch. All the first four sported spinnaker for the run back to the Bell Buoy, now with the tide with them. As the fleet completed their first lap, the Race Officer sent class A back to Sandsend, but fortuitously left class B to complete a smaller lap as the wind dropped. Class A stayed in the same order and Samaki led in Class B, but couldn’t save her time on the closely following  Skywalker. Result: Class A, 1^st Antix, 2^nd Icon, Class B 1^st Skywalker, 2^nd Samaki, 3^rd Lady Hamilton.