After a sleepy couple of Sundays where snow and ice won over turnouts, we had ten teams racing today – Brett didn’t sign on – tut tut !!!!!!  So a great fleet, and a pretty good course actually.  The wind was smack on to the new jetty and northerly, and they set about as long a beat as they could for that direction.

The start of race one saw us all a bit conservative on the line, I’d say. Ian Linder, this week with Kevin Sweetman, made a corker of a port hand flyer at the pin and popped into a useful lead not to be challenged. Second up were Howard and Richard in 3934 and these two teams finished way ahead (1 minute) of the pack – led by Charles Apthorp and Mark Firth who came in third. The beats were shifty as can be, and got more challenging as the morning progressed (see below!!) , and the reaches were just sparkling, fizzing, rides. Super stuff!!

Race two’s start was an altogether more aggressive occasion – back to our normal fleet standard. Ian and Kevin again did a port pin flyer – this time with just a few feet to spare over The Stensons and Richard/Howard.  The fleet generally went right… going left had served Howard/Richard well in Race one so they set off in about third looking for the wind-curves to ride. Well – ha!!! Ian Linder nipped around first I think, Howard and Richard turned in last !!! So much for that then!!!  The beats aboard our boat were difficult to read, but the reaches a great chance to make places – well, when it all worked!!   Charles/Mark won this one around 7 seconds ahead of Ian/Kevin… pretty close… with Dom and Non-Dom an excellent third.  Hilariously Howard/Richard were all over the place, then shot up the third beat passing John/Helen and Nigel/Stephen in the process – only to pop the kite up and instantly fall over – for reasons unknown… a bit like the reasons for doing so well on beat three….  Anyway, that penultimate reach proved to be a corker. Following on from scooping up 1,000 gallons of water 3934 was a little slow over the surf and John/Helen were taking huge chunks out of them. The last reach was a real thriller and although Charles and Ian were rested up we had great racing down the back of the fleet!!! Spray everywhere and great gusts of breeze falling on us like huge slabs of rock!! Whooshing stuff!!!

Unfortunately one half the fleet (our half) were unaware that the PRO was going to set a third race today and headed for chips.  We were on the new jetty before we clocked that we were missing some fun. Brett joined in, sailing with Mike Clapp, and this one was one by John/Helen over Ian/Kevin by just six seconds – that’s a win by a head basically. The breeze was sparkling by this time and the lasagne was pretty excellent too.

One bit of disappointing news was that we had a spot of theft in February – The Stensons had their top swivel pinched. A pretty pricey bit of kit actually.  It is ages since we had problems like this.  It’s not quite in the same league as stolen trailer ropes is it? Obviously a fellow DWSC sailor helped themselves and not a member of Joe Public on a stealing spree. It leaves you with a queazy feeling, doesn’t it??  Apparently someone had enquired after a new swivel at the Chandlery a couple of weeks ago – hmm…. you’d forgive The Stensons for thinking it might have been him….

The club was pretty quiet today too – well at minus two maybe that was to be expected. 22 boats on the water, so you could park anywhere!  Simon Cavey (3904) is away skiing this weekend and next. Chris McLaughlin is awaiting his new Mk X boat, which after expert fettling will be with us late March he thinks. Lots of other fleet mates stayed in their bunks too!! The Millars have created a new weather index, which we’ll tell you about in a future blog item, but it would have kept them well indoors….   This Sunday saw the return of Fleet Cap’n Hanson and the amazing Hakuna Matata boat. John has done a terrific job of the upgrade. It looks really serious and purposeful. The boat is 3kg lighter now, new carbon bits, and the keel looks just fabulous.   I think it won the last series, so fingers crossed it goes slower ….!!  

Though it was snowing as I left home this morning, we did get there this time….  and the WWU kicked off !!  It was about 7-8mph blowing from the South SouthWest, and …. wait for it…. minus 2 degrees!!  It didn’t feel all that cold, strangely. No – really…  Of course, it might have felt different if it weren’t for the five layers that I was wearing. Sadly the boat did not agree. This will sound very wimpish – but our spinnaker sheets had frozen in!!  Now you’ll be thinking, “All you Wussies have to do is give them a tug….” However…. neither the bulks of Mervyn or Jonesey heaving like mad could free them. On a Mk X the sheets run through a tube in the stern tank, and one of the tubes had iced in solid.  Bring back the Mk IX !!!  We had the usual obvious suggestion of pouring a hot coffee down there, but at minus two that might have had the opposite to the desired effect! Anyway – it  bunged up solid with ice, so the coffee would mainly have dribbled off!!  So – stuck until the wether thaws  (that’s the worst spell of weather we’ve seen in a long time – ha ha!), 3934 can stay under its duvet.

Anyway – the rest of the fleet took off on time. The PRO laid a sensibly brief course in about 1/25th of the reservoir which took the guys thankfully about 35 minutes to polish off each race.

Race one, Geoff Bayliss and Steve Wilson went right early on the 1st beat which paid for him and he was 1st to the 1st mark. By the end of the first cup of tea, and end of the first lap the order was Geoff/Steve,  John and Helen second and Mervyn and Graziano third.  The gaps were small, even through coffee steam….After two reaches the boats were in the same positions but very close to each other.  On the 2nd beat John and Helen got passed Geoff/Steve to take the lead, with a port and starboard costing Geoff 2nd place on the last beat. Race one turned out as John/Helen, Mervyn/Graziano and then Geoff/Steve.

I got “the call”  home for shovellin’,  so left at the start of race two – apparently  a repeat of race one except the port and starboard bit!!

We had a simply fantastic day today!  Positively balmy, twelve degrees (!), partial blue skies and oh, what a breeze!! We had a stonking Force 5 gusting 7, and it was simply brilliant! Most of the Club’s Fleets except the fifteens stayed ashore – there were though loads of kids racing a Laser 4.7 ladder event, which they must have found a bit of a stretch….

Well, the body is aching now, but racing was a delight. We had seven teams competing. We also tried out our brand new jetty for the first time – more of that in a separate blog entry.

We managed to get afloat eventually – we had to pop our baby back on the trailer because of “technical difficulties” as they say on the trains. I thought we would miss the first race but we just about got there on time.  The PRO laid a cracking good course using any old marks he could lay his hands on. The line had an overly strong pin end bias, but it worked out OK. Mark and Tony, Howard and Richard (without timer) both fancied a port tack flyer at the pin – ha, fat lot of use that was !!! A well timed, steady queue on starboard hit the pin locking us out. Tony must have thought that trying to frighten them was the best option. They were faced with a fast tack right on the pin, mast about 20 degs to the horizontal, Tony to leeward nearly falling in to leeward  Bit of shouting there !!!  (We loved this bit…)

Howard and Richard  zipped under the transom of the fleet and put the pace on. By the first mark they had a tidy little lead, and then set about frightening themselves silly with the spinnaker.  Ian and James lost their jib sheets somewhere out here, and were stuck fast in the pack. The second reach was just a honker!!!  Spray everywhere …- as close to flat out as makes no difference, the whole lot of us whizzed down there under full cloth (as they used to say on the Cutty Sark…!!).  Simon and Ben decided to take  a keel inspection just near the bottom mark… Mervyn and Michael had two options – cut them in half or check out their own undersides. So over they went…!!   All very scenic and balletic and quite cheering viewed from 3934….  I have half an idea that Tony might have done it again at this point – and they were bottoms up too!!  (Mark told me it is always the crew’s fault when that happens…  :-)  )   ( I agree, of course…..)

So this was the way it went on – huge squirts of acceleration, and b hard work up the beats.  Heavy weather specialists, David and Richard Stenson, adore these days which call for getting the beef over the sides. They looked for all the world  as if they were out for a casual summer sail !  On beat three they simply powered into the lead.  So at the top mark, they popped around first ahead of Howard and Richard – not all that close it must be said !!  You could feel them grinning from 150 yards away.  Anyway, off we shot on the penultimate reach, Stensons leading, Howard/Richard following…. and the gap probably halved…. Two good gybes from each team  saw the reach  for the finish line. The last leg by common agreement had become a two sailer.  So, only one thing for it, wasn’t there – kites up!!  David and Richard almost immediately did a graceful, even poetic, keels-up !!  And whoosh – magic hands Shawyer was through in a cloud of spray and was gone to the gun. David and Richard took second, Ian and James third and Mervyn and Michael fourth.

Second race – well, second race I thought we had a good start – breeze had cracked up a bit and we were beating into the real nasties. For some reason unclear to me, the Fleet pretty well rolled over us just in the first bit. We hit the top mark in fifth – Ian and James leading, or maybe it was Mark and Tony-Triathlete!!  Anyway, they had a good tussle – sparkling spray was the order of the day. Come the second reach, Mervyn was in third, Stensons in fourth and Howard/Richard in fifth. Howard decided no more of this girlie two sail reaching stuff and up the thing went. I can’t decide if banging it up or taking it down was the more frightening…. We sailed low into the gusts (to stay alive) and the other two teams went high. At double the speed it doesn’t take long, does it?!!…. Howard and Richard rounded third.

Going back uphill, the steady clawing back began. Hardly noticeable at first, then suddenly Mark/Tony and Howard/Richard were crossing quite close. On the final beat, things were “going on” aboard 3860….  Howard/Richard rounded the top mark second I think,  then somewhere along that reach towards the wing, Mark and Tony had a bit of a pop – and the gooseneck gave in. Mainsail down, and end of the race for them?? Not a bit of it – they still got a fourth.  Ian and James sailed a cracker and finished 40 seconds or so clear of Howard/Richard, Mervyn/Michael in third.

Of course in these conditions, we all have our share of woes. On 3934 we couldn’t unjam the pole downhaul, and somewhere along the way we ran over the spinnaker which Howard miraculously recovered – heaven knows how. The man’s a God. The Loan Boat popped its buoyancy bags in a broach and got into all sorts of heavy trouble and will be out of action a while. The Millars got a tidy hole in the bow – from the trailer I think during recovery – basically the front couple of inches of the bow on the port side were lifted clean away by the trailer support during the waves…. Mark and Tony had the exploding gooseneck of course, but hopefully that’s a quickie to fix.

Funniest thing that happened on our boat was during the drop on one of those flat out broad reaches to the bottom mark. I keep my car key on a neck lanyard, normally popped away under the drysuit. Somehow it had slipped out and in the great way of a day like that the spinnaker halyard tangled around it. So all the while H was tugging the sail down into the bag, he was hurling me neck first to the cleat in the bottom of the boat. He can’t half pull hard !!!….. Me shouting “stop stop”, and H screaming “it’s jammed, it’s jammed”…. at 15-20 knots it was extremely funny – afterwards…..!!!!

Michael Airey just posted this on Facebook….

It’s on rollers at the top end (you can just see them in the photo – click to enlarge). It’s going to be much easier to keep properly positioned.

I must say the whole thing is immensely rigid compared with the old ‘un. It was great today in a rolling westerly swell.

There will be teething problems, naturally. The first things for us to discuss with the club are:-

- the engineers have been very thoughtful and installed mooring rings along the lakeside edge.  Unfortunately, when they flip over they extend beyond the orange fenders and are well set to bang a hole clean through a hull. I think the best thing to do with this is quick and easy – install the mooring rings down the wall-side. For mooring purposes we can just attach our painters across to the other side – which we frequently used to do on the old jetty.

- second … and this is very unfortunate, but the orange fenders are just at deck-lip height on an FF.  As the boats were being tossed around like corks today in the swell, I was seriously concerned that it could lift the deck off a hull with that force.  Probably the best thing to do here, is to bring the old big soft fenders across from the old jetty and tie them additionally to the new jetty .  In fact to do a good job, we should go the whole hog and buy more soft big fenders and do that all the way along.  Don’t be fooled that the orange fenders will be “kind” to our hulls – they are pretty hard durable material…. not like your duvets… Sam tells me that under the orange fenders is a line of fierce metal fixings, so we need some decent protection for the hulls along there. A new FF costs almost as much as the jetty, so we don’t want any damage.

I’ll speak to the VC…..

I suppose we had a concern that it might have been cold, but on our boat at least we were absolutely roasting … H was threatening to strip off!! (a layer)… As soon as you got in the sun it was frankly magic.

Dom and Non-Dom took their boat back down to the parking – not sure why, but I can say that the other six teams had a treat of a day.  For once, the PRO managed to lay a splendid course – the beat was about as long as you could get for an Easterly. And the wing mark was set at right angles and we even had moments of three sail planing today – white, white spray – how brilliant is that!!

The line though had a pretty stiff bias at the committee boat end. In race one, Mervyn and James did an excellent job (!) of stuffing Howard and Richard out of the box.  Like the Forsyte’s, this becoming a long running saga between them stretching over many years…!!  Ian and James Linder got away nice and cleanly – while Mervyn and James tacked off for breeze in the middle, The Linders found a nice curve, with many of the fleet up to the left.  3851 rounded first and it was all the rest could do to keep up.  Howard and Richard of course were last out of the gate…. so had a whole heap to do. They rounded about fourth, and managed to roll Mervyn/James on leg 2 and then Steve/Simon on leg 3. So at the line, it was easily The Linders, followed by Howard/Richard (celebrating their first result with 120 years in the boat – crikey !!), then I think Steve and Simon racing excellently today.  After this we had a pretty close result between Mervyn/James and The Stensons and very closely followed by Simon and Ben sailing 3904 for their second weekend – keeping up scarily well considering they have just started. I  understand Mervyn/James and The Stensons had a wee altercation causing Mervyn to declare a graceful retirement in the bar!! So all the results click up a notch in the final listings.

So race two kicked off with the same skewed line. This time, 120 years of experience decided they would do a timed run from the wall.  Result ? Hopeless – last over the line again, and leaving it all to do “again”. However, there was another lovely curve in the breeze again going left. The Linders maybe did not reach the top mark first, because right up there sailing superbly, in command driving position, were Simon and Ben in 3904.  Ian/James popped round just behind them, then Mervyn/James.  Howard and Richard just squeezed inside The Stensons at the turn and off we all went.  The Mervyn/James and Howard/Richard Show was a rerun of race one – a bit of ultra aggressive luffing (really, these Merlin Rocket people don’t half go at it..!!), but Magic-Hands Shawyer pulled 3934 through to windward and it was over – Howard/Richard slipped into third.

I think it was half way up beat two, when there was a bloody loud “bang”.  ”Ooohh Nooo” we thought. Simon and Ben, in their brand new pride and joy, managed to get a port-starboard T-bone with a University Laser 2. Off to Doctor Dingwall immediately.  I think Ian and James had already grabbed the lead by this time, but ever grateful to Laser 2 sailors, Howard and Richard nipped up into second. The last reach to the finish was a bute, too.  Howard eventually called for the drop as it was all a bit much (120 years etc!!) but Mervyn/James and The Stensons (very close I think) scorched all the way down there with 3 sails up.

The breeze had pepped up a lot – the Club fielded about 24 various boats in addition to the Fifteens, and there were 35 teams in RS Fevas also slugging it out on the reservoir. A stunning spectacle, all round…. If you stayed under the duvet, you missed a treat !!  See you next week !

Our new jetty looks fully assembled and awaiting launching too.  Interestingly it has a double height of cubes….

Meanwhile the old jetty is floating off a little as the water is so high – hope the Club team can haul it back for Sunday racing!!!  (Photo taken Friday afternoon) See you there….

We had 21 boats enter the Pink Elephant  - almost all the FF Fleet stayed under their duvets. Mike took out newcomer Chris McLaughlin in the Loan boat, and Howard and Richard were there too. Race Officer was Phil Tinsley!!  The weather was a positively balmy 12 degrees, and the wind was around 12-14 mph – so pretty nice basically!  Phil tried hard to make the course interesting – a letter B which we could just about cope with after the night before!!  Despite his best attempts though, handicap racing is extremely boring by nature and something of a simplistic procession once the PY ordered queue is established.  Why do people do it?!?! Your FF representatives were third and fifteenth out of 21  !!  The Pink Elephant Prize could not be located so the Commodore awarded pepper pots and sauce bottles (Howard said he was browned off by this…. ha ha!)

There was lots of other stuff going on though.  First, Chris McLaughlin turns out to be a super chap – sailed lots of different things, multiple European J24 Championship winner, and very keen to get into fifteens regularly. He may also have another team he can introduce to Datchet….. so our membership drive, touch wood, may be getting off to a hot start!

The day started off with Andrew Murphy getting his sails measured in our extensive upstairs sail measurement department. Andy had driven up from his holiday in Taunton to get them done – he is switching sailmaker which is interesting. Anyway, good news is that Andrew will be with us for the Winter.

Next up – the Water Level – it’s about half way up to the top now and every prospect of a complete fill in coming days. The water is just incredibly clear and reaching up as far as the second ‘knuckle’ of the slip.

Third thing, that might be the last time we launch from the old jetty !!!  Hoorah!!! Our dear old friend is being set out to pasture, and the new one is meant to be coming sometime in the coming week – yippee!!

Oh – and John Watling was there today. He was packing up his fabulous wooden FF to take it for garaging over the winter months – to bring back around Easter time. An additional great bit of news is that he has asked The Admiral if he can take the loan boat (Flouride) for the winter series – now that’ll be really excellent!!

There was us, in minus two at the top of the slipway – only to play Billy-No-Mates.  Eleven FFs last week and one this week. One boat constitutes “a race” at Datchet, you know… Even the tippy-over boats went out – well, not many of them, I admit. It soon warmed up to zero and then eventually to 2 degrees. Nice breeze though – 15mph as I left.

Fleet Cap’n ‘Anson was there and we took Hakuna to bits so that he could take it back to the shed for a good polish – actually I’m sure John said a “good buffing”, which is probably the same thing.  John wants to get 3kg off it – that’ll make it faster, oh no!!  Then Howard and I put 3934 away and took to the cocoa machine to warm up.

The water level is up a little. The north beach is underwater again. Our jetty though was in a mess. I’m not sure we could have launched – the whole 40m length was lying against the shore. Now that we have taken the “L” piece away, I don’t fully understand how it meant to stand off parallel to the ramp. I need to get the Admiral to draw me pictures of how the new arrangement is meant to work – something was seriously adrift (sic) today…A little birdie tells me our new jetty is on order – the Club has decided to use the same jetty technology as the new “dinghy beach” – you know, the pale grey one.  It will be the same length (40m) as the old one. So the Club has invested about £30,000 into the future of keelboat racing at our Club – brilliant !!!  And a great vote of confidence in the future of the Datchet FF’s.!!

The next piece of news is that I spoke to Simon Cavey.  Simon tried the loan boat and raced with us last week – and loved it. So he is in the market. We spent an hour on the phone during the week on the subject of buying second-hand,  and as we spoke today he was just driving off Hayling Island.  Fingers crossed, he has found an Ovi Mk X there and is considering what his offer should be.  That’ll make four new teams for the Club Fleet this year, after a jaw dropping six new new teams in 2010. It all bodes well….

The PRO showed excellent judgement  - a finely judged line square up across the reservoir and for once, a superbly positioned wing mark!!  It was the end of the Autumn Series this Sunday  - as I write the final results are not posted, but suffice it to say that The Humes and Howard/Richard in the end did not slug it out for second and third – but for fourth and fifth!!

In race one, the fleet cracked out of the pin end of the gate going really quite quickly.  Picking your way up the beat was a case today of doing the opposite of what the compass would have you do!! There was a good pick to the left which paid repeatedly.  John Hanson did well on the left most route and gave himself a good lead, with Ian and James Linder scrapping it out much of the time with Mark and Tony (yes, the handsome triathlete type is back!) Behind the leader group there was loads going on, with Nigel King tussling with The Humes for much of the race.

Race two and everyone had got to know the way up the beat! The start seemed pretty similar to us, and at the top mark Simon Cavey in the Loan Boat was right up there in 6th. Howard and Richard engaged in a two lap fight with John and Helen.  Mark and Tony were out front chased by Ian and James Linder. Behind this bunch Steve Bell and Simon Scullion were having a mighty battle with the Humes, eventually coming in ahead by just  one third of a boat length!! Incredibly close stuff !!!!   John and Helen eventually crept past Howard and Richard on the second lap run, by going to the left and just calling it at the bottom mark. So I think we finished that race in the end as Mark/Tony, Ian/James, John/Helen, Howard/Richard, Steve/Simon, Dominic/David.

The autumn series ended today with John and Helen as superb winners of the elegant Copland Trophy. (needs a clean!)  Mark and Tony were second, and Ian and James Linder were third. John is taking Hakuna Matata back to the shed over Christmas for a little magic sauce to be rubbed in to the gelcoat. With overseas commitments, we shall not see them both until February…..  If Hakuna comes back any faster, we’re in real trouble!….

STOP PRESS – I am told we had two man overboard drills on Sunday … I did indeed see Graziano plopping straight over the side,…. well recovered by Midnight Rog!!  I also heard in the bar a scurrilous rumour that James Linder went for a dip too ?!?!?

I’d agree with the course length but the race officer’s excuse was that he didn’t want to put the windward mark beyond the tower as the wind would be too shifty.  Not sure whether I agree with that.  Oh for fixed marks ….

I am not sure how to comment on your blog but one thing to correct in that report is that the series finishes next Sunday and the prizes are awarded just before the Christmas dinner!  Can you get that message out to the fleet please?

That also means I need any corrections to the results now.  I posted the current series results this afternoon but have a copy at home if anything needs to be updated.

By the way, I am race officer next week….!!

Regards

Mike

Michael Clapp