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Spring Regatta 2012
Thanks to the sponsors listed to the right. Nadina Lincoln's full report is below, with Photos & results below the repor which is by Nadina Lincoln - thanks Nadina.
The Notts County Sailing Club annual regatta was held over the bank holiday weekend in grey and wet conditions, but despite the weather, the event was a huge success and enjoyed by the families of members and visitors alike.
On the water there was a mixture of handicap, class and fun races. While off the water there were competitions for the best dressed dog (Teak the Crusader), best dressed boat (a very colourful optimist sailed by Jake Willars) and the best dressed tent. There was also a race for model boats made of bottles and plastic.
Saturday began with a race for novice helms and boats not complying with class (or any?) rules. The conditions were ideal with a steady breeze but not too demanding for some who were doing their first race ever. However, the Sunday race for this series was very wet with conditions enough to put off all but the most intrepid of sailors. The series was won by the Topper of Matt Buchan, with Will Thomas crewing his dad in an Enterprise second.
The under 13 years juniors had a three race series, also held in very demanding conditions on both Sunday and Monday. The series was dominated by a Topper, with Matt Buchan winning all three races. The Byte of Tyler Simmonds was 2nd and Kayla Simmonds in a Topper was third.
Class races were held for fleets with at least 6 boats, which this year included Wayfarers for the first time. The RS400 fleet went off first. The three races each had a different winner, so the final positions all rested on the last race. This gave the series to John Parr and Kim Parnham, with Ross Ryan and Kathryn Hinsliff-Smith second and Will and Ken Twemlow third. The Scorpion fleet was wrapped up early by Jack Banks and Penny Jeffocate, who won the first two races to ensure their victory in the series. Runners up were Matt Potter and Nicola Ogden, with Nick Orgles and Sue Barnes third. The Laser fleet was also very closely contested, with the first three boats all scoring 1,2, and so the final positions were determined by the last race. The lighter winds on Monday afternoon favoured the Laser Radial of Andrew Kilburn, with Martin Stott second and Tom Mc Evoy third. John and Joyce Henderson led the way the Wayfarer class races, wining all three, with Simon McEvoy and Lucy Beale runners up. The Menagerie fleet was the largest and included a range of classes from an RS600 to a Topper. The series was won by the Flying Fifteen of Will Gardner and Peter Baldwin, despite having a major collision on the start line and having to retire from Sunday’s race. The Solo of Simon Hextall was second and Rebecca and Lyndsay Ogden in an RS200 were third.
The main competition of the event is the Commodores Cup , with separate starts for fast handicap, slow handicap and Junior fleets. The Saturday race was held in moderate and consistent winds. On Sunday competitors had to cope with a steady downpour of rain but at least the wind was good. Monday’s race began in sunshine with a steady force 3 wind, but by the middle of the race a squall had blown through with the anemometer reading winds of 31mph. This caused quite a few capsizes which led to several changes in key positions, as some sailors struggled to cope with the strong winds. None of the Junior fleet sailed on Sunday, so it was a two race series. Consistency paid and two second places gave the Topper of Matt Buchan the lead, with Matt Reynolds, also in Topper, runner up. In the slow handicap fleet, it was a battle between the Lasers and the Solos. The lighter conditions on Saturday favoured the Solos, but not the ones that were in final contention for prizes. The Lasers dominated on Sunday, with the eventual winner the Laser sailed by Martin Stott, with Simon Hextall in a Solo second and Tom McEvoy in a Laser third. The fast fleet overall winner was decided on Sunday as Jack Banks and Penny Jeffcoate won both races in a Scorpion. Will Gardner and Peter Baldwin in a Flying Fifteen and John Parr and Kim Parnham in an RS400 both went into the final race on Monday with a second place to count, but the heavy conditions on Monday suited the Flying Fifteen, who gained second overall , over the RS400 which was third.
Despite rain, strong winds at times and a flat calm by the end of the event, there was some excellent sailing with very close competition in many of the series. The event is one which brought together regular racers and novice sailors and included competitions for those who preferred to be based ashore- a fitting celebration for the Diamond Jubilee weekend.
Results: Junior - Commodore's Cup Slow - Commodore's Cup Fast - Menagerie - RS400 - Scorpion - Laser - Wayfarer
Photos can be downloaded for personal use only by right clicking.
More from John Rowel about a certain start line incident below.
Three fleets had gone with only the menagerie fleet left to go. But then what was happening – we are in the start sequence and the port end of the line is being moved by the safety boat but no sound signals or flags to announce this fact. The hawk eyed crew on at least one Flying Fifteen has spotted what is happening and discussions are taking place – go with the sequence, wait for a new one, hail the committee boat?
Meanwhile the RS400s having almost completed their first lap are bearing down on the start area at a great rate of knots. This could get messy so we sail out of the way of the start line until the RSs’ have gone through unaware of the scene that was about to unfold.
It was becoming like a scene from a 19th century painting of The Battle of Trafalgar
With RS400s thrashing through the start area like a group of marauding French frigates, the English fleet milling around with splashes of red, white and blue dazzling on the waters surface created by the fluttering Royal Ensigns and Union Jacks on many of the competing boats. The water now boiling and frothing with all of the opposing movement. On board the Flying Fifteen which has now taken on the persona of a Royal Navy 70 gun ship of the line Admiral Gardiner and Lord Baldwin are still in deep discussions as to what to do about this most irregular situation that nobody else seems to have spotted.
The RS400s are now about us and the Logan’s in their best position ever are not about to give any quarter. There is a gap but not much of one between the Flying Fifteen and another boat but the gap is narrowing. Things are now beginning to look well let’s say interesting. The Fifteen unaware of what is about to happen take no avoiding action, the gap is no longer there and in a split second (and we all know that a lot can happen in a split second in sailing) the RS400 makes contact with the Fifteen scraping down the side becoming embedded in the side and then comes to an abrupt halt. I am expecting grappling irons to be thrown and a boarding party sent over, but no. At this point it is worth mentioning the phenomenon in nature known as momentum. That is crudely put – a moving object gains momentum the faster it goes, but if that object suddenly stops then any other object which is traveling upon the moving object but is not tied down or fixed in some way then the said object will keep moving. The said object in this case being Philippa. One moment Philippa is sitting there eyes fixed ahead with steely concentration thinking no doubt of the possible glory that lies ahead and in the next moment like a drowning rat she is floundering in the water wondering why her bright blue world has suddenly turned murky green and muffled.
Our gun goes and off we go leaving the helms rescuing Philipa and trying to extricate the two boats from each other. As we sail away I am thinking that the only way they are going to separate the two boats is to chuck a bucket of water over them.
Ah well there’s always next year. John Rowell
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