Upper Tamar Lake Race Report, October 2

Frostbite One

WARM sun, blue water and the lightest of light winds greeted the first of the Upper Tamar Lake Sailing Club’s ‘winter’ race series.

At the start, boats were scattered seemingly at random around the lake, Cilla Gilbert with Brian Pollard (Bosun) and Linda Spiller (Laser) being among those on the wrong side of the line when the horn blew.

Nathan Pollard with Jane Chadney in Roger Heasman’s fast RS200 (with its pretty pink spinnaker sagging miserably when they tried it) got away first.

Adam Hilton (Solo), Linda Spiller and Adeney Pooler (Graduate) followed. Jane Anderson (Laser) was making progress, but John Dabbs (Gull), Geof Floyd (Solo) and the Pomeroys in the club Wayfarer often looked marooned.

At the end of the first lap, Jane Anderson had caught and passed the RS200 and both boats were gliding up the lake. Linda Spiller, Adeney Pooler and Adam Hilton, however, all got stuck at Dam Green, drifting aimlessly for minutes at a time while Robin Spiller (Streaker) led Graham Joyce (Laser) and the Pollard/Gilbert Bosun.

Highly localised puffs of wind changed the order from time to time, including Graham Joyce being taken past the Spiller’s and the Hilton Solo wafted up to third at the finish. Half an hour separated the first and last boats.

1. J Anderson (Laser); 2. N Pollard & J Chadney (RS200S.); 3. J Dabbs (Gull); 4. A Hilton (Solo); 5. C Gilbert & B Pollard (Bosun); 6. A Pooler (Graduate); 7. R Spiller (Streaker); 8. E & R Pomeroy (Wayfarer); 9. G Joyce (Laser); 10. L Spiller (Laser)

Retired: G Floyd (Solo)

Icicle One

JOHN Dabbs’ Gull was first over the line but all the fleet was closely bunched by the time they got to Inlet with the Pollard/Gilbert Bosun bringing up the rear.

Crossing to Middle, Jane Anderson moved ahead with Linda Spiller, the RS200 partnership of Nathan Pollard and Jane Chadney and Paul Whybrow’s Solo forming the next group.

At the start of lap two, the very fluky winds saw Paul Whybrow and Nathan Pollard side by going to Inlet with Linda Spiller being dropped back to fourth.

Robin Spiller retired in exasperation while lack of steerage caused Brian Pollard to touch Dam Green, a penalty turn not easily executed in these conditions.

Jane Anderson remained in the lead with the RS200 second, Paul Whybrow third and Linda Spiller fourth, until an unlikely zephyr took the Hilton Solo up to third just before the finish. Two laps took Jane Anderson fifty minutes!

1. J Anderson (Laser); 2. A Hilton (Solo); 3. P Whybrow (Solo); 4. Nathan Pollard, Jane Chadney (RS200); 5. John Dabbs (Gull); 6. Linda Spiller (Laser); 7. Brian Pollard, Cilla Gilbert (Bosun); 8. Graham Joyce (Laser); 9. Elliot & Rachael Pomeroy (Wayfarer)

Retired: R Spiller

Grateful thanks were expressed to Roger Heasman and Mandy Pollard who were the Officers of the Day.