Upper Tamar Lake Sailing Club race report — Sunday, April 8

Sailboat One

A GLORIOUS sunny day with light and highly variable winds coming from many points between north and east, brought 13 boats to the startline.

A knot of Duncalf Toppers, the Jane Anderson Laser (Radial) and the club Kestrel (Adam Hilton and John Dabbs) managed to untie itself at the extreme windward end of the line with the Kestrel getting away first to the next buoy.

It was not a good day for Toppers due to the lack of wind, and they were left behind by the inevitable Lasers (Anderson, Pollard, Murray) and the Heasman/Wills Bosun.

The Kestrel’s lightweight and large expanse of canvas took it down the lake but when the breeze collapsed, the rest of the fleet caught up and three of the Lasers overtook, the double-hander’s lead being clawed back later in the lap.

This was a pattern to be repeated, with variations, on subsequent laps with the Kestrel only managing to steal first place by a foredeck at the finish, with Jane Anderson recorded by the eagle-eyed Officers of the Day (Steve Axford and Graham Joyce) as two seconds and Sue Murray 13 seconds behind — and then the Kestrel’s somewhat challenging handicap tossed it down the order!

Winner: Jane Anderson (Laser Radial);

Runner-up: Sue Murray (Laser Radial); 3rd: Roger Heasman and Sally Wills (Bosun); 4th: Robin Spiller (Streaker); 5th: Jane Chadney (Laser Radial); 6th: Adam Hilton and John Dabbs (Kestrel); 7th: Toby Tobias (Bosun); 8th: Vicki Duncalf (Topper); 9th: Penny Abbott (Laser Full); 10th: Nathan Pollard (Laser Full); 11th: Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun); 12th: Linda Spiller (Laser Full)

Did not start: Mike and Viki Herbert-Coulson (Wayfarer)

Retired: John Duncalf (Topper)

Pursuit One

VICKI Duncalf started first and the last boats (Mike and Viki Herbert-Coulson in their pretty new Wayfarer and the Laser of Jane Anderson) started 17 minutes later.

The Wayfarer cut through the field ending up fourth, with the Kestrel, which had started two minutes earlier, staying ahead and finishing third.

Nathan Pollard got his Laser past five boats and had a commanding lead at the end to ruin Jane Anderson’s four-race winning run.

Robin Spiller (Streaker) managed four and finished second, a little ahead of the Kestrel.

Winner: Nathan Pollard (Laser Full);

Runner-up: Robin Spiller (Streaker); 3rd: Adam Hilton and John Dabbs (Kestrel); 4th: Mike and Viki Herbert-Coulson (Wayfarer); 5th: Jane Chadney (Laser Radial); 6th: Jane Anderson (Laser Radial); 7th: Roger Heasman (Streaker); 8th: Penny Abbott (Laser Full); 9th: Linda Spiller (Laser Full); 10th:?Vicki Duncalf (Topper); 11th: Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Tasar); 12th: Toby Tobias and Sally Wills (Bosun)