Upper Tamar Lake Sailing Club race report — Sunday, October 16

Frostbite Three

VICIOUS gusts of wind from points around South-West are what fourteen helms and crew will remember about Sunday, October 16.

For those on the bank it was a sunny day with some showers, but on the lake, the Bosun was full of water before the race had even started.

Paul Anderson’s Laser went over on the first lap and Vicki Duncalf, who ended up a brilliant third, might have won if her Topper had not capsized on the last lap. Two others discretely withdrew.

The start was towards the Dam and Bob Sampson crossed the line first, followed by Adam Hilton, Nathan Pollard with Jane Chadney, Brian Pollard with Cilla Gilbert, Vicki Duncalf, Paul Anderson, Jane Anderson, John Dabbs and then the rest of the fleet.

By the end of the lap, a leading bunch of four different boats, the Sampson full Laser, the Jane Anderson 4.7 Laser, the Pollard/Chadney RS200 and the Hilton Solo, had separated from the rest of the fleet. Bob ended the race two and a half minutes ahead of Jane, not nearly enough to overcome the handicap difference between the seven square meters of a full size Laser sail and the four point seven of a 4.7. On the last lap the Solo overtook the RS200 on the short leg between West White and Middle and held on to its slender advantage.

Linda Spiller (4.7) followed, having gone past Vicki’s Topper; then came Roger Heasman’s Streaker Wave and the Pollard/Gilbert Bosun.

1. J Anderson (Laser 4.7); 2. B Sampson (Laser); 3. V Duncalf (Topper); 4. A Hilton (Solo); 5. J Duncalf (Topper); 6. L Spiller (Laser 4.7); 7. R Heasman (Streaker Wave); 8. B Pollard & C Gilbert (Bosun); 9. N Pollard & J Chadney (RS200S)

Retired: J Dabbs (Gull), P Anderson (Laser), J Savage (Otter)

Icicle Three

THE second race, four laps of a reduced course, began with a wind at first reduced by rain but soon up to its tricks again.

The fleet was reduced in number, partly because three exhausted single hander helms (Linda Spiller, John Dabbs, Adam Hilton) had joined up in a Bosun.

Bob Sampson was again away first and held on to his lead but, again, it wasn’t big enough for him to win.

Jane Anderson started uncharacteristically slowly - she was seventh to round the first mark – but was third at the end of the first lap and second from then on.

The Bosuns started closely matched, the Hilton/Spiller/Dabbs boat ahead, but Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert had overtaken by the time they were crossing the lake towards West White and when the three-up boat had to return to go round the buoy the correct way, Brian was away by an ever-increasing margin which took him up to third when the Pollard/Chadney RS200 capsized and to a well-deserved win on handicap.

Vicki Duncalf, fifth on the water, surprisingly got no uplift from the handicap.

1. B Pollard & C Gilbert (Bosun); 2. Jane Anderson (Laser 4.7); 3. B Sampson (Laser); 4. A Hilton, L Spiller & J Dabbs (Bosun); 5. V Duncalf (Topper)

Retired: P Whybrow (Solo), J Duncalf (Topper), N Pollard & J Chadney (RS200)

Grateful thanks were expressed to the Officers of the Day, Robin Spiller and Mandy Pollard.