Another blustery, but dry, day for the final race of the Catapult open. The gusts did catch out one of the catapults  which resulted in their first capsize of the weekend.

They were warned!

The poor weather forecast was right! Wind and torrential rain at times. Several capsizes (Shunty, Scumper, Sam Hall, John Halliday, Toggle, etc) and some good reaches to make up for it.

The afternoon race for club sailors was the Albert Bates Retirement Trophy – a pennant race that typically takes the fleet around the lake. As the wind was from a SW direction, the course can be challenging past Scarness, so the OD asked the Catapults whether or not they wanted to risk spoiling a good race, but they were up for it!

The first few legs in the main bay were in extremely blustery conditions and resulted in numerous capsizes  both on the beat and at gybe marks (and it thinned the fleet out a little!). Scarness seemed top be particularly sheltered and boats were drifting for a short while trying to catch the wind. However, once they broke through, all the fleet had to contend with was the gusts!

Robbie D (who had been late for the start), Shunty, and Scumper (also, a late starter) were all relatively close as they rounded 13 to head back up the lake, but Robin took the East shore and carried more gusts while Steve took the West shore. So it was Robbie D and Toggle that crossed the line first (in Roy’s RS400), and won overall on fleet handicap – Are the boys back in town (as Toggle put it)? – No was the resounding comment from Scumper

The Catapults may well have regretted the option of going around the lake, as tacking whilst drifting seems to prove difficult for them! At least it would give them a brief rest before the next set of gusts!

ALBERT BATES RETIREMENT TROPHY

PN    Boat  Helm          Class        1 Pts
 1     379  R DAWSON      RS400        1   1
 2   13176  D LAWSON      GP           2   2
 3    1049  M SOMERVILLE  RS400        3   3
 4    1298  S HUNT        RS400        4   4
 5    3473  M MOORE       FF           5   5
 6   13905  H GODFREY     GP           6   6
 7   69960  M CHAPPEL     FF           7   7
 8   13161  S SPENCE      GP           8   8
 9    1125  JoHALLIDAY    RS400      RTD  11
 9     691  P SMITH       RS200      RTD  11

                     Points for RTD = 11
                     Points for DSQ = 11
                     Points for DNS = 11

 1 races to count

Saturday

In addition to club racing the Catapult Association are holding an open meeting over the weekend with a fleet of 10 boats.

The wind was a little shy at first, but the OD went down to Scarness (where the committee and rescue boat crews spotted the osprey doing a bit of fishing 100m away!), set a line to beat back up to six and the wind duly filled in from the South. A quick repositioning of the committee boat (which meant the line was in fact back to front, but only Mike Moore noticed and stuck his oar in about that!) led to a good sail down part way down the lake in a good breeze. Despite the wind seemingly being in a true direction, Shunty reported some challenging shifts (or did he just get it wrong?) that resulted in some close racing.

The start for the second race was moved into the main bay to avoid the fleets getting stuck down the lake if the wind faded. The line was set for a Southerly breeze, and just as the start sequence was about to commence the wind started to fill from the SW. Again the line was hurriedly moved for a beat to 0, and the fleets started with a fetch to 0, but the swinging wind did result in boats having to tack (phew!). Not an ideal course, but time was getting on, and the risk of the wind fading continued to increase.

Fortunately the wind held long enough to finish the race.

Phil Hodgkins celebrated his 21st later in the evening – champagne and caviar! What did you all miss? Well there were some not too embarrassing photos of his early years, tales of how Bridget gave birth to him after a little ‘back ache’, plentisome buffet, birthday cake with loads of candles (possibly 21?), a thank you speech (no tears were openly shed!), loads of chatting and drinking (no doubt a few sore heads to follow), and a good time was had by all.

BARF PLATE

PN    Boat  Helm          Class        1   2   3   4   5   6 Pts
 1    1298  S HUNT        RS400        2   2   2 DNS   3   1   7
 2    1049  M SOMERVILLE  RS400        1   1   1 DNS   5 RTD   8
 3    1303  W CARRUTHERS  RS400        3   7   4 RTD  OD DNS  17
 4    3473  M MOORE       FF         DNS DNS DNS   2   2   2  35
 5     303  M COWAN       VAREO      RTD RTD DNS DNS   7 RTD  36
 6  174889  S HALL        LAS        DNS DNS   5 DNS   6   3  43
 7    1148  N CURRIE      RS400      DNS DNS DNS DNS   4   4  66
 8    1140  J CHRISTIE    VORTEX       5   4 DNS DNS DNS DNS  67
 9    1029  R BLACKBURN   RS400        4   6 DNS DNS DNS DNS  68
10     379  R DAWSON      RS200      DNS DNS RTD DNS   1 DNS  71
11  130579  S HALL        LASER RADI RTD   3 DNS DNS DNS DNS  71
12  161866  M LORD        LAS        DNS DNS DNS DNS   9   5  72
13  167828  I MACPHERSON  LAS        RTD   5 DNS DNS DNS DNS  73
14   45866  L TYSON       TOP        DNS DNS DNS DNS  11   6  75
15    1066  J CONNOR      RSFEVA     DNS DNS DNS DNS   8 RTD  76
16     103  A NICHOLSON   VAREO      DNS DNS RTD DNS  10 DNS  80
17   13905  H GODFREY     GP         DNS DNS DNS   1 DNS DNS  88
18    1003  A SMITH       RS200      DNS DNS   3 DNS DNS DNS  90
19  160516  T CHITTENDEN  LAS         OD DNS DNS DNS DNS DNS  90
20   69960  M CHAPPEL     MS         DNS DNS DNS  OD DNS DNS  90
21   70466  D TODHUNTER   MS         DNS DNS DNS RTD DNS DNS  93
21     338  R YARDLEY     VAREO      DNS DNS DNS RTD DNS DNS  93
22  125514  R BRYCE       LAS        DNS DNS   6 DNS DNS DNS  93
24   13259  J ROBERTS     VAREO      DNS DNS   7 DNS DNS DNS  94
25     501  J CROSBIE     RS400      DNS DNS   8 DNS DNS DNS  95
26   13161  S SPENCE      RSFEVA     DNS DNS   9 DNS DNS DNS  96
27     379  R DAWSON      RS 200     RTD DNS DNS DNS DNS DNS  97
28    3275  B LANCASTER   N12        DNS DNS DNS DNS  12 DNS  99

                     Points for RTD = 10   9  12   6  13  10
                     Points for DSQ = 10   9  12   6  13  10
                     Points for DNS = 29

 4 races to count

SPRING CUP

PN    Boat  Helm          Class        1   2   3   4   5   6 Pts
 1   13176  D LAWSON      GP         DNS DNS   1 DNS   1   1   3
 2   13905  H GODFREY     GP           1   1 DNS DNS   2   2   4
 3   13885  M FAIRLAMB    GP           2   2   2 DNS DNS DNS   6
 4   13867  D NICHOLSON   GP           3   3 RTD DNS   3   3   9

                     Points for RTD =  4   4   4   0   4   4
                     Points for DSQ =  4   4   4   0   4   4
                     Points for DNS =  5

 3 races to count

MIRROR RED SAILS TROPHY

PN    Boat  Helm          Class        1   2   3   4   5   6 Pts
 1   69960  M CHAPPEL     MS           1   1   2 DNS   1   1   3
 2   70466  D TODHUNTER   MS           2   2 DNS DNS   2   2   6
 3   70142  T SMITH       MS         DNS DNS   1 DNS DNS DNS   9

                     Points for RTD =  3   3   3   0   3   3
                     Points for DSQ =  3   3   3   0   3   3
                     Points for DNS =  4

 3 races to count