BSC SAILING RESULTS

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27 - 28 Feb 10 - National Championships

Despite a horrendous weather forecast of severe winter storms, snow and rain for the weekend of the Illusion National Championship, 26 sailors still braved the elements and made it to the start-line. Luckily the ‘tropical’ Isle of Wight missed the worst of the weather although about 1” of rain overnight creating exceptionally high water in Bembridge Harbour. Between the clouds however occasionally rays of sunshine could be seen which was nice considering water temperature is around 3C and air around 5c!

Saturday's racing started a bit later than the programmed 09:00, as the early start was clearly a struggle for a few! The wind was from the South West, force 3-5 backing later to the South. Race office Mike Samuelson had set a very long line and course to avoid big pile ups at the start and top mark. However it was still crowded and plenty of pushing on the line which was to be expected with such a line up of top Solent sailors. Unfortunately in Race 1 Rudy Jurg and Graham Bailey got off to a bad start by both being over the line. Graham Sunderland, again showing off one of his latest newly designed sails, took the gun for first place followed by Justin Biddle and Mark Downer. Race 2 was quickly started and this time it was Julia Bailey who was over the line; Graham Sunderland quickly took the lead which he held on to throughout. It did not seem to matter which way you went up the beat, both right and left paid although big gains and losses were made if out of phase with the numerous shifts caused by clouds quickly passing overhead. Graham Bailey has mastered the skill of spotting shifts and followed the leader close on his heels. Third place went to Mark Downer who with exceptional boat speed seems to race through the fleet no matter where he started!

In Race 3 it was again Graham Sunderland who took the gun, followed by Graham Bailey but this time it was a delighted Raymond Simmonds who took 3rd place. As the weather forecast for Sunday was very bad with 60mph winds forecasted, the race officer wisely decided to run a fourth race so that we would get a series in should conditions on Sunday not allow racing. With an I Flag flying it was a clean start with nobody over the line; Rudy Jurg was delighted when he emerged as the leader at the weather mark by holding the fleet out to the left, but alas he lost it on the run. Philip Bown had his own tactics and breeze and powered to a second place with Graham Bailey just in front of him. With a One-design fleet such as the Illusions it’s the middle of the fleet were you can see some interesting interruptions of the 3 boat length rule and port starboard however in general the fleet was well behaved and people taking their turns when they infringed other sailors.

In the evening there was a Illusion Class Dinner which was attended by almost all sailors and BSC Class Captain Justin Biddle made a speech to thank the sailors, club and race officers for their efforts to make this event such a success.

On Sunday morning a few people looked worse for wear from the night before and there was a little apprehension on the dock side because of the weather forecast. However, it turned out to be a lovely day with West-North-Westerly winds ranging Force 4-5. A little damp at times but when sailing you do not notice these things! As 4 races had already been sailed on Saturday only 2 more had to be sailed on Sunday as far as the Championship's went. Mark Downer thrives in these strong conditions probably helped by his 6'8" stature and exceptional arm length to spread out the spinnaker on down wind legs. He won the first race of the day with a commanding lead. Graham Bailey came second and Graham Sunderland 3rd. Barnaby Edwards had a good day and finished 4th much to his own surprise, however, he sailed cleanly and was in phase with the wind.

Down it came to the last race to determine the top 3 places although plenty of battles were fought further down the rankings. Mark Downer and Rudy Jurg shot off again on the pin end, however the race officer had spotted them over the line probably not helped by being almost the only coloured boats in a white hulled fleet! They went off home early and after a very close race lead most of the way again by Barnaby Edwards, the two Grahams battled it out for the top place.

In the end it was Graham Sunderland who took the coveted half model of an Illusion home as the overall winner of the 2010 Illusion National Championship. Graham Bailey was 2nd and Mark Downer was 3rd.

The 4 ladies who raced this weekend have their own Trophy and Julia Bailey was the clear winner. As the class has a wide age range of sailors there is also a prize for the first over 65 and the first over 75. Philip Bown took the former, Philip Woodford, the latter. Finally, the Most Improved prize was awarded to Rudy Jurg despite being twice OCS and David Palmer took home the 1st visitors prize.

20 - 21 Feb 10 - no racing early/late tides. Saturday was a lovely calm sunny day, Sunday was wet and miserable!

13 - 14 Feb 10 - Valentine Trophy

A historic weekend in the sailing world was made in Valencia by BMW-Oracle winning the America’s Cup for the Golden Gate Yacht Club - an awesome show of technology and sailing talent. The battle between sailing talents in Bembridge Harbour was however no less! Eighteen of some the best Solent sailors braved freezing air and water temperatures for the Illusion Valentines Trophy. The wind was from a northerly direction blowing between 10-14 knots and whilst rigging up many sailors already complained of frozen hands and cold bodies.

After a short delay racing got underway, the pin was favoured and Graham Sunderland and Piers Thomas nailed it and finished in that order. The course was relatively short which produced interesting situations around the top mark with such an evenly matched fleet. Class Commodore Bruce Huber, who is normally in front of the fleet, had missed a few weekends racing and was among this middle group struggling to break-away - there is no substitute for practice on the water!!

Veteran Illusion sailor Philip Bown was consistent finishing 4th in first and second race, but lost it in the third race of the day. In the final race of the day Sue Thomas showed the boys perfect control of her 3rd place which she held all the way round in hot pursuit by Rudy Jurg and Graham Bailey. Well known marine author and professional sailor Graham Sunderland booked his 3rd first place on Saturday by being spot on in every start. Bruce Huber finally found some form in the last race and finished 2nd. Three races were over in an hour and 40 minutes, which considering the cold weather was not a bad thing as some people started developing early signs of hypothermia! Luckily the club house was warm and allowed people the thaw out and go through the post race analysis.

On Sunday and after many people had their romantic Valentines dinners and morning breakfasts it was all smiles on the dock side as the sun was out, moderate 4-8 breeze and less cold. Talk on the dock was about the big match in Valencia and if we would get back on time to watch it! Indeed some Illusionists added an Iphone or Blackberry to their inventory allowing people to keep abreast with developments in Valencia between races!

The race officer started on time, a short course which a favoured the pin end and pushed a few people over the line but Piers Thomas got it right at full speed and left over the horizon, this left Rudy Jurg, Graham Bailey and Graham Sunderland battling for the next few places and they opened a large gap between the rest of the fleet. However in the end it was Graham Sunderland who came second and Rudy Jurg 3rd very closely followed by Graham Bailey in 4th. For the second race the wind had shifted to the left so the marks were moved and the course lengthened. With the wind coming out of the North Westerly corner of the harbour it became very shifty and it was a game of snakes and ladders with lots of place changing. Raymond Simmonds went off on his own to the right of the course and build up a huge lead which won him the race. The battle behind him was fiercely fought and close but it was Jockey Wilson who came 2nd and Graham Sunderland 3rd. Further back Colin Simmonds (the brother of Raymond) finished 7th (again) and would also finish like that for the weekend overall, something he already predicted the previous day!

Before the last race it was clear that Graham Sunderland would take home the beautiful painting by Heather Kruk as the overall prize but there was still a battle between Graham Bailey, Rudy Jurg and Piers Thomas. Although Piers Thomas had a great start he lost a few places in the shifty conditions, Rudy Jurg too lost the plot on the first beat and had to fight back from mid fleet. After a close race with lots of place changing Graham Bailey finished 2nd and Rudy Jurg 3rd, this is also how they finished overall.

Everybody made it quickly back to the dock in the hope of seeing something of the Americas Cup, in the end that was much delayed and gave you ample time to put on a Sunday roast prior to this match started.

1st Graham Sunderland 6pts
2nd Graham Bailey 16pts
3rd Rudy Jurg 19pts
4th Piers Thomas 25pts
5th Bruce Huber 35pts

Next event is the Illusion Nationals, 27/28 February in which we will hopefully see 25+ boats.

6 - 7 Feb 10 - no racing, early/late tides.

30 - 31 Jan 10 - Match Racing

Bright sunshine, a gentle breeze, a well practised team of race officers & umpires, and of course 16 enthusiastic Illusionists made for an excellent weekends racing for the annual Match Racing Championships.

Fifty four starts on Saturday and a few less for Sunday's finals keeps everyone on their toes as they try to follow Mike Sam's masterfull schedule of races with hooters and whistles going off throughout each start and finish sequence. Each year the standard of racing seems to improve and this year was no exception. In the black group on Saturday, Ian Southworth (winner in 2008), Raymond Simonds and Rudi Jurg all finished with 5 wins to their credit, with last year's winner Graham Bailey and Ed Peel on 4 wins each. In the red group, Mark Downer & Graham Sunderland notched up 6 wins each, with Justin Biddle on 5 and Colin Simonds with 3. Unfortunately Ian was nursing a very sore shoulder so decided to withdraw from Sunday's finals which gave Ed Peel the opening he was hoping for.

Sunday's quarter finals had Raymond & Colin Simonds matched against each other, the two Grahams (Bailey & Sunderland), Justin Biddle and Rudi Jurg and Ed Peel and Mark Downer. After some close racing, Raymond, Graham Sunderland, Justin and Ed emerged as the hot four for the semi finals. In the first, Graham was just too consistent for Raymond and won 2-0. The other match however was much closer with one win each, however at the start of the third race Justin notched up three penalties during pre-start sequence and so had to retire. As he was not feeling very well, he headed home rather than wait the for third and fourth place sail off. Meanwhile in the plate semi finals, Graham Bailey had beaten Colin Simonds, and Mark Downer had managed to keep ahead of Rudi Jurg.

This left an interesting set of final races. However, despite Ed Peel' return to form on Sunday, Graham Sunderland was just too canny to let him get in front and control the races. That said, even though the result sheet shows that it was a 3-0 victory to Graham, it was certainly not a walk over; Graham's boat control, boat speed and match racing experience was just a delight to witness and showed Illusion racing at its best. In the plate final meanwhile, Mark Downer at last found enough boat speed to beat Graham Bailey 2-0 and as plate runners up, Rudi Jurg had a similar 2-0 win over Raymond Simonds.

Well done and thanks to the Race Officers lead by Jonathan Peel and Umpires lead by Barry Dyer. Another great weekend's sailing. There are a few photos on the BSC website. The final results were:

1st - Graham Sunderland
2nd - Ed Peel
3rd - Colin Simonds
4th - Justin Biddle
5th (& Plate winner) - Mark Downer
6th - Graham Bailey
7th - Rudi Jurg
8th - Raymond Simonds

Finally, well done to young Robert Owen who ran three fleet races just outside the harbour for those who had not made the cut along with a couple of others. His first time on his own, indeed his first time using Gander. James Axtell had two firsts and a second so was the clear winner.

23 - 24 Jan 10 - No racing early/late tides - pity it was actually quite nice for a change!

16 - 17 Jan 10 - Piers January Jacket

It's only 2 weekends ago since Illusions raced last in the sunshine however even the Isle of Wight experienced some unseasonal weather which brought the Island and much of the UK the a grinding halt last week. Luckily for the Illusion sailors preparing for this weekend Piers January Jacket Regatta the snow had melted. However, conditions on Saturday were certainly not optimal with cold SSW winds, overcast and a little rain. Nevertheless, eleven Illusion sailors came out for a close battle while most people would have voted to read the Saturday papers indoors!

In the first race, the windiest of the day, it was clear that the battle was going to close between Mark Downer, Graham Sunderland, Piers Thomas and Rudy Jurg. Mark and Rudy took off to take a considerable lead followed in 3rd place by Graham. The breeze was very shi

fty and in the second race Sue Thomas, the only lady braving the elements on Saturday, made the most of it and figured the best way round to finished first. Graham Sunderland proved that it was possible to re-thread a spinnaker sheet on the beat, and Raymond Simonds got a lesson from Rudy and Graham in the 3 boat length rule and gracefully retired!

In the final race of the day, Graham showed what he was made of after 2 bad starts in previous races and claimed first place followed by Mark and Piers. Andrew Christie who normally is hanging in there with the top guys could not find his usual form and together with Philip Woodford made up the back end. Bembridge Harbour is a game of snakes and ladders and if you are out of phase with one of the shifts it's invariably costly!

On Sunday the sun was out! Blue skies and WSW force 4 - incredible that we had snow only a few days ago! This fine weather brought twenty one sailors out and race officer Hugh Eddowes was able to lay the course using the full length of the harbour. Within the Illusion Class it's common to see the sailors dragging the race buoys around in the correct position to get the best course. Lots of debate whether to go left, right or middle pre-start but during the course of the day it became clear that no option was favoured; so the most important thing was looking around and checking the wind over the water.

In the first race Graham took off again with a new set of sails he made overnight hoping that he had finally found the winning shape. Unfortunately for some there was a bit of a scrap at the start and Raymond & Rudy had to fight back from nearly last to eventually 5th and 7th place respectively. The second race was the longest of the day with 3 windward beats; Piers Thomas showed the way closely followed by Graham and Raymond, however Rudy had a good shift and was laying 2nd for a while but lost the plot on the the beat to the finish and came 4th. Visitor David Palmer who is a winning Dragon sailor came 9th which he was especially pleased with.

In the last race everybody was fired up and with a very clean start it was difficult for those on the pin end to get across as everybody wanted to head up the left side of the course. However, at the top mark Graham Sunderland, Mark and Rudy had marked their territories and finish in that order. In the middle of the field former Finn sailor and Class Admiral Vernon Stratton, now in his early eighties, showed great consistency by finishing 12, 13 and 12 in field of 21 despite not flying a spinnaker. In certain conditions it undoubtedly pays to goose wing rather than getting tangled in lots of sheets and halyards associated trying to set a spinnaker. The Illusion fleet seems to attract lots of couples (Piers and Sue Thomas, Mark and Jo Downer) and Julia and Graham Bailey had a real battle between them, however it was Julia who would finish 1 point ahead of her husband in overall standing this weekend.

Certainly another fun weekend. The overall results were:

1st Graham Sunderland 9pts (win on countback)
2nd Mark Downer 9pts
3rd Piers Thomas 14pts
4th Rudy Jurg 19pts
5th Sue Thomas 27pts

9 - 10 Jan 10 - No racing, late tides - just as well it was bitter!

2 - 3 Jan 10 - Icebreaker

The frosty & icy conditions did not deter 26 hardy Illusion sailors racing for the Icebreaker Trophy over the weekend. An early start meant that most boats were iced up so the tool box of de-icer, hammer and screwdrivers had to come out again to get all moving parts to work; a few warm buckets of water did the rest although this did turn the boat park into an ice skating rink!! Most sailors become unrecognisable as they are dressed in multiple layers of warm kit, balaclavas, hats, skiing goggles and life jackets. A few people were also spotted with warm water flasks to warm their hands prior and during racing!

Although it was cold, the sun was out in blazing glory and a perfect 6-10 knot NW/W/SW breeze. Who needs the Caribbean in winter when you have Bembridge harbour with so many one design boats racing! And afterwards you can have drinks and food in one of the most beautiful Sailing Clubs too.

With so many boats on the line and the tricky wind conditions the battle for positions started early; both Rudy Jurg and Piers Thomas took off and built up a considerable lead in the first race, leaving some of the other bigger names struggling mid field. Well done in particular to visitor Stewart Reed who came in with a credible 5th place.

In the second race, Mark Downer managed to keep clear of the somewhat chaotic start and took top place. The battle mid field was fierce with inevitable calls for 'water at the mark' although the Illusion class is unique that it allows touching of marks which does lead too some people squeezing into spaces which are not there. Penalty turns had to be taken by a few!

With the I Flag being brought into play to get some discipline back into the start, Saturday's last race lead to an interesting pile up at the committee boat end of the line. This left Graham Sunderland and Justin Biddle and those further down the line with a clear advantage. Mind you, its not all over until the fat lady sings in Bembridge harbour with its shifty winds. Once boats had been retrieved it was up the the bar to enjoy warm food and to thaw out.

Sunday was the same ritual with boats having to be de-iced, however there was no warm sun and with the wind having gone round to the East and increased to 12-18 knots, racing was always going to be more challenging for most. That said, the first race still bought 22 starters to the line.

With the I Flag in use from the outset, Mark showed that he is the unbeaten king in heavy weather and took first place in all but last race. Piers Thomas was determined to get a top finish and showed excellent boat speed; Justin Biddle meanwhile was on a real come back from the previous day and put in a consistent performance to finish 4th in every race. Philip Woodford, who is in his late seventies showed, occasional brilliance after many years of sailing but the strong wind conditions and cold meant that he suffered as the race went on.

In the second race of the day, nearly the whole fleet headed for the beach by Attrill's Point where there was a lot of shouting for "water" and "starboard", indeed Justin Biddle and Graham Sunderland had an extended discussion about it on the water which lead to the first Illusion protest taken ashore for many a year. In the event, it was resolved by an arbitration panel and dismissed on the grounds of safety and avoiding a collision.

Visitor Stewart Reed summarised results of those at the back very nicely: "Nothing wrong with the boat - just the poor skipper/ helm/ trimmer/tactician who hadn't cracked the off wind art in 20kts (wind over tide) of trimming with both hands, helming with his feet, keeping his head lower than the boom, trying to avoid the other boats.....oh, and pumping at the same time!"

A brilliant weekend was had by all, congratulations go to Mark Downer who again took the overall prize. The next sailing weekend is 16-17 January for Piers Jacket Trophy.

1st Mark Downer 12 pts
2nd Piers Thomas 13 pts
3rd Justin Biddle 17 pts
4th Graham Sunderland 25 pts
5th Raymond Simonds 28 pts

26 - 27 Dec - No racing, early/late tides.

19 - 20 Dec - Christmas Cracker

The Illusion Christmas Cracker weekend got off to a very cold start with frozen furlers, lines and cleats, however as part of Illusion spares these avid sailors carry de-icers, screw drivers and buckets to carry warm water from the club to the boat and eventually 9 boats made it on the water. Unfortunately not a huge turnout as many people were stuck in the snow or had to go Christmas shopping and thereby missing a great weekend sailing. Rudy Jurg had even decorated his backstay with tinsel and Santa's socks for this occasion!

The race officer had set a course in corner of Bembridge Harbour which meant very shifty conditions and challenge for everybody. In first race Rudy took the gun with considerable lead, Piers second and his wife Sue 3rd. Mark had an altercation with his wife at the top mark and needed to take penalty turns. This kept him in the back the fleet for this race and he noted that battle for places is as hard fought in the tail end as it is in the front.

Race 2 and all boats started bang on the gun, Rudy and Piers taking a commanding lead followed in hot pursuit by Mark. Much place changing between the leaders but Piers showed the way. Race 3 and Sue Thomas had a brilliant start and showed the boys the way home and reminded them to sail by the rules after a few people tried to squeeze in non existent gaps at top mark! Mark Downer however took the gun, Sue second and Piers third. Philip Woodford scored his third 5th place of the day.

On Sunday we had similar weather, sunny but cold and after some de-icing exercises 9 boats made it again to the line. Very shifty with winds a top mark being different from bottom mark and committee boat, however an interesting course was set and there was some close racing, Mark, Rudy and Piers all wanting to take home the top prize. Race 1 and the leaders went all off to the left and places continuously changed, however on 3rd upwind beat both Rudy, who was in the lead and closely followed by Mark, thought they had finished, but no gun! The PRO had decided to send us around again but Piers had slipped through noting that there was no finishing flag, eventually Mark finished 2nd and Rudy third. Race 2 was uneventful, Mark took a commanding lead whilst Piers and Rudy tussled for 2nd place. In back of the fleet Robin Ebsworth, the Class Measurer, scored his second 8th place of the day after a very promising start! The last Regatta of year was won by Piers Thomas who was presented with the wonderful model of an Illusion that the builder kindly given to BSC earlier in the Year; 2nd place went to Mark Downer and in 3rd place was Rudy Jurg. Jo Downer took 4th place and Philip Woodford 5th.

In the clubhouse, Assistant Race Officer (15) Robert Owen, who has been assisting the Illusion fleet for 5 years, told the Illusion sailors that he had now passed all his race officers training and hoped to be taken on full duty when he turned 16 in mid-May. He was presented with a book on race tactics by a very grateful Illusion Class.

Next racing will be 2nd and 3rd January for the Icebreaker, first start on Saturday at 1030.

12 - 13 Dec - No racing, early tides - pity as it wasn't raining either!

5 - 6 Dec

Almost perfect conditions on Saturday for the annual Illusion Inter Club Team Racing; Sunday was brighter although somewhat breezier which made for some challenging racing.

Saturday saw each of the eight teams racing each other. Mark & Jo Downer, last year's winners reigned supreme and won all their races; BSC, represented this year by Bruce Huber & novice Xander Shaw came out second with six wins. Working out who filled the next three places required the excellent RO team lead by Jonathan Peel to count back race positions so as the split the Simonds brothers, Raymond & Colin, from SVYC, Ian Southworth with stand-in Joe Robertson for HRSC and Piers & Sue Thomas racing for TTSC (Team Thomas SC!) all who had finished with 4 wins. This left Graham & Julia Bailey, sailing for the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCdeM), Nick Wakefield & Alastair Speare-Cole representing EWCC and Andrew Christie & Richard Ambler sailing for Thames Sailing Club bringing up the also rans!

All the teams were eager to get started on Sunday; in the main semi-final it was RVYC v HRSC and BSC v SVYC; in the plate, TTSC v TSC and YCdeM v EWCC. All were best of three and conveniently but unusually all went to straight 2-0 wins . The best of five finals was therefore between Mark & Jo Downer and Bruce Huber & Xander Shaw. The first two races went to Mark & Jo, however Bruce & Xander clawed back the third in a very close finish. The fourth race started off with Xander a bit late across the start line and Bruce having to work hard to delay proceedings at the first windward mark to allow him to get through. Unfortunately Mark spotted the trap and successfully forced him to take a port & starboard penalty. Although Xander was in front, his boat handling skills in the gusty conditions were just not quite good enough to hold back the Downers who went on to an easy win to make it 3-1.

In the meantime, HRSC beat SVYC 2-0 to take 3rd & 4th places, YCdeM beat TTSC for 5th & 6th, and TSC beat EWCC for 7th & 8th.

A great weekend's sailing; many thanks to the Race Officer team on TRIO, and the four principal umpires Barry Dyer, Penny Carter, Jamie Clark, Jimbo Mitchell and their RIB their drivers.

28 - 29 Nov - No racing early tides which was just as well as it was horrible!

21 - 22 Nov

Bearing mind the forecast and the appalling weather elsewhere around the country, Saturday's conditions were not at all bad for 13 eager Illusionists. As the results showed, racing, certainly at the front, was very tight between Piers Thomas (1,3,1), Graham Sunderland (4,1,2) and Mark Downer (2,2,3). Sunday's start was delayed 20 minutes to allow a couple of squalls to pass through, however the forecast had already reduced the competition somewhat. Mark Downer was unbeatable in the blustery conditions and notched up three wins. Piers Thomas had a bit of a disaster in the second race when his boat started looking like a submarine; however he managed to sort things back out for the final race only to fill up again within the last few feet of the line so had to be content with two second places. Jo Downer meanwhile showed her usual determination and took three thirds.

1. Mark Downer (10 points)
2. Piers Thomas (24 points)
3. Jo Downer (26 points)
4. Sue Thomas (27 points)

14 - 15 Nov

Despite the early start and a gale warning in force, there were a keen group of Illusionists eager to race early on Saturday morning! Fortunately they eventually decided that discretion was the better part of valour and racing was cancelled by the very relieved race officers. Thirteen boats took to the water on Sunday and enjoyed three nice races with the top four all pretty close - well done to Piers Thomas who was the overall winner (bearing in mind no discard) with two seconds & a first

1. Piers Thomas (5 points)
2. Mark Downer (6 points)
3. Graham Bailey (9 points)
4. Rudy Jurg (11 points)

7 - 8 Nov

There was an excellent turn out on Saturday (24 boats) in sunny conditions with a pleasant South Westerly breeze; albeit, perhaps not surprisingly rather fewer on Sunday (18) in the stronger and damper North Easterly. The first two races on Saturday were convincing wins by Graham Sunderland using his "go faster" clear laminate sails. Although not noticeably faster downwind, he was certainly quicker going upwind. A poor start in race three gave others a chance and allowed Bruce Huber to notch up a win just ahead of Mark Downer & Rudy Jurg. Lower down the fleet the racing was as keen as ever with numerous place changes on every leg of the course. Even the back markers had fun as they strove to do move up the placings.

Sunday's stronger winds saw Graham's new sails exchanged for a more conventional set and Mark Downer show that he is the one to beat when its blowing. Mark took the first two races but had to be content with a second in the last race finishing just behind Graham. In the middle of the fleet, competition was as keen as ever with no room for mistakes. At the back meanwhile although there was an element of survival sailing, it was great to see even the end few working hard to master the difficult conditions.

Overall results:

1. Graham Sunderland (7 points)
2. Mark Downer (8 points)
3. Bruce Huber (17 points - OCS Race 5!)
4. Rudy Jurg (22 points - OCS Race 5!)
5. Graham Bailey (22 points).

31 Oct - 1 Nov

Saturday was the last of the summer winds. Three races were held with sixteen Illusions on the starting line. Mark Downer lead the first race making an early statement at port end of the line and was soon in commanding lead with Rudi Jurg second with his new sails. Julia Bayley of Dragon fame came second to Mark in the next race and Andrew Christie sneeked through to get the gun whilst Rudi, Mark and Jo Downer had a private battle and threw away their chances of winning the final race.

Sunday looked as if it would be a wash out, but an hour's wait gave hope of some exciting racing for the heavy brigade brigade. Robin Ebsworth and Philip Bown the Vice Commodore volunteered for the rescue RIB. Race Officer's Tony Spalding & Rob Mathieson took a team of helpers in Trio and found a patch of smoother water making it possible to race in top end conditions for even hardened sailors. Six boats started with all except one crossing the line together. Most yachts would have been tied up in harbour but not them, they charged off with full sail and in control. Mark and Justin Biddle fought it out all the way. Justin scooped a wave at the leeward mark and let Mark through to cross the line on starboard just ahead. Justin awash squeezed across the line and had to head for the shore for a bail out. Bill Daniels wisely dropped his mainsail and headed for home. The last race was so tight that two boats were over the line at the start. Phil Woodford at 78 lead the charge with Mark over too. Jo Downer who was sailing higher than Mark in the heavy gusts took the winning gun with Rudi second.

There was plenty to talk about in the bar afterwards!! Next weekend is the Guy Fawkes Trophy Nov 7/8

Results
1. Mark Downer BSC
2. Jo Downer BSC
3. Rudi Jurg RCYC
4. Andrew Christie SVYC

17 - 18 Oct - Trafalgar Trophy

Alas no report, however only 4 races (3 on Saturday & 1 on Sunday) due to a lack of wind. Eighteen boats out over the weekend. Top three had equal points (7) so it must have been close!

1. Mark Downer
2. Rudy Jurg
3. Piers Thomas
4. Bruce Huber

10 - 11 Oct - No racing due to late tides

3 - 4 Oct

With the harbour still rather full of moored boats it was tempting to go outside on Saturday, but the RO team of Philip Bown, James Row & Robert Owen thought better of it as it was quite windy gusting 5 or 6, and only a few new season buoyancy tests done! In the event a small area near the houseboats up to a windward mark at Bembridge Outboards served well for the first set of races of the new Illusion season. Rudi Jurg won all three race initially with seven starters on Saturday, all by some margin, Alastair Speare-Cole having looked likely to pip him in the second race till his spinnaker and jib were in conflict at the leeward mark.

The wind was lighter on Sunday and expecting a larger fleet than actually appeared (24 boats on the quay already) a longer course was laid along Silver beach. From eight eventual starters Phil Woodford was delighted to just beat Rudi in the first, Andrew Christie won the second and William Daniels who had only just appeared sailed away from the fleet in the third. Rudi doubtless won the weekend with two seconds and a third to follow his three firsts on the day before.

Three of the six boats float tested on Saturday sank, though Rudi's which went down big time on Saturday mysteriously floated flawlessly when retested on Sunday, bung left out first time?!!

26 - 27 Sep

Although no Redwings took to the water for the last weekend of the "summer" season's racing, there was an excellent turnout of One-Designs particularly on Saturday. Initially with little or no wind in prospect, the Race Officer, George Greenwood, was all for drawing stumps, however he was persuaded by Jos Coad to give it a try. Indeed by the time they started there was a gentle southerly breeze which allowed three nice beats from Fitzwilliam to Tara for the fleet of nine One-Designs.

The result sheet reveal the following finishing order: No 12, No 2 (Tim Bonham), No 5, No 9, No 8 (James Row), No 1, No 6 (John Deacon), No 11 & No 7.

Far fewer ventured forth on Sunday and those that did had, much to the bemusement of Roy Burrows who was the Race Officer, to contend with the 2 to 7 knot breeze going round in circles. The results sheet reveals that Jos Coad in No 5 beat James Row in No 8, with John Deacon in No 6 coming in ahead of Peter Truman in No 9.

19 - 20 Sep

After almost 2 weeks of strongish NE breezes, the wind dropped and the few boats that did decide to race had to struggle a bit in the light airs. On Saturday, there was a dual in the Redwings between Rosie Gosling in Gosling and Robin Ebsworth in Quintessence. The finish timings show that Gosling was well out in front at the finish. A 2nd race was offered but it was decided that lunch took priority! On Sunday, Henny Chetwood took Ladybird out but she had to make do with following Gosling wake for the whole of the race that was shortened due to the light and variable conditions.

There were only two One-Designs out on Saturday. James Row in No 1 was well ahead of Anna in No 8 after the first round so the Race Officer wisely stopped them. Having changed boats, a second race was started but had to be abandoned when the breeze dropped off.

12 - 13 Sep

It was great to see so many old friends from MOCRA around the Club over the weekend. Some great multihull racing weather albeit all day out on TRIO in the NE'erly popple was not for faint hearted race officers! Course setting is never quite as simple as it would seem due to the significant variation in boat speeds - particularly with Buzz, the Seacart 30 of Phil Cotton, always well out in front - however, everyone enjoyed the course variation of the 3 races on Saturday. On corrected time, Buzz came out with two 1sts and a 2nd, Brian Haynes in his F31R Carbon Tiger II won the shorter 2nd race and so had a 1st and two 2nds, and Simon Baker - who had sailed his Dazcat D1150 Drama Queen all the way up from Cornwall, had three 3rds.

There was only the one longer race on Sunday, so with the NE breeze holding at around the top end of Force 4, the course took them over to the Winner, followed by Nab Tower and then a short final couple of legs from Under Tyne to Ruthven and back. Buzz finished in 1 hour, 29 minutes, Carbon Tiger II was 15 minutes behind and the last boat crossed the finish line an hour later. On corrected time though, the winner was Drama Queen who had had a excellent first leg following their port tack start; 2nd place went to Buzz and 3rd place to Carbon Tiger II. With a one race discard, this kept Buzz as the Regatta winner one point ahead of Carbon Tiger II, with Drama Queen a clear 3rd.

MOCRA Bembridge Regatta Photos

With TRIO being used for the multihulls, Hugo Peel's new Dragonfly made an excellent Committee Boat for the keelboats. Only two Redwings ventured out on Saturday, and Colin Samuelson in Toucan was the easy winner after Jonathan Nainby-Luxmoore in Capercaille retired having realised that he was not going very fast due to an excess of weed! In the meantime, the eight One-Designs had a slightly uncomfortable race in the chop as the breeze eased off. D Orange in No 11 held off James Bullin in No 5 for a close finish with the remainder all finishing close together within 3 minutes of the lead boat.

No Redwings on Sunday and only four One-Designs braved the heavy lop & underlying swell. D Orange was the easy winner ahead of James Row in No 8 by about two and a half minutes; Charlie Harcourt-Smith was third and Rob Mathieson fourth.

5 - 6 Sep

A quiet weekend's racing water with no One-Designs on either day. However, there were 4 Redwings on Saturday reducing to 3 on Sunday. On Saturday there was a reasonable NW breeze although a significant wind shift and course change kept everyone on their toes. Joe Robertson in Red Gauntlet II finished about a minute ahead of Colin Samuelson in Toucan, followed closley by Robin Ebsworth in Quintessence and Tom Scott in Siskin. On Sunday, the breeze had veered to the SE and again required a course change half way through the race; Colin Samuelson in Toucan came in ahead of Tom Scott in Siskin and Peter Grimaldi in Redwing.

Well done to Ashley & June McLucas, Alex Norman and Dominic Powell who all passed the PBL2 Course over the weekend.

24 - 31 Aug

Alas the weather was not terribly kind for the shrimps Week "on water afternoons", however, most of them got out either in a Scow, Stafish/Peanut or Motor Boat and there certainly were lots of happy smiles all round.

Although there were few if any Redwings racing during the week, the One-Designs managed slightly better on most days. Well done to the Orange family who won the Margetson Trophy (family pairs) and the Spouses Match. Also to Xander Shaw who won the Cartright Prize, James Bullin the Burrows Single handed Trophy, and Mark Grz who won a closely fought Jubilee Trophy on Saturday morning. In the Redwing's Jeannie Cochrane Final on Saturday morning, James Wilson in No 30 Quail was the pretty convincing winner.

Some great racing over the weekend with possibly a record number of boats, particularly in the One-Design fleet, out in the fresh breeze. John Harbord-Hamond took home a 1st, 2nd & 3rd to win the August Points Trophy by the narrowest of margins. Certainly D & Brian Orange, along with James Bullin were never far off the pace.

Some excellent Daring racing over the Bnk Holiday weekend - well done in particular to Giles Peckham in No 3 Dauntless with three 1sts and a 6th.

17 - 23 Aug

A relatively quiet week on the water but a very successful Oppy 4 and the One-Designs had some good sailing most days. Indeed considerable excitement on Friday afternoon when two crew from a One-Design (with 3 crew) went overboard when the boat gybed and broached in the F4/5 breeze. Skilfull sailing by a fellow helm rescued one and Rod in DELTA who was fortunately just off Colonel's Hard at the time picked up the other.

Well done to Emma Stanley who won the Curling Trophy for the most improved on Oppy 4, Archie Goodwin who won the Best kept Oppy (and the Watt Trophy for the best kept Oppy throughout the Oppy 1 to 4 courses), and to Oscar Chalmers who won the Race Cup for the week's racing.

Just enough wind over the weekend for the BHYC Regatta which was very well atended. Well done to Myles Powell in particular who made a clean sweep sailing his Topaz Uno the Slow Handicap. James Doherty in his Uno came second on Saturday and Oscar Chalmers in his Oppy, who sailed in the Slow Handicap in the absence of any other Oppies, came 3rd on Sunday

Excellent turnout in the One-Designs over the weekend. Saturday's Selwyn Cup was won by D Orange in No 6, who was just under a minute ahead of John Harbord-Hamond in No 4 & Mark Grz in No 9. On Sunday, Pat Spalding in No 12 finished over 4 minutes ahead of Brian Orange in No 11 and Mark Grz in No 6 to take the Hector Humphray Cup. Meanwhile, in the Redwings on Saturday (10 starters) Harry Greenway in Snow Goose was a minute ahead of Joe Robertson in Red Gauntlet II and Colin Samuelson in Toucan. On Sunday (8 starters), Meri Benham had a fine victory in Paroquet, with Joe Robertson & Colin Samuelson again following up in 2nd & 3rd respectively.

Finally, five Darings on Saturday & six on Sunday enjoyed some challenging courses. Charles Perry in Defiant had a 1st & 3rd; Peter Scott in Daring Do a 2nd & 6th; Hamish Janson in Streak a 5th (actually helmed by Xander Shaw) & a 2nd (one second ahead of Charles Perry); Brian Hardy in Destroyer a 4th & 1st, and Lavinia Perry in Dreamer a 3rd & 5th.

12 - 16 Aug

A busy week blessed by reasonable weather which made it a lot more fun. The report on the BSC v SVYC match on Monday is reported separetely below. There were two Redwings helmed by Cadets out on Tuesday morning racing for the Norman Philips Trophy - well done to Poppy Maltby who the Luxmoore-Styles; the Blly Fortescue (Ladies) race meanwhile was won by Pat Spalding. On Tuesday afternoon half a dozen scow ladies enjoyed their racing teach-in and "practice" races run by the Club Secretary. On Wednesday afternoon, four Redwings enjoyed some enthusiastic team racing (see below for a short report by Andrew Eddy). Friday & Saturday saw some excellent racing for the annual Regatta in the S/SW 3-4 breezes. Thanks to all the Race Officers and RIB/Safety Boat helms who helped make it so successful.

Winners were as follows:

Darings - Friday (6 starters) Dynamite - Anthony Balme; Saturday (5 starters) Dynamite - Anthony Balme
Redwings - Friday (16 starters) Quail - James Wilson; Saturday (14 starters) Quail - James Wilson
Seaview Mermaids - Friday (9 starters) No 1 - Ben Few-Brown; Saturday (11 starters) No 3 - Jonathan Hill.
One-Designs - Friday (9 starters) No 9 - Mark Grzegorczyk; Saturday (12 starters) No 8 - James Bullin.
Squibs - Friday (4 starters) No 500 Martin Harrison; Saturday (4 starters) No 500 Martin Harrison.
Optimists - Friday (17 starters) No 5597 - Jos Laughton-Scott; Saturday (5 starters) No 5597 - Jos Laughton-Scott.
Lasers - Friday (32 starters) No 192529 Oliver Glanville; Saturday (15 starters) No 192529 - Oliver Glanville.
Scows - Friday (19 starters) No 611 - Graham Sutton; Saturday (18 starters) No 546 Oliver Morgan.
Slow Handicap - Friday (7 starters) Uno - Myles Powell; Saturday (5 starters) Topaz Uno+ - Henrietta Tidbury.
Fast Handicap - Friday (11 starters) Hobie 405 - Martin Moore; Saturday (3 starters) Finn - George Cooper.

12 Aug - Redwing Team Racing by Andrew Eddy

For the first time in 3 years, the weather was settled enough for a Team Racing event to be held. With the two teams arranged so as to reflect their finishing order at Cowes, Robin Ebsworth in Quintessence joined the Commodore's Team led by Mike McInnes in Avocet, and Joe Robertson in Red Gauntlett II raced in the Captain's Team led by Andrew Eddy in Plover.

Jonthan Peel, assisted by Mark Konig, gave a briefing to the contenders and as Race Officer set a short windward leeward twice round course for the maximum of 5 races starting in the Fitzwilliam area.

The first two Races were won by the Captain's Team. Races 3 and 4 were won by the Commodore's Team! In the final and deciding race, the Commodore's team got off to clean starts and led by such a distance it looked as if it would be a procession with no interteam incidents! However, some keen efforts by the Captain's team meant that on the last leg, Plover was sailing Avocet off to Portsmouth while Quintessence & Red Gauntlett II headed for the Lifefboat Station. It looked as if the normally 15 minute race could be extended into the late afternoon. The Commodore and Captain slowly moved towards the finishing line and it became impossible for them to help their team mates. Meanwhile Joe and Robin were battling it out on the dead run leg their final approach to the line that turned out to be nearly a beat!

After they passed the finishing line none of the contenders knew who had won- fortunately the Race Officer's keen eye was confident that the bow of Quintessence was 5 inches behind that of Red Gauntlett II - so the Captain's team won the Trophy. Thank you to Jonathan and Mark and the the contenders for providing such excellent and amusing racing....

10 Aug - BSC v SVYC Keelboat Team Racing by the Commodore

The morning racing in Mermaids was a fair disaster for BSC. I think none of the Bembridge Sailors could quickly grasp what was needed with the Mermaids, and we all were slipping everywhere as there are so few foot and hand holds anywhere! Interestingly I think there were 3 boat failures – none disastrous and all 12 boats had temporary repairs and sailed.

We did it as team racing in 2 flights of 6, we took the odd numbers. We were beaten 4-0 on the four races we had. 1,3,and 5 racing 2,4,and 6 on the first race – 7,9 and 11 racing 8,10 and 12 and then we swapped and 1,3 and 5 raced 8,10 and 12 and 7,9 and 11 raced 2,4 and 6.

Clearly Seaview were better at team racing than we were, but overall we were still re-learning about mermaids during some fairly strong winds and exciting racing. It is just that most of the Bembridge boats were never in the front two!

Following an excellent lunch at Seaview, we went to our One Designs. In retrospect possibly we should have had our storm sails up, as there was undoubtedly a nasty squall that made sailing extremely exciting! I think there were problems with two kicking straps on the BOD’s. ( No 9 which Roy Burrows knows about as he was in her and one of the even numbers I think had a problem but solved it). Notwithstanding this, I am pleased to report that in the afternoon boats 7, 9 and 11 won both flights of races against boats 8, 10, and 12 and later 2, 4 and 6 whereas boats 1, 3 and 5 gave a better display than the morning but still lost both their races so that it ended up a 6-2 victory for Seaview on races.

Lots of fun, an excellent tea and everybody went home happy.

4 - 10 August

Much better weather for most of the week which certainly made it easier and more fun on Oppy 2 and none of the children were buried under the ball tentage! Well done to Harry Winterbottom who won the Curling Cup & Oliver Joy who won the Biggest Pot for racing.

The Redwings meanwhile had some excellent sailing at Cowes. Ed Peel ended up as the overall winner with Colin Samuelson second and Matt Alexander third (out of the 26 Redwings entered). There were a handful of One-Designs out most days. However, over the weekend - racing for the Brinton Cup - there was a good turnout (8 boats) on Saturday in the gentle SE breeze; Mark Grz finished well ahead having gone inshore on both of the beats. James Row was 2nd and John Deacon 3rd. On Sunday the fleet was much reduced - possibly as it was the night after the ball but to be fair it may have also been due to the very light easterly breeze! Mark Grz crossed the line well ahead of John Deacon & Anna Row to take the Cup. On Saturday morning, four One-Designs worth of under 30s competed for the Hulbert Prize - well done parents for getting them all to Colonels Hard! The Harbord-Hamonds were the clear winners until the last 50 yards when the Nainby-Luxmoore/Lucmoore-Styles stole past in the fickle breeze to take the cup.

Finally, many congratulations to Edward Nainby-Luxmoore who was in the silver medal winning 8 at last weeks recent Junior World Rowing Championships in France.

28 July - 3 August

Another disappointing week's weather for Cadet Week (& Scow Week), however, as always the best was made of every opportunity to get the most out of the on water periods particularly in the windy conditions. In the event we had 92 cadets on the course (30 sailing Lasers, 16 sailing Topaz Tres, 28 on Uno +s, 12 in Oppies and 6 in Wayfarers). Pity about the team racing on Thursday which was cancelled because of the windy conditions. However, team beach games went down very well and a worthy winner of the Evelyn Morton Cup was found. Well done to all the instructors - they certainly had to earn their pay! It was also good to see a dozen or so of them out on both Wednesday & Thursday evenings for the hastily arranged Instructors races. George Cooper & Matt Grier were unbeatable and were first and second respectively.

Cadet Week Trophy winners were as follows:

Beginners Trophy (Best Colt) - Francesca Barrow
Scow Cup (Topaz Uno most improved) - Ned Cobb
Catseye & Clarissa (Oppy most improved) - Fergus Williams
Oppy Shirt (Consistent effort) - Nellie Popplewell
Butler Trophy (Oppy racing) - Jos Laughton-Scott
David Niven Trophy (Tres most improved)- Claudia Matthews & Arabella Watt
Firefly Cup (Topaz racing) - Abby Doherty & Emily Tatham
420 Cup (Uno + racing) - Myles Powell & Jamie Row
Sharman Trophy (Laser most improved) - Becca Speare-Cole
Clegg Tankard - (Laser B Group Racing) - Jamie Cobb
Genevieve Trophy (Overall Laser racing) - Freddie Chalmers
Salamander Trophy (Best Under 15 Cadet) - Will Toogood
Amelia Jessel Prize ( Best Under 18 Cadet) - Fergus Penny
Evelyn Morton Cup (Team racing) - Sam Harbord-Hamond & Lilly Luxmoore-Styles team
Rusty Shackle - Spin Guy

At Gurnard Dinghy Week meanwhile, our 3 Cadet entries and one adult (Rex Chalmers) certainly found the conditions challenging; well done to Fergus Penny came a very creditable 3rd in the Laser 4.7 fleet.

Few if any Redwings & One-Designs raced during the week, however the passage race to Cowes was well supported on Friday morning. Ed Peel in Quail ended up well ahead of Hugo Cuddigan in Capella II and Mike MacInnes in Avocet.

Excellent turnout for the Scow Parade on Friday evening.

19 - 27 July

Disappointing week's weather for the slightly smaller than the past few years Laser/Topaz (46) & Oppy 1 (18 full day & 14 half-day) courses, however, as always the best was made of every opportunity to get the most out of the on water periods particularly in the windy conditions. Pity about the team racing on Thursday which had to be abandoned after the first 4 races when the breeze got up too much to make it safe to continue. However, well done to all the instructors - they certainly had to earn their pay!

Trophy winners were as follows:

Tidbury Trophy (Laser Radial most improved) - George Matthews
Truman Tankard (Laser 4.7 most improved) - Alice Luxmoore-Styles
Musker Cup (Laser 4.7 racing) - Freddie Chalmers
Du Boulay Cup (Laser Handicap racing) - Freddie Chalmers
Evans Cup (Topaz most improved) - Jasper Ross
Palmer Trophy (Topaz Uno racing) - Robert Tidbury
Seymour Prize (Tres racing) - Claudia Matthews & Arabella Watt
Evelyn Morton Bowl (Team Racing) - Red team (tug of war!)
Curling Cup (most improved Oppy 1) - Georgina Pollock
Middle Pot (Oppy racing) - Jos Laughton-Scott
Watt Prize (best kept Oppy during Oppy 1) - Charles Nainby-Luxmoore

The Redwings & One-Designs sailing in the Cowes Classic Regatta during the week appear to have thoroughly enjoyed themselves (see BOD webpage for Jos's report). On Saturday 8 Redwings started in the breezy SSW'erly breeze. Three returned home clearly deciding to play things safe with Cowes only a week away. Laura Gosling in Gosling emerged the winner ahead by just under a minute ahead of David McCue in Musicus and Robin Ebsworth in Quintessence. Ten Redwings gathered off Morton for the Princessa Trophy on Sunday morning; conditions were almost perfect with a Southerly F4 providing probably the best race of the season. The majority of the fleet headed inshore after rounding Bembridge Ledge and then played chicken with the rocks as they tried to cheat the tide. The 3 boats remaining offshore meanwhile had a stress free ride albeit reaching Princessa slightly behind the leaders (Joe Roberston in Red Gauntlett II and Colin Samuelson in Toucan) who rounded within a few feet of each other. Joe remained ahead for the rest of the race, however, Serena Gosling in Gosling managed to get ahead of Colin on the last beat from Patch to Under Tyne. Some close racing for the remainder of the fleet and big smiles all round on the way back to the Club. In the afternoon, Hayley Landon in Prawn finished well ahead of Serena Gosling in Gosling, Sarah Maltby in Enigma & Mary Luxmoore-Styles in Capercaille to win the Mercedes Trophy (Ladies race).

There were 4 One-Designs out on Saturday; James Row in No 8 crossed the line a minute ahead of John H-Hamond in No 4, with Rob Mathieson a minute later in 3rd. On Sunday, only 3 boats were out, D Orange in No 11 winning by a long distance from Pat Spalding in No 1 and Martin Bonham in No 2.

A big thank you to the SVYC team who ran the EWCC Oppy Regatta on Friday - not a large fleet but well done to those who survived the blustery conditions - in particular to Joss Laughton-Scott who came 3rd overall (and 2nd in Race 2). Similar thanks is due to the BHYC team who ran the EWCC Dinghy Regatta on Sunday afternoon. Well done to Freddie Chalmers who won both Laser 4.7 races and Jos Laughton-Scott who won both Oppy races. A final word of commendation to Oscar Chalmers (aged 9) who came a very creditable 3rd in the second Oppy race.

17 - 18 July - Mackinnon Trophy

Very tight racing on Saturday amoung the 5 Redwings out. Mark Andreae in Prawn was first home about a minute ahead of Colin Samuelson in Toucan, with Tom Scott in Siskin a mere foot behind. Michael MacInness in Avocet was 4th a metre ahead of the Maltby's in Enigma. As the conditions were not particularly condusive, the Crew race was postponed to another day. Although a number of One-Designs were sailed out to Under Tyne, none actually raced.

On Sunday, it was touch and go whether racing - particularly for the Redwings - should go ahead. In the event four Redwings & three One-Designs took up the. Tom Scott in Siskin lead throughout with Mark Andreae in Prawn never too far off the pace. Peter Grimaldi played safe and retired reasonably early; but alas Nick Fairfax in Flycatcher pushed that bit too hard and broke their mast rounding Patch. Fortunately Rod was on his way to Under Tyne in Delta and was soon able to get Flycatcher under tow back into the harbour. In the One-Designs meanwhile, No 5 (Jos Coad) came in ahead of No No 6 (John Deacon) and No 9 (Peter Truman).

Conditions on Sunday for the first day of Laser/Topaz & Oppy 1 were certainly testing (for the cadets & instructors). Well done everyone got back safely - phew!

11 - 12 July - Coronation Cup

Strong winds were forecast for the weekend however this did not deter the One-Designs. In the event the breeze was kinder on Saturday but with visibility up and down, two short courses were felt to be safer. Sunday was bright and sparkly but with the wind probably F5 gusting 6, some Redwings stayed on their moorings and one or two retired during the race. In the meantime the One-Designs had a great sail!

Eight Redwings ventured forth on Saturday for the two shortish races. In the first race, the finishing order of the top three were Capella - Hugo Cuddigan, Prawn - Mark Andreae & Siskin - Tom Scott. In the 2nd race, line honours went to Avocet - Mike MacInnes, Prawn - Mark Andreae & Capella II - Hugo Cuddigan. On Sunday, only 4 boats stayed the course and after just under an hour of challenging sailing, Hugo Cuddigan pipped Mark Andreae by a mere second with Robin Ebsworth a couple of minutes behind. Although they finished in 4th place, the Eddy boat with its cut down main looked the more relaxed as they crossed the finish line!

There were 11 One-Designs out on Saturday - well done Charles Evans, the weekend organiser! Race 1 went to Jos Coad with Mark Grz in 2nd and Ed Burrows in 3rd. In race 2, it was the same three, but in the order, Ed, Jos & Mark! On Sunday some of the boats remained on their moorings and after some excellent close racing, race 1 went to James Row in No 12, with Justin Biddle in No 5 and Jos Coad in No 8; in race 2, Justin got revenege and finished ahead of James with Ed Burrows in 3rd place.

Finally, many congratulations to Ed Eddy & Susannah Moss (and their supporting safety cover) who successfully circumnavigated the Island last week in a Laser 3000 to raise funds for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).

4 - 5 July - Lt Col Sloane Stanley's Inkwell

Although the breezes over the weekend were variable at times and necessitated a course change each day, overall there was some excellent racing for the Redwings and One-Designs. On Saturday, the race officers set a rather different course to the norm by placing TRIO on the "wrong" end of the line at Nainby so that a testing beat to Pepe could be set in the light SSW'erly breeze. The course had to be adjusted after the first round as the wind backed to the SSE. Harry Greenway in Snow Goose came in well ahead of the remainder of the 10 strong Redwing fleet. Joe Robertson in Red Gauntlett II with Vernon Stratton as one of his crew came in 2nd and Nick Wakefield was a very creditable 3rd. In the four boat One-Design race, Peter Truman (No 9) crewed by Sue Morton came in well ahead of James Row (No 9) with Robin Joy (who was in the lead after the first round) had to make do with 3rd place.

On Sunday conditions started a bit overcast but then cleared to provide a sparkling race. Hugo Cuddigan in Cappella II read the start bias perfectly and went for a port tack flyer as a SW squal (gusting 20 knots) passed through. However, with the wind reducing to a more manageable F4 and backing to the south, he was unable to keep up the pressure and retired. Four boats (Siskin, Quintessence, Snow Goose & Red Gauntlet II) were very close as they started the final two legs, however a kind wind shift played into Harry Greenway's hands and Snow Goose ended up well ahead by the time that the finish line at Pepe was reached. Tom Scott in Siskin was 2nd, and Joe Robertson in Red Gauntlett II was 3rd. There were a surprising number of place changes in the five boat One-Design fleet. Having been well ahead prior to the course change, Norman Marshall (No 7) had to make do with 2nd place as Anna Row (No 8) swept to the front on the final leg. John Deacon in No 6 was 3rd., Peter Truman (No 9) was 4th and Pat Spalding (No 12) was 5th.

27 - 28 June - Zanen Trophy

Light and variable breezes made for slow progress on both days. Saturday was the Zanen Trophy which is meant to be a long distance race, however race officers Robin Joy & Mike Samuelson judged that Warner was not worth risking so went for a two round race using Derrick initialy as the windward mark. A 180 degree wind shift once the 8 Redwings and 1 One-Design got there at least provided two beats! At the end of the first round Harry Greenway in Snow Goose was just ahead of Joe Robertson in Red Gauntlett II, but jib problems as they rounded Britten allowed Joe a relatively easy victory. Colin Samuelson in Toucan was a consistent 3rd. There were only two One Designs racing and after an hour not getting very far, William Bland decided to call it a day and took a tow back towards the Under Tyne moorings. Anna Row meanwhile persevered and having spent quite a long period becalmed was actually not that far behind at the end of the first round. Not quite so good on the second shorter round so she had to make do with 5th place on handicap.

No One-Designs on Sunday, however 9 Redwings had a nice sail in the gentle breeze. After just over an hour & a half, Colin Samuelson in Toucan finished just over a minute ahead of Tom Scott in Siskin with Michael MacInnes in Avocet & Harry Greenway in Snow Goose close behind.

20 - 21 June - Svana RYS Quaich

Light and variable breezes on both days and with Saturday being the Round the Island Race everyone was more than happy to run with a 2 short race format. There were 5 Redwings out on Saturday and 6 on Sunday. Tom Scott in Siskin & Joe Roberston in Red Gauntlet II shared line honours throughout, however the weekend winner overall was Tom Scott with 3 firsts. In the final race on Sunday, there was only about 30 seconds separating second & fifth places.

In the One-Designs, although there was some close finishes lower down in the 4 boat fleet on Saturday, Mark Grz was well ahead in both races. Despite some close racing, fishing places were very consistent with Anna Row in No 8 notching up two seconds, Tony Splading in No 12 claiming two third places, and Charles Evans having to put up with two fourth places. On Sunday, Charles got his own back and took the first race inches ahead of James Row with Mark Grz third & Pat Spalding fourth. James was well ahead of Mark (who just held off Charles) in the final 3 boat race.

13 - 14 June - Evert de Kort Cup

Not that many takers which for a BODA weekend was a bit disappointing, however full marks to Jos Coad & Charles Evans who came down just for Saturday's racing. Somewhat variable breezes on Saturday resulted in a slightly unfortunate course change mix up in the Redwings and resulted in the race leader at the time Harry Greenway in No 5 Snowgoose, being disqualified for sailing the wrong course. This left Robin Ebsworth in Quintessence with a well deserved 1st place, a minute and a half ahead of Rosie Gosling in Gosling. Peter Grimaldi was 3rd and Nick Fairfax 4th. The five One-Designs meanwhile had 2 races. In the first, the order was Helen Mathieson in No 1, Jos Coad in No 8, Robin Joy in No 10, Roy Burrows in No 9 and Pat Spalding in No 12. In the 2nd race the front two changed so that the order ended as Jos Coad, Rob Mathieson, Robin Joy, Roy Burrows and Pat Spalding.

On Sunday, there was a very pleasant (and pretty steady) southerly force 3 breeze which provided some delightfull sailing for the 7 Redwings & 3 One-Designs. In the former, Colin Samuelson in Toucan who was ahead for the majority of the race came in 1st a minute ahead of Harry Greenway in Snowgoose who just managed to stay ahead of Peter Grimaldi in Redwing on the final beat into Pepe. In the One-Designs who were sailing a slightly shorter course and in fact finished ahead of the Redwings, Rob Mathieson in No 1 came in just under a minute ahead of Roy Burrows in No 9 with Pat Splading in No 12 a few seconds behind.

6 - 7 June - Victory/Westmacott Regatta & Nicholson Trophy

On Saturday morning at 10:00, 11 intrepid crews – 5 redwings and 6 One Designs – raced from Garland to a mark just outside Portsmouth Harbour. With an easterly force 5 good time was made – the Redwings there in 40 minutes, followed by the BODs in 50 minutes. Colin Samuelson lead home from Tom Scott in the Redwings and in the BODs Brian Orange just pipped Jos Coad. Unfortunately the first regatta race had only started at 10.30 so we sailed around for over an hour in very choppy waters; Two Redwings felt there was more to life and promptly returned whence they had come. The other 3 plus the 6 BOD’s then raced the second regatta course. Colin again coming in ahead of Robin Ebsworth and Tom Scott. Mark Grz just beat Brian Orange followed by James Row in the BODs. In the third race, Tom Scott’s mast came to grief when a stay broke, which left Colin and Robin fighting it out, with Robin coming in first. In the BODs Brian Orange came in ahead of Roy Burrows and Jos Coad. At this point Regatta racing was concluded and the boats repaired to the Haslar Marina. Brian Orange and Mark Grz managed to sail into Portsmouth Harbour undetected by the Harbour Master – the others were towed in by ribs as instructed! The boats were safely moored by 4pm at which point some very shell-shocked crews were able to relax – after over 4 ˝ hours of force 5 in very choppy waters which entailed large amounts of pumping the bilges.

After showering, changing and having a well-earned drink or two in the Haslar Lightship, our hosts took us across the harbour mouth were we made our way to the Royal Naval Club and Royal Albert Yacht Club. Our hosts, the Victory Class, made us extremely welcome and we enjoyed an excellent dinner. The Redwing crews sensibly returned to the Island on the Fastcat. The BODA crews returned by RIB courtesy of Brian and Sue Langford who drove us very expertly across a huge rolling sea heightened by the wind that had risen to easterly force 6. If anything we were wetter when we arrived back than after racing!

The next morning both Redwings and BODs took the RIBs back to Portsmouth making the journey on a flat sea in 15 minutes – unlike the night before that had taken 45 minutes! After collecting our boats, and in a south-westerly 4, we had one race which, in the Redwings, Colin Samuelson won, and in the BODs James Row stormed home ahead of Mark Grz and Rob Mathieson.

Finishing at about midday the wind had reversed to east south east, so boats had a long beat back to Bembridge sailing through a strong adverse tide. Fortunately the wind held and the Redwings were home by 14:00 and the 6 BODs all safely on their moorings by 14:45 thanks to some judicious towing by Rod, Charlie & Graham Hall!

Everyone really enjoyed their week-end with a not inconsiderable sense of achievement after sailing through some wild seas and strong winds; for the BODs in particular it was the first time the boats had been raced other than off Bembridge which made it a great adventure for all.

The six BOD crews who participated were Rob & Helen Mathieson in 1, Martin Bonham with Vyv Hardless in 2, Sam Deacon with Charlie Harcourt-Smith in 6, Jos Coad and James Row in 8, Mark Grz and Roy Burrows in 9 and Brian Orange with Willie Westmacott in 11. It was great to have a Westmacott participating in the Regatta held in the honour of his grandfather who had designed the X boats and BODs.

30 - 31 May - Curlew Cup

With late tides and Force 4 to 5 easterly winds forecast over the weekend, it was decided to go for a good long race for the Redwings & One Designs on Saturday and not risk leaving the boats out at Under Tyne overnight. In the event probably the wrong decision as Sunday was a lovely day with only a gentle breeze, but such is "sailing"!

There were 9 Redwings out and they much enjoyed the two long beats from Pepe to Cochrane and then to finish off with a final beat to Under Tyne and back to Pepe. James Wilson in Quail and Tom Scott in Siskin had a close race for the first round but then James pulled ahead to finish a couple of minutes ahead. Joe Roberston in Red Gauntlet II worked his way into 3rd place ahead of Mark Andreae in Prawn, Harry Greenway (out for his first race for a number of years) in Snow Goose, and Robin Ebsworth in Quintessence who finished within 15 seconds of each other after a 1 hour 55 minute race!

Meanwhile, the 3 One-Designs were set a slightly shorter course (Tara instead of Cochrane); Norman Marshall sailing on his own in No 7 finished well ahead of Roy Burrows (also sailing solo) in No 9 and Tony Spalding in No 12.

Well done earlier in the week to the 9 Cadets and 1 Mum who passed their Powerboat Level 2 Course in some pretty challenging conditions, particularly on Wednesday. Also to Susie Beart, Sarah Bennett & Caroline Roe who attended an Adult Assistant Instructor Course on Friday. No takers for dinghy racing over the half term week, so the Smallest Pot for Oppies was not awarded.

23 - 25 May - Gunston Trophy & Lowrey Cory Cup

A very frustrating weekend's sailing with fickle and variable breezes; indeed with at least 5 races programmed for the 3 day holiday, the Redwings only managed to complete 2 races and the One-Designs one and a bit which was obviously disappointing for everyone.

Saturday's racing started off in an encouraging breeze with 11 Redwings and 6 One-Designs looking forward to at least 2 races towards the Gunston Trophy & Lowrey Cory Cup. However, after a good start, the wind died and both fleets had to finish on shortened courses. Edmund Peel in Quail lead the Redwings from the line and although his brother-in-law James Wilson in Redstart II was obviously trad of ng hard, he was a good five minutes ahead when he crossed the line at Under Tyne. Third, just, was Colin Samuelson in Toucan who had to take a penalty on the finish line for hitting the finishing RIB at the first attempt to cross. The One-Designs meanwhile had to be shortened even earlier up the course with John Harbord-Hamond sailing No 4 finishing 26 minutes ahead of James Row in No 8 and Jos Coad in No 6 a minute later.

Sunday's racing never got off the starting line - mind you had the fleets not voted with their feet and waited a bit longer for the light breeze to develop, they probably would have got a race in. Monday's forecast suggested a more promising set of races, however what was forecast and what was experienced was poles apart. After a short postponement, the 12 Redwings and 6 One-Designs started with off in a pleasant 5 knot north, north westerly breeze, however not long after the Redwings had rounded Derrick and were running down to Fitzwilliam, the breeze dropped and veered 180 degrees forcing the fleets into a second beat. Much to his chagrin, Edmund Peel in Quail had to make do with a 2nd place about 30 seconds behind his mother Caroline in Redstart II. Mark Andeae in Prawn was 3rd some way behind. The One-Designs meanwhile were well and truly caught when the breeze dropped and the tide off Derrick pushed them down towards Seaview. All bar James Row in No 8 who had rounded well ahead of the remainder wisely decided to take a tow back to the harbour; with little or no prospect of finishing within the time limit, James eventually retired when he realised that the Committee Boat was on its way back home having abandoned any further racing for the day.

So for the first time - certainly for as long as most can remember - the winners for the late May Bank Holiday weekend series emerged from just two races. The Redwing Gunston Trophy was agreed as a tie between the Peel family, and the One-Design Lowrey Cory Cup as a moral victory to James Row.

16 - 17 May - 25th Anniversary Medal

Wet & windy and late tides, but having been out for a "rain check", the ROs on Saturday (Tony Spalding & Mark Grz) agreed to venture forth and set an inshore course. In the event there were only two One-Designs (No 1 helmed by James Row & crewed by Helen Mathieson, and No 12 helmed by Jos Coad with Pat Spalding as crew), and two Redwings - Andrew Eddy in Plover and Robin Ebsworth in Quintessence.

All enjoyed the challenging conditions and it was a pity more had not been brave enough to give it a go. In the One-Designs (who started first as the Redwings took some time to get off their moorings) No 1 came in about 40 seconds ahead of No 12. Andrew Eddy meanwhile, sporting his reefed mainsail for the first time, and having taken advantage of the considerable port bias on the line was always 20 seconds or so ahead of Robin Ebsworth. Notwithstanding that Robin is still having problems with his new mast, it was very evident that Andrew's reduced sized main made for considerably more controlled sailing and is something that others should probably be thinking of emulating.

No takers for Sunday's racing - probably as well, it was not particularly pleasant out at sea.

9 - 10 May - Fortuna II - 1950 Medal

Gentle SSW breezes on Saturday & Sunday provided some good racing for Redwings & One-Designs even if the wind direction and tides made for rather processional beats; mind you a strong port tack bias on Sunday provided a challenging start!

On Saturday, Edmund Peel in Quail - out for the first time this season - showed a clean pair of heels to the Goslings in Gosling, Nick Wakefield in Bizarre, Tom Scott in Siskin & Joe Roberston in Red Gauntlett II. On Sunday, Edmund won again by at least 2 minutes (and thereby wins the Fortuna II - 1950 Medal) with Serena Gosling & Tom Scott enjoying a good battle for second & third. Joe Robertson, wo is clearly not gnetting the boat speed from 24 that he enjoyed last year brought up the rear.eaP>

Meanwhile on S urday in the One-Designs, James Row in No 8 was well ahead of Rob Mathieson in No 1 and Peter Truman in No 9. Sunday was closer with James finishing about 15 seconds ahead of Roy Burrows in No 1 with Peter Truman in No 9 not far behind. James Spalding in No 12 did finish but was quite a long way behind.

Well done to the BHYC team lead by Graham Sutton who convincingly won (again) the Inter Club Scow Team racing on Saturday; SVYC were 2nd, BSC 3rd and Yarmouth SC 4th. With each Club split into two teams of two boats and each team racing everyone except their own Club, means that the Race Officers have to start and finish 24 races - quite a task, but BZ to Graham Hall who was so ably assisted by Philip James & Stuart Aiken. Alas no photo appears to have been taken of the BSC helmsman in No 10 Scow who gybed just before the start of the first flight and mysteriously (& somewhat embarrassingly) found his Scow full of water!!

2 - 4 May 09 - Quail Trophy & Woodroffe Bowl

A good start for the Redwing Fleet, particularly as the tides were less than helpful and required boats to be out on the Under Tyne moorings on Friday evening. A nice breeze on both Saturday & Sunday with simple but verySakiaffective windward leewa,ing up the rd coursfourth a minute behiset the scene for some close racing between the 10 boat fleet. Keeping inshore to minimise the effects of the tide paid dividends and after a good start, Tom Scott in No 36 Siskin lead the way throughout; Colin Samuelson in No 11 Toucan was never far away though and came in 2nd ahead of Hugo Cuddigan in No 8 Capella II. On Sunday, a similar pattern but this time Colin Samuelson in Toucan lead virtually from the line to come in just over a minute ahead of Class Captain Andrew Eddy in No 40 Plover who just pipped Rosie Gosling in No 45 Gosling on the finish line. With less of a breeze on Monday and everyone keen to get back into the harbour, the intended three quarters of an hour race ended up somewhat shorter as the breeze slowly built. Another seemingly easy win for Colin Samuelson in Toucan who finished about three quarters of a minute ahead of Hayley Landon in No 3 Prawn with Tom Scott in Siskin at least a minute later, to take the Quail Trophy for the weekend series.

Except in the light airs Monday when they sailed the same short course, the fleet of 10 One-Designs enjoyed the slightly shorter courses that were set. On Saturday D Orange was almost back on the moorings before the 2nd boat (James Bullin in No 5) crossed the line in 2nd place just ahead of Sam Deacon in No 6. On Sunday, James got his revenge and although the time separation between No 5 and Brian Orange in No 11 was significantly less than the previous day, it set up for a close race on Monday for the weekend's Woodroffe Bowl. Jos Coad was third in No 10. In the event, D Orange had another convincing win in the following day's short race to take the Bowl; Peter Summerhayes crept into 2nd place with James Bullin having to make do with a third place (and a close 2nd place on overall points).

Overall an excellent weekend's racing despite the tides and paucity of wind on Monday.

25 - 26 Apr - St George's Day Trophy & Woodford Long Distance Race

Perfect weather but sadly only two BODA takers for the week-end. On Saturday it was blowing SW force 4-5, gusting 6, and with a course from N of Pepe, G, N twice round; such good progress was made that the second round was switched to Y, Drum and harbour finish. Unfortunately Drum hadn’t been laid so we went round Jonah instead! Jos Coad in 8 came in some way ahead of Tony Spalding in 12. On Sunday it was a beautiful sunny day with a force 3 from the south. After starting the Illusions the race officers set a course from N of T, N twice round. Again it took only 30 minutes to complete one round so the course was extended to include a harbour finish. Jos Coad in 8 finished just ahead of Tony Spalding in 12. All participants – helms & crew – had two excellent sails and much enjoyed it. The decision to move N to its new location has proved an excellent one as it is ideal for being the start line, being close to the harbour and with just about every option available for course setting.

Excellent, albeit challenging for those without electric pumps, Illusion racing on Saturday for the St George's Day Trophy.

1st - Mark Downer
2nd - Raymond Simonds
3rd - Rudy Jurg

On Sunday the wind kindly abatted for the final Illusion race of the season - the Woodford Long Distance Trophy. A couple of circuits round St Helens Fort fitted the bill admirably.

1st - Raymond Simonds
2nd - Rudy Jurg
3rd Justin Biddle

18 - 19 Apr

No racing - early/late tides. Very successful PB rally to Bosham Sailing Club (BSC). Successful "Crane Course" for the Redwing Club.

10 - 13 Apr - Oppenheim Trophy & Vernon's Easter Cup

Busy weekend with lots of boats out but not a lot of wind at times.

BODA started their season on Good Friday with 7 boats out braving the rain; fortunately the wind held and with the Gosling family stoically braving the elements as our race officers a short course N,G,E twice round was won by Peter Harvey (12) who was followed by Brian Orange (11), Rob Mathieson (1), Jos Coad (8), Mark Grz (9), Norman Marshall (7) and Martin Bonham (2). This was the first time that N (Nainby-Luxmoore) had been used in its new position between the fort and channel buoy 2a.

On Saturday there were 10 boats out in a brisk breeze that fizzled out but not before boats had completed 2 rounds of N,E (starting at G). The final run to E from N was very slow but Jos Coad (5) caught and just pipped Peter Harvey (7) on the line; they were followed home by Pete Summerhayes (1), Mark Grz (9), Martin Bonham (2), James Row (8), Denise Orange (11), Robin Joy (10) and Willy Cobb (6). Pat Spalding (12) retired.

On Sunday in light wind there were 6 boats out, lead home by Denise Orange (11), James Row (8), Peter Harvey (9), Rob Mathieson (1) and Martin Bonham (2). Norman Marshall (7) retired. Finally, on Monday the sun shone with a S/SW force 3 and 9 boats enjoyed the perfect conditions. James Row (8) lead the fleet home, followed by Brian Orange (11), Jos Coad (5), Rob Mathieson (1), Martin Bonham (2), Peter Harvey (10), Sarah Marshall (7), Roy Burrows (9) and William Bland (12).

Congratulations to Brian and D Orange who won the Oppenheim Trophy in no. 11. Despite the rain on Friday it was an excellent start to the season with 16 helms participating over the long week-end and an average of 8 boats per race.

Well done also to all 12 (ranging from 12 to 45-ish) who successfully gained their Powerboat Level 2 Certificates on Friday & Saturday.

5 - 6 Apr

No racing, early late tides - pity, rather nice although a heavy mist came in on Sunday afternoon.

28 - 29 Mar - Picnic Hamper

Saturday was a cracking day (literally). Boats were smashed and blood was spilled in the cold wind, but none of this stopped anyone smiling! The podium was like a favourite toy, no one wanted to share it. Graham Bailey was particularly childish, only letting Mark Downer have one go in three.

Sunday brought lighter air and the almost unstoppable force of Philip Bown. Had Piers Thomas not intervened in the final race, Philip would have claimed a golden hat-trick. Impressive! Well done the ROs - course setting not easy now that the trot moorings have been re-laid. Next stop Easter, can't wait!

Final Results:

1st Graham Bailey
2nd Piers Thomas
3rd Rudy Jurg

4th Justin Biddle
5th Philip Bown
6th Jo Downer

Congratulations to Tim Woodcock, James Beart, Jono & Anna Gage who successfully completed their PBL2 course over the weeeknd.